Root Biology Lab at
The Morton Arboretum

A starting guide to root ecology!

Beyond the classical compilation of measurement protocols, a team of us root folks have synthesised recommendations from the literature to provide key background knowledge.  This is an epic work led by Grégoire Freschet and with tremendous support from New Phytologist. 

Recent Publications

Freschet GT, L Pagès, CM Iversen, LH Comas, B Rewald, C Roumet, L Klimešová, M Zadworny, H Poorter, JA Postma, TS Adams, A Bagniewska-Zadworna, AG Bengough, EB Blancaflor, I Brunner, JHC Cornelissen, E Garnier, A Gessler, E Hobbie, IC Meier, L Mommer, C Picon-Cochard, L Rose, P Ryser, M Scherer-Lorenzen, NA Soudzilovskaia, A Stokes, T Sun, OJ Valverde-Barrantes, M Weemstra, A Weigelt, N Wurzburger, LM York, SA Batterman, M Gomes de Moraes, Š Janeček, H Lambers, V Salmon, N Tharayil, and McCormack, M.L. (2021), A starting guide to root ecology: strengthening ecological concepts and standardising root classification, sampling, processing and trait measurements. New Phytologist, 232: 973-1122 (2021).
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Weigelt A, Mommer L, Andraczek K, Iversen CM, Bergmann J, Bruelheide H, Fan Y, Freschet GT, Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Kattge J, Kuyper TW, Laughlin DC, Meier IC, van der Plas F, Poorter H, Roumet C, van Ruijven J, Sabatini FM, Semchenko M, Sweeney CJ, Valverde-Barrantes OJ, York LM, ML McCormack. An integrated framework of plant form and function: The belowground perspective. New Phytologist 232: 42-59 (2021).

Zadworny M, J Mucha, A Bagniewska-Zadworna, R Ż, E Mąderek, D Danusevičius, J Oleksyn, TP Wyka, ML McCormack. Higher biomass partitioning to absorptive roots improves needle nutrition but does not alleviate stomatal limitation of northern Scots pine. Global Change Biology, 27: 3859-3869 (2021).

Laughlin D, L Mommer, FM Sabatini, H Bruelheide, TW Kuyper, ML McCormack, J Bergmann, GT Freschet, N Guerrero-Ramirez, CM Iversen, J Kattge, IC Meier, H Poorter, C Roumet, M Semchenko, CJ Sweeney, OJ Valverde-Barrantes, F van der Plas, J van Ruijven, LM York, I Aubin, OR Burge, C Byun, R Ćušterevska, J Dengler, E Forey, GR Guerin, B Herault, RB Jackson, DN Karger, J Lenoir, T Lysenko, P Meir, Ü Niinemets, WA Ozinga, J Penuelas, PB Reich, M Schmidt, F Schrodt, E Velázquez, A Weigelt. Root traits explain plant species distributions along climatic gradients yet challenge the nature of ecological trade-offs. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5: 1123-1134 (2021).

Wang J, C Defrenne, ML McCormack, L Yang, D Tian, Y Luo, E Hou, T Yan, Z Li, W Bu, Y Chen, S Niu. Fine-root functional trait responses to experimental warming: a global meta-analysis. New Phytologist (2021).

Hu H, FL Li, ML McCormack, L Huang, WK Bao. Functionally divergent growth, biomass allocation and root distribution of two xerophytic species in response to varying soil rock fragment content. Plant and Soil (2021).
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Freschet G, C Roumet, LH Comas, M Weemstra, AG Bengough, B Rewald, RD Bardgett, GB De Deyn, D Johnson, J Klimešová, M Lukac, ML McCormack, IC Meier, L Pagès, H Poorter, I Prieto, N Wurzburger, M Zadworny, A Bagniewska‐Zadworna, EB Blancaflor, I Brunner, A Gessler, SE Hobbie, CM Iversen, L Mommer, C Picon‐Cochard, JA Postma, L Rose, P Ryser, M Scherer‐Lorenzen, NA Soudzilovskaia, T Sun, OJ Valverde‐Barrantes, A Weigelt, LM York, A Stokes. Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: current understanding, pitfalls and future research needs. New Phytologist (2021).

Guerrero-Ramirez N, Mommer L, Freschet GT, Iversen CM, McCormack ML, Kattge J, Poorter H, van der Plas F, Bergmann J, Kuyper TW, ... A Weigelt. Global Root Traits (GRooT) Database. Global Ecology and Biogeography 30: 25-37 (2021).