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McNickle GG. Vertical root segregation theory put to the test. New Phytol 2022; 235:2143-2145. [PMID: 35979685 PMCID: PMC9546134 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This article is a Commentary on Herben et al. (2022), 235: 2223–2236.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon G. McNickle
- Department of Botany and Plant PathologyPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIN47907‐2054USA
- Center for Plant BiologyPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIN47907‐2054USA
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Luo W, Ni M, Wang Y, Lan R, Eissenstat DM, Cahill JF, Li B, Chu C. Limited evidence of vertical fine-root segregation in a subtropical forest. New Phytol 2021; 231:2308-2318. [PMID: 34110016 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Vertical root segregation and the resulting niche partitioning can be a key underpinning of species coexistence. This could result from substantial interspecific variations in root profiles and rooting plasticity in response to soil heterogeneity and neighbours, but they remain largely untested in forest communities. In a diverse forest in subtropical China, we randomly sampled > 4000 root samples from 625 0-30 cm soil profiles. Using morphological and DNA-based methods, we identified 109 woody plant species, determined the degree of vertical fine-root segregation, and examined rooting plasticity in response to soil heterogeneity and neighbour structure. We found no evidence of vertical fine-root segregation among cooccurring species. By contrast, root abundance of different species tended to be positively correlated within soil zones. Underlying these findings was a lack of interspecific variation in fine-root profiles with over 90% of species concentrated in the 0-10 cm soil zone with only one species dominating in the 10-20 cm soil zone. Root profiles exhibited low responsiveness to root neighbours but tended to be shallow in soils with low phosphorus and copper content. These findings suggest that if there is niche differentiation leading to coexistence in this diverse forest, it would be occurring by mechanisms other than vertical fine-root segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Ming Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Youshi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Runxuan Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - David M Eissenstat
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Buhang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
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