Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41731101›Full record

ArticleNature plants2026

The overlooked role of root water content in the root economics space.

Heng Li, Carlos P Carmona, Shuli Niu, Ian J Wright, Yong Zhou, Josep Peñuelas, Jordi Sardans, Zhiqiang Wang, Lei Deng, Jing Wang and 5 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature plants, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Heng LiState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Carlos P CarmonaMisión Biológica de Galicia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Pontevedra, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6935-4913
Shuli NiuKey Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2394-2864
Ian J WrightARC Centre for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8338-9143
Yong ZhouDepartment of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2546-8462
Josep PeñuelasCSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7215-0150
Jordi SardansCSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2478-0219
Zhiqiang WangSichuan Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China.
Lei DengState Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Jing WangState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Ruixuan LiuState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Jiahao TanState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Ying XinState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Chengjin ChuState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0606-449X
Heng HuangState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China. huangh557@mail.sysu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5552-3333

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Root traits are fundamental to plant survival, growth and adaptation to environmental changes. Despite increasing attention to the root economics space, a quantitative understanding of global patterns and key drivers of root trait variation remains elusive. By combining metabolic theory with global trait datasets, we reveal universal nonlinear relationships of five key root traits with root water content regardless of plant growth form or climate zone. Root water content emerges as a stronger predictor of growth-related root traits and shows a closer association with the conservation gradient than the widely considered root nitrogen, thereby better defining 'fast' resource acquisition strategies. Moreover, replacing nitrogen with tissue water content in analyses reveals a closer alignment of leaf and fine-root traits than expected. Our findings highlight general quantitative biotic and abiotic controls on plant trait variation, offering broader insights into plant economics strategies, community dynamics and ecosystem functioning under changing climate and resource availability.

Indexed as

Plant RootsWaterNitrogenNitrogenWater

Identifiers

PMID41731101

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.