Plant and belowground ecology in natural and managed ecosystems

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.

ESA 2017

Join us for a high-octane ignite session "Trait-based methods for representing change in belowground ecosystems" at this year's conference for the Ecological Society of America in Portland, Oregon. The session will be on Tuesday, August 8th from 8:00 to 9:30 am. Great speakers and hot topics should make this well worth the early morning.

Recent Publications

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, In press.

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, In press.

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).