ArticleEcology and evolution2017
Drought effect on plant biomass allocation: A meta-analysis.
Article in Ecology and evolution, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Limited plastic responses in safety traits support greater hydraulic risk under drier conditions.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Pooled it
- Global systematic review with meta-analysis shows that warming effects on terrestrial plant biomass allocation are influenced by precipitation and mycorrhizal association.Nature communications · 2022Pooled it
- Exogenous nitric oxide promotes salinity tolerance in plants: A meta-analysis.Frontiers in plant science · 2022Pooled it
- The effects of elevated COEnvironmental science and pollution research international · 2021Pooled it
- Plant Salinity Tolerance Conferred by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Associated Mechanisms: A Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in plant science · 2020Pooled it
- Evolution shapes ecosystem resilience through spatial self-organization.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Growth, Antioxidant, and Physiological Responses Associated with Tuber Yield in Cassava Under Irrigation and Late-Season Drought Conditions in a Tropical Savanna Climate.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- BpMYB73 regulates long noncoding RNA BplncW20 to improve drought tolerance by mediating ROS scavenging in Betula platyphylla.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Optimal canopy light-use strategy shapes global greenness dynamics.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Growth responses of precious tree species with different plant characteristics to three lithological soil types and their interaction effects.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Integrated eco-physiological and anatomical responses of Capparis decidua to salinity and water deficit stress.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Sex-specific adaptive strategies and rhizosphere microbiome responses to drought stress in Bouteloua dactyloides.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Can species adapt to drought using multiple strategies? Lessons from the California poppy.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Cold Plasma Treatment Enhances Drought Tolerance of Alfalfa (Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effects of Combined Extreme Warming and Drought on the Physiology and Growth ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Increase in plant reliance on past precipitation associated with greening and drying.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
- Leaf and stem nutrient variation patterns and controls of Chenopodioideae plants along a desert transect in Central Asia.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Grade-specific biomass allocation and allometric growth strategies in Pinus yunnanensis seedlings.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Drought Reduces Formation, but Enhances Persistence, of Mineral-Associated Organic Matter in a Grassland Soil.Global change biology · 2026Article
- Growth form and lifespan of herbaceous species mediate the role of traits in short-term drought response.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Drought is one of the abiotic stresses controlling plant function and ecological stability. In the context of climate change, drought is predicted to occur more frequently in the future. Despite numerous attempts to clarify the overall effects of drought stress on the growth and physiological processes of plants, a comprehensive evaluation on the impacts of drought stress on biomass allocation, especially on reproductive tissues, remains elusive. We conducted a meta-analysis by synthesizing 164 published studies to elucidate patterns of plant biomass allocation in relation to drought stress. Results showed that drought significantly increased the fraction of root mass but decreased that of stem, leaf, and reproductive mass. Roots of herbaceous plants were more sensitive to drought than woody plants that reduced reproductive allocation more sharply than the former. Relative to herbaceous plants, drought had a more negative impact on leaf mass fraction of woody plants. Among the herbaceous plants, roots of annuals responded to drought stress more strongly than perennial herbs, but their reproductive allocation was less sensitive to drought than the perennial herbs. In addition, cultivated and wild plants seemed to respond to drought stress in a similar way. Drought stress did not change the scaling exponents of the allometric relationship between different plant tissues. These findings suggest that the allometric partitioning theory, rather than the optimal partitioning theory, better explains the drought-induced changes in biomass allocation strategies.
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