ArticleThe New phytologist2025
Rooting for function: community-level fine-root traits relate to many ecosystem functions.
Article in The New phytologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimizing prochloraz timing for curative control of Fusarium wilt in chili: a multi-target strategy targeting early root infection.Pest management science · 2026Article
- A global dataset of key traits for plant belowground functioning.Scientific data · 2026Article
- Intraspecific variation pattern and adaptation mechanism of ephemeral plants root functional traits in arid region.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Mechanisms underlying rhizosheath dynamics in Kengyilia hirsuta in response to alternating drought and rewatering.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Root traits and mycorrhizal fungi mediate reactive N and warming impacts on soil organic carbon.Nature communications · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
21 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Humans are driving biodiversity change, which also alters community functional traits. However, how changes in the functional traits of the community alter ecosystem functions-especially belowground-remains an important gap in our understanding of the consequences of biodiversity change. We test hypotheses for how the root traits of the root economics space (composed of the collaboration and conservation gradients) are associated with proxies for ecosystem functioning across grassland and forest ecosystems in both observational and experimental datasets from 810 plant communities. First, we assessed whether community-weighted means of the root economics space traits adhered to the same trade-offs as species-level root traits. Then, we examined the relationships between community-weighted mean root traits and aboveground biomass production, root standing biomass, soil fauna biomass, soil microbial biomass, decomposition of standard and plot-specific material, ammonification, nitrification, phosphatase activity, and drought resistance. We found evidence for a community collaboration gradient but not for a community conservation gradient. Yet, links between community root traits and ecosystem functions were more common than we expected, especially for aboveground biomass, microbial biomass, and decomposition. These findings suggest that changes in species composition, which alter root trait means, will in turn affect critical ecosystem functions.
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Registered trials
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