Patterns of root intraspecific trait variability
Final Report Abstract
Within the project “Patterns of root intraspecific trait variability”, our aim was to disentangle the sources of variation in root morphology that we can find in a natural population. These sources are on the one hand the genetic variation between the individuals of the community and on the other hand the plastic response of each individual to the environmental conditions. We focused on soil conditions here, as they closely link to root functioning. In order to distinguish between genetic variation and plasticity we used an approach, were we consider the offspring of a single mother plant in the field as genetically close. By cultivating the offspring of different mother plants on different soil conditions, we were able to test for specific patterns and sources of variation. We found that the specific root length (length per dry mass) increased at low soil pH levels. This was a general plastic response within the entire population but we could show, that the maternal origin of an individual plant affected this plastic response leading to some maternal families to show a higher specific root length at low pH- levels than others. We further found specific root length to decrease under drought and root tissue density (dry mass per volume) to decrease with increasing nitrogen level in the soil. These effects were observed irrespective of the mother plant, hence being a plastic response. Our results suggest, that most root trait variation in a natural population originates from plastic responses to environmental conditions rather than genetic variation within the species.
Publications
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Global root traits (GRooT) database. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 30(1), 25-37.
Guerrero‐Ramírez, Nathaly R.; Mommer, Liesje; Freschet, Grégoire T.; Iversen, Colleen M.; McCormack, M. Luke; Kattge, Jens; Poorter, Hendrik; van der Plas, Fons; Bergmann, Joana; Kuyper, Thom W.; York, Larry M.; Bruelheide, Helge; Laughlin, Daniel C.; Meier, Ina C.; Roumet, Catherine; Semchenko, Marina; Sweeney, Christopher J.; van Ruijven, Jasper; Valverde‐Barrantes, Oscar J.; ... & Weigelt, Alexandra
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Microplastic fiber and drought effects on plants and soil are only slightly modified by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Soil Ecology Letters, 4(1), 32-44.
Lehmann, Anika; Leifheit, Eva F.; Feng, Linshan; Bergmann, Joana; Wulf, Anja & Rillig, Matthias C.
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The fungal collaboration gradient dominates the root economics space in plants. Science Advances, 6(27).
Bergmann, Joana; Weigelt, Alexandra; van der Plas, Fons; Laughlin, Daniel C.; Kuyper, Thom W.; Guerrero-Ramirez, Nathaly; Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J.; Bruelheide, Helge; Freschet, Grégoire T.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Kattge, Jens; McCormack, M. Luke; Meier, Ina C.; Rillig, Matthias C.; Roumet, Catherine; Semchenko, Marina; Sweeney, Christopher J.; van Ruijven, Jasper; York, Larry M. & Mommer, Liesje
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Wind intensity affects fine root morphological traits with consequences for plant-soil feedback effects. AoB PLANTS, 12(5).
Werger, Luise; Bergmann, Joana; Weber, Ewald & Heinze, Johannes
