Plant and belowground ecology in natural and managed ecosystems

FRED, a resource in recent DOE funding call. 

Belowground ecology is highlighted as an area of interest in the recent Funding Opportunity Announcement from the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Program at the Department of Energy. Efforts connecting belowground traits with aboveground traits and ecosystem processes are encouraged. Click tab below for full details.

FRED is alive!

We've been working for several years to build, organize, and prepare a global database of fine-root traits. The lovingly dubbed, Fine-Root Ecology Database (FRED) is now fully available for download. Here is a bit of news on the release. Click the tab below to learn more and get FRED! Once there, you can send us your comments and feedback.  FRED is on a journey and you can help make it better.  FRED 2.0 is just around the corner!

Recent Publications

Ma Z, D Guo, X Xu, M Lu, RD Bardgett, DM Eissenstat, ML McCormack, LO Hedin. Evolutionary history resolves global organization of root functional traits. Nature, 555: 94-97 (2018).

Zhu K*, ML McCormack*, RA Lankau, JF Egan, N Wurzburger. Soil carbon and nitrogen relate to mycorrhizal association of forest trees across eastern North America. Journal of Ecology, 106: 524-535 (2018). *Authors contributed equally to this work.

Li H, B Liu, ML McCormack, B Zhu, Z Ma, D Guo. Diverse belowground resource strategies underlie plant species coexistence and spatial distribution. New Phytologist, 216: 1140-1150 (2017).

Walker AP, ML McCormack, J Messier, I Myers-Smith, SD Wullschleger. Meetings: Trait covariance: The functional warp of plant diversity? New Phytologist, 216: 976-980 (2017).

McCormack ML, D Guo, CM Iversen, W Chen, DM Eissenstat, CW Fernandez, L Li,  C Ma, Z Ma, H Poorter, PB Reich, M Zadworny, AE Zanne. Building a better foundation: Improving root-trait measurements to understand and model plant and ecosystem processes. New Phytologist, 215: 27-37 (2017).

​Iversen CM, ML McCormack, AS Powell, CB Blackwood, GT Freschet, J Kattge, C Roumet, DB Stover, NA Soudzilovskaia, OJ Valverde-Barrantes, PM van Bodegom, C Violle. A global Fine-Root Ecology Database to address belowground challenges in plant ecology. New Phytologist, 215: 15-26 (2017).
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​Freschet GT, OJ Valverde-Barrantes, CM Tucker, JM Craine, ML McCormack, C Blackwood, C Violle, KR Urban-Mead, A Bonis, LH Comas, M Dong, F Fort, D Guo, SE Hobbie, RJ, Holdaway, CM Iversen, SW Kembel, N Makita, VG Onipchenko, C Picon-Cochard, PB Reich, EG de la Riva, SW Smith, MG Tjoelker, DA Wardle, C Roumet. Climate, soil and plant functional types as drivers of global fine-root trait variation. Journal of Ecology, 105: 1182-1196 (2017).

McCormack ML, CW Fernandez, H Brooks, SG Pritchard. Production dynamics of Cenococcum geophilum ectomycorrhizas in response to long-term elevated CO2 and N fertilization. Fungal Ecology, 26: 11-19 (2017).

Zadworny M, ML McCormack, R Żytkowiak, P Karolewski, J Mucha, J Oleksyn. Patterns of structural and defense investments in fine roots of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) across strong temperature and latitudinal gradient in Europe. Global Change Biology, 23: 1218-1231 (2017).

Lin G, ML McCormack, C Ma, D Guo. Similar soil carbon sequestration potential but contrasting modes of nitrogen cycling between arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal forests. New Phytologist, 213: 1440-1451 (2017).

Wurzburger N, ENJ Brookshire, ML McCormack, RA Lankau. Mycorrhizal fungi as drivers and modulators of terrestrial ecosystem processes. New Phytologist, 213: 996-999 (2017).

Liu R, Z Huang, ML McCormack, X Zhou, X Wan, Z Yu, M Wang, L Zheng. Plasticity of fine-root functional traits in the litter layer in response to nitrogen addition in a Mytilaria laosensis plantation in subtropical China. Plant and Soil, 415: 317-330 (2017).

Kou L, ML McCormack, W Chen, D Guo, H Wang, W Gao, H Yang, S Li. Nitrogen ion form and spatio-temporal variation in root distribution mediate nitrogen effects on lifespan of ectomycorrhizal roots. Plant and Soil, 411: 261 (2017).