Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models

Daniela F. Cusack; Bradley Christoffersen; Chris M. Smith-Martin; Kelly M. Andersen; Amanda L. Cordeiro; Katrin Fleischer; S. Joseph Wright; Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramírez; Laynara F. Lugli; Lindsay A. McCulloch; Mareli Sanchez-Julia; Sarah A. Batterman; Caroline Dallstream; Claire Fortunel; Laura Toro; Lucia Fuchslueger; Michelle Y. Wong; Daniela Yaffar; Joshua B. Fisher; Marie Arnaud; Lee H. Dietterich; Shalom D. Addo-Danso; Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes; Monique Weemstra; Jing Cheng Ng; Richard J. Norby

doi:10.1111/nph.19561

Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models

Daniela F. Cusack, Bradley Christoffersen, Chris M. Smith-Martin, Kelly M. Andersen, Amanda L. Cordeiro, Katrin Fleischer, S. Joseph Wright, Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramírez, Laynara F. Lugli, Lindsay A. McCulloch, Mareli Sanchez-Julia, Sarah A. Batterman, Caroline Dallstream, Claire Fortunel, Laura Toro, Lucia Fuchslueger, Michelle Y. Wong, Daniela Yaffar, Joshua B. Fisher, Marie ArnaudLee H. Dietterich, Shalom D. Addo-Danso, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Monique Weemstra, Jing Cheng Ng, Richard J. Norby

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tropical forest root characteristics and resource acquisition strategies are underrepresented in vegetation and global models, hampering the prediction of forest–climate feedbacks for these carbon-rich ecosystems. Lowland tropical forests often have globally unique combinations of high taxonomic and functional biodiversity, rainfall seasonality, and strongly weathered infertile soils, giving rise to distinct patterns in root traits and functions compared with higher latitude ecosystems. We provide a roadmap for integrating recent advances in our understanding of tropical forest belowground function into vegetation models, focusing on water and nutrient acquisition. We offer comparisons of recent advances in empirical and model understanding of root characteristics that represent important functional processes in tropical forests. We focus on: (1) fine-root strategies for soil resource exploration, (2) coupling and trade-offs in fine-root water vs nutrient acquisition, and (3) aboveground–belowground linkages in plant resource acquisition and use. We suggest avenues for representing these extremely diverse plant communities in computationally manageable and ecologically meaningful groups in models for linked aboveground–belowground hydro-nutrient functions. Tropical forests are undergoing warming, shifting rainfall regimes, and exacerbation of soil nutrient scarcity caused by elevated atmospheric CO₂. The accurate model representation of tropical forest functions is crucial for understanding the interactions of this biome with the climate.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	351-371
Number of pages	21
Journal	New Phytologist
Volume	242
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19561
State	Published - Apr 2024
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This viewpoint resulted in part from a New Phytologist Foundation Workshop grant to DF Cusack, AL Cordeiro, K Andersen, SJ Wright, and RJ Norby on \u2018Coordinating and synthesizing tropical forest root trait studies: Understanding belowground NPP, root responses to global change, and nutrient acquisition dynamics across tropical forests\u2019, held in Panama in April 2023, where the videos referenced in the text were filmed by Ana Endara with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Data collection in Panama was supported by DOE Office of Science Early Career Award DE-SC0015898 and NSF Geography & Spatial Studies Grant no. BCS-1437591 to DFC. Data collection in Puerto Rico was supported by the DOE Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research Program as part of the NGEE-Tropics Program. LF was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodovska-Curie grant agreement no.: 847693 (REWIRE). LFL would like to thank the financial support of the Bayerische Staatskanzlei (Bavarian State Chancellery) through the grant associated with the Amazon-FLUX project. LAM would like to thank the financial support of the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, administered by UCAR's Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) under award no. NA18NWS4620043B to attend the New Phytologist Foundation Workshop. NG-R would like to thank the financial support of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), grant no.: 316045089/GRK 2300. SAB was supported by the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council (NE/M019497/1) and the Leverhulme Trust. We also acknowledge support from a National Science Foundation Research Coordination Grant (INCyTE; DEB-1754126) to investigate nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. We thank Colleen Iversen and Luke McCormack for their critical reviews of early versions of the manuscript, and Rafa\u00EBl Govaerts for his support in extracting data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants. This viewpoint resulted in part from a New Phytologist Foundation Workshop grant to DF Cusack, AL Cordeiro, K Andersen, SJ Wright, and RJ Norby on \u2018Coordinating and synthesizing tropical forest root trait studies: Understanding belowground NPP, root responses to global change, and nutrient acquisition dynamics across tropical forests\u2019, held in Panama in April 2023, where the videos referenced in the text were filmed by Ana Endara with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Data collection in Panama was supported by DOE Office of Science Early Career Award DE\u2010SC0015898 and NSF Geography & Spatial Studies Grant no. BCS\u20101437591 to DFC. Data collection in Puerto Rico was supported by the DOE Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research Program as part of the NGEE\u2010Tropics Program. LF was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodovska\u2010Curie grant agreement no.: 847693 (REWIRE). LFL would like to thank the financial support of the Bayerische Staatskanzlei (Bavarian State Chancellery) through the grant associated with the Amazon\u2010FLUX project. LAM would like to thank the financial support of the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, administered by UCAR's Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) under award no. NA18NWS4620043B to attend the New Phytologist Foundation Workshop. NG\u2010R would like to thank the financial support of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), grant no.: 316045089/GRK 2300. SAB was supported by the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council (NE/M019497/1) and the Leverhulme Trust. We also acknowledge support from a National Science Foundation Research Coordination Grant (INCyTE; DEB\u20101754126) to investigate nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. We thank Colleen Iversen and Luke McCormack for their critical reviews of early versions of the manuscript, and Rafa\u00EBl Govaerts for his support in extracting data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants.

Funders	Funder number
Bavarian State Chancellery
Leverhulme Trust
Biological and Environmental Research
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Bayerische Staatskanzlei
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research	NA18NWS4620043B
Horizon 2020	847693
Office of Science	DE‐SC0015898
National Science Foundation	BCS‐1437591, DEB‐1754126
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft	316045089/GRK 2300
United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council	NE/M019497/1

Keywords

ecosystem vegetation models
fine roots
hydraulics
nutrient acquisition
phosphorus uptake
plant functional types
root trait clusters
tropical forests

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10.1111/nph.19561

Cite this

Cusack, D. F., Christoffersen, B., Smith-Martin, C. M., Andersen, K. M., Cordeiro, A. L., Fleischer, K., Wright, S. J., Guerrero-Ramírez, N. R., Lugli, L. F., McCulloch, L. A., Sanchez-Julia, M., Batterman, S. A., Dallstream, C., Fortunel, C., Toro, L., Fuchslueger, L., Wong, M. Y., Yaffar, D., Fisher, J. B., ... Norby, R. J. (2024). Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models. New Phytologist, 242(2), 351-371. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19561

@article{2f07c2d9aa4d4fef92062953d5082740,

title = "Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models",

abstract = "Tropical forest root characteristics and resource acquisition strategies are underrepresented in vegetation and global models, hampering the prediction of forest–climate feedbacks for these carbon-rich ecosystems. Lowland tropical forests often have globally unique combinations of high taxonomic and functional biodiversity, rainfall seasonality, and strongly weathered infertile soils, giving rise to distinct patterns in root traits and functions compared with higher latitude ecosystems. We provide a roadmap for integrating recent advances in our understanding of tropical forest belowground function into vegetation models, focusing on water and nutrient acquisition. We offer comparisons of recent advances in empirical and model understanding of root characteristics that represent important functional processes in tropical forests. We focus on: (1) fine-root strategies for soil resource exploration, (2) coupling and trade-offs in fine-root water vs nutrient acquisition, and (3) aboveground–belowground linkages in plant resource acquisition and use. We suggest avenues for representing these extremely diverse plant communities in computationally manageable and ecologically meaningful groups in models for linked aboveground–belowground hydro-nutrient functions. Tropical forests are undergoing warming, shifting rainfall regimes, and exacerbation of soil nutrient scarcity caused by elevated atmospheric CO2. The accurate model representation of tropical forest functions is crucial for understanding the interactions of this biome with the climate.",

keywords = "ecosystem vegetation models, fine roots, hydraulics, nutrient acquisition, phosphorus uptake, plant functional types, root trait clusters, tropical forests",

author = "Cusack, {Daniela F.} and Bradley Christoffersen and Smith-Martin, {Chris M.} and Andersen, {Kelly M.} and Cordeiro, {Amanda L.} and Katrin Fleischer and Wright, {S. Joseph} and Guerrero-Ram{\'i}rez, {Nathaly R.} and Lugli, {Laynara F.} and McCulloch, {Lindsay A.} and Mareli Sanchez-Julia and Batterman, {Sarah A.} and Caroline Dallstream and Claire Fortunel and Laura Toro and Lucia Fuchslueger and Wong, {Michelle Y.} and Daniela Yaffar and Fisher, {Joshua B.} and Marie Arnaud and Dietterich, {Lee H.} and Addo-Danso, {Shalom D.} and Valverde-Barrantes, {Oscar J.} and Monique Weemstra and Ng, {Jing Cheng} and Norby, {Richard J.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Authors New Phytologist {\textcopyright} 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.",

year = "2024",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1111/nph.19561",

language = "English",

volume = "242",

pages = "351--371",

journal = "New Phytologist",

issn = "0028-646X",

publisher = "wiley",

number = "2",

}

Cusack, DF, Christoffersen, B, Smith-Martin, CM, Andersen, KM, Cordeiro, AL, Fleischer, K, Wright, SJ, Guerrero-Ramírez, NR, Lugli, LF, McCulloch, LA, Sanchez-Julia, M, Batterman, SA, Dallstream, C, Fortunel, C, Toro, L, Fuchslueger, L, Wong, MY, Yaffar, D, Fisher, JB, Arnaud, M, Dietterich, LH, Addo-Danso, SD, Valverde-Barrantes, OJ, Weemstra, M, Ng, JC & Norby, RJ 2024, 'Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models', New Phytologist, vol. 242, no. 2, pp. 351-371. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19561

TY - JOUR

T1 - Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models

AU - Cusack, Daniela F.

AU - Christoffersen, Bradley

AU - Smith-Martin, Chris M.

AU - Andersen, Kelly M.

AU - Cordeiro, Amanda L.

AU - Fleischer, Katrin

AU - Wright, S. Joseph

AU - Guerrero-Ramírez, Nathaly R.

AU - Lugli, Laynara F.

AU - McCulloch, Lindsay A.

AU - Sanchez-Julia, Mareli

AU - Batterman, Sarah A.

AU - Dallstream, Caroline

AU - Fortunel, Claire

AU - Toro, Laura

AU - Fuchslueger, Lucia

AU - Wong, Michelle Y.

AU - Yaffar, Daniela

AU - Fisher, Joshua B.

AU - Arnaud, Marie

AU - Dietterich, Lee H.

AU - Addo-Danso, Shalom D.

AU - Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J.

AU - Weemstra, Monique

AU - Ng, Jing Cheng

AU - Norby, Richard J.

PY - 2024/4

Y1 - 2024/4

N2 - Tropical forest root characteristics and resource acquisition strategies are underrepresented in vegetation and global models, hampering the prediction of forest–climate feedbacks for these carbon-rich ecosystems. Lowland tropical forests often have globally unique combinations of high taxonomic and functional biodiversity, rainfall seasonality, and strongly weathered infertile soils, giving rise to distinct patterns in root traits and functions compared with higher latitude ecosystems. We provide a roadmap for integrating recent advances in our understanding of tropical forest belowground function into vegetation models, focusing on water and nutrient acquisition. We offer comparisons of recent advances in empirical and model understanding of root characteristics that represent important functional processes in tropical forests. We focus on: (1) fine-root strategies for soil resource exploration, (2) coupling and trade-offs in fine-root water vs nutrient acquisition, and (3) aboveground–belowground linkages in plant resource acquisition and use. We suggest avenues for representing these extremely diverse plant communities in computationally manageable and ecologically meaningful groups in models for linked aboveground–belowground hydro-nutrient functions. Tropical forests are undergoing warming, shifting rainfall regimes, and exacerbation of soil nutrient scarcity caused by elevated atmospheric CO2. The accurate model representation of tropical forest functions is crucial for understanding the interactions of this biome with the climate.

AB - Tropical forest root characteristics and resource acquisition strategies are underrepresented in vegetation and global models, hampering the prediction of forest–climate feedbacks for these carbon-rich ecosystems. Lowland tropical forests often have globally unique combinations of high taxonomic and functional biodiversity, rainfall seasonality, and strongly weathered infertile soils, giving rise to distinct patterns in root traits and functions compared with higher latitude ecosystems. We provide a roadmap for integrating recent advances in our understanding of tropical forest belowground function into vegetation models, focusing on water and nutrient acquisition. We offer comparisons of recent advances in empirical and model understanding of root characteristics that represent important functional processes in tropical forests. We focus on: (1) fine-root strategies for soil resource exploration, (2) coupling and trade-offs in fine-root water vs nutrient acquisition, and (3) aboveground–belowground linkages in plant resource acquisition and use. We suggest avenues for representing these extremely diverse plant communities in computationally manageable and ecologically meaningful groups in models for linked aboveground–belowground hydro-nutrient functions. Tropical forests are undergoing warming, shifting rainfall regimes, and exacerbation of soil nutrient scarcity caused by elevated atmospheric CO2. The accurate model representation of tropical forest functions is crucial for understanding the interactions of this biome with the climate.

KW - ecosystem vegetation models

KW - fine roots

KW - hydraulics

KW - nutrient acquisition

KW - phosphorus uptake

KW - plant functional types

KW - root trait clusters

KW - tropical forests

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U2 - 10.1111/nph.19561

DO - 10.1111/nph.19561

M3 - Comment/debate

C2 - 38416367

AN - SCOPUS:85186581820

SN - 0028-646X

VL - 242

SP - 351

EP - 371

JO - New Phytologist

JF - New Phytologist

IS - 2

ER -

Toward a coordinated understanding of hydro-biogeochemical root functions in tropical forests for application in vegetation models

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