ArticleNature ecology & evolution2021
The global distribution and environmental drivers of aboveground versus belowground plant biomass.
Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Divergent resource limitations of belowground versus aboveground productivity across grasslands.Nature communications · 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
- Widespread carbon accumulation in mature forests remains underestimated by satellite observations.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
- Latitudinal Variation in the Responses of InvasivePlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Diversity-productivity relationships in ericaceous plants are influenced by interactions with ericoid mycorrhizal fungi.Ecology · 2026Article
- Potential of different area-based governance mechanisms for achieving Global Biodiversity Framework goals.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Soil Warming Shifts Seasonal and Soil Depth-Related Root Growth Dynamics in Subarctic Grasslands.Global change biology · 2026Article
- Latitudinal patterns and environmental correlates of plant root exudation.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
- Decadal sink-source shifts of forest aboveground carbon since 1988.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Plant Biomass Depolymerization by Oxidoreductases: Structural Characteristics, Synergy Mechanism, and Evolutionary Adaptation.Journal of agricultural and food chemistry · 2026Review
- Widespread controls of precipitation sensitivity on drought recovery of global forests.Nature communications · 2026Article
- A Global Comparison of Direct and Legacy Effects of Drought on Ecosystem Productivity.Ecology letters · 2026Article
- A leaf phenomics approach for estimating belowground traits in North American licorice.American journal of botany · 2026Article
- Community Trait Distributions Drive Biomass Stand Allocation Trade-Offs in Karst Forests.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Relationship between soil microbial necromass carbon and community assembly in the forest-grassland ecotone of northern China.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Distal to proximal: a continuum of drivers shaping tree growth and carbon partitioning.The New phytologist · 2026Review
- Trend and drivers of forest biomass change in the Greater Bay Area of China from 2000 to 2022.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A globally consistent negative effect of edge on aboveground forest biomass.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Global Assessment of Environmental and Plant-Trait Influences on Root: Shoot Biomass Ratios.Global change biology · 2025Article
- The Effects of an Initial Extreme Drought and Chronic Change in Precipitation on Plant Biomass Allocation in a Temperate Grassland.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A poor understanding of the fraction of global plant biomass occurring belowground as roots limits our understanding of present and future ecosystem function and carbon pools. Here we create a database of root-mass fractions (RMFs), an index of plant below- versus aboveground biomass distributions, and generate quantitative, spatially explicit global maps of RMFs in trees, shrubs and grasses. Our analyses reveal large gradients in RMFs both across and within vegetation types that can be attributed to resource availability. High RMFs occur in cold and dry ecosystems, while low RMFs dominate in warm and wet regions. Across all vegetation types, the directional effect of temperature on RMFs depends on water availability, suggesting feedbacks between heat, water and nutrient supply. By integrating our RMF maps with existing aboveground plant biomass information, we estimate that in forests, shrublands and grasslands, respectively, 22%, 47% and 67% of plant biomass exists belowground, with a total global belowground fraction of 24% (20-28%), that is, 113 (90-135) Gt carbon. By documenting the environmental correlates of root biomass allocation, our results can inform model projections of global vegetation dynamics under current and future climate scenarios.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.