Belowground facilitation and trait matching: two or three to tango?

Rui Peng Yu; Hans Lambers; Ragan M. Callaway; Alexandra J. Wright; Long Li

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2021.07.014

Belowground facilitation and trait matching: two or three to tango?

Rui Peng Yu, Hans Lambers, Ragan M. Callaway, Alexandra J. Wright, Long Li

Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

96 Scopus citations

Abstract

High biodiversity increases ecosystem functions; however, belowground facilitation remains poorly understood in this context. Here, we explore mechanisms that operate via ‘giving–receiving feedbacks’ for belowground facilitation. These include direct effects via root exudates, signals, and root trait plasticity, and indirect biotic facilitation via the effects of root exudates on soil biota and feedback from biota to plants. We then highlight that these two- or three-way mechanisms must affect biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships via specific combinations of matching traits. To tango requires a powerful affinity and harmony between well-matched partners, and such matches link belowground facilitation to the effect of biodiversity on function. Such matching underpins applications in intercropping, forestry, and pasture systems, in which diversity contributes to greater productivity and sustainability.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1227-1235
Number of pages	9
Journal	Trends in Plant Science
Volume	26
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2021.07.014
State	Published - Dec 2021

Funding

R-P.Y. and L.L. were supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Project No. 2016YFD0300202 ), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Project No. 31430014 ), and National Key Basic Research Program of China (Project No. 2014CB138801 ). Funding was provided by Australian Research Council Discovery Grants (Nos DP130100005 and DP200101013) to H.L. and the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of Western Australia . R.M.C. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351 . Funding was provided from a California State University Los Angeles start-up grant to A.J.W.

Funders	Funder number
OIA-1757351
California State University Los Angeles
Australian Research Council	DP200101013, DP130100005
University of Western Australia
National Natural Science Foundation of China	31430014
2016YFD0300202, 2014CB138801

Keywords

biodiversity–ecosystem function
direct and indirect facilitation
root exudates
signalling molecule
soil biota
trait plasticity

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10.1016/j.tplants.2021.07.014

Cite this

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title = "Belowground facilitation and trait matching: two or three to tango?",

abstract = "High biodiversity increases ecosystem functions; however, belowground facilitation remains poorly understood in this context. Here, we explore mechanisms that operate via {\textquoteleft}giving–receiving feedbacks{\textquoteright} for belowground facilitation. These include direct effects via root exudates, signals, and root trait plasticity, and indirect biotic facilitation via the effects of root exudates on soil biota and feedback from biota to plants. We then highlight that these two- or three-way mechanisms must affect biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships via specific combinations of matching traits. To tango requires a powerful affinity and harmony between well-matched partners, and such matches link belowground facilitation to the effect of biodiversity on function. Such matching underpins applications in intercropping, forestry, and pasture systems, in which diversity contributes to greater productivity and sustainability.",

keywords = "biodiversity–ecosystem function, direct and indirect facilitation, root exudates, signalling molecule, soil biota, trait plasticity",

author = "Yu, \{Rui Peng\} and Hans Lambers and Callaway, \{Ragan M.\} and Wright, \{Alexandra J.\} and Long Li",

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year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.tplants.2021.07.014",

language = "English",

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T2 - two or three to tango?

AU - Yu, Rui Peng

AU - Lambers, Hans

AU - Callaway, Ragan M.

AU - Wright, Alexandra J.

AU - Li, Long

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - High biodiversity increases ecosystem functions; however, belowground facilitation remains poorly understood in this context. Here, we explore mechanisms that operate via ‘giving–receiving feedbacks’ for belowground facilitation. These include direct effects via root exudates, signals, and root trait plasticity, and indirect biotic facilitation via the effects of root exudates on soil biota and feedback from biota to plants. We then highlight that these two- or three-way mechanisms must affect biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships via specific combinations of matching traits. To tango requires a powerful affinity and harmony between well-matched partners, and such matches link belowground facilitation to the effect of biodiversity on function. Such matching underpins applications in intercropping, forestry, and pasture systems, in which diversity contributes to greater productivity and sustainability.

AB - High biodiversity increases ecosystem functions; however, belowground facilitation remains poorly understood in this context. Here, we explore mechanisms that operate via ‘giving–receiving feedbacks’ for belowground facilitation. These include direct effects via root exudates, signals, and root trait plasticity, and indirect biotic facilitation via the effects of root exudates on soil biota and feedback from biota to plants. We then highlight that these two- or three-way mechanisms must affect biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships via specific combinations of matching traits. To tango requires a powerful affinity and harmony between well-matched partners, and such matches link belowground facilitation to the effect of biodiversity on function. Such matching underpins applications in intercropping, forestry, and pasture systems, in which diversity contributes to greater productivity and sustainability.

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KW - root exudates

KW - signalling molecule

KW - soil biota

KW - trait plasticity

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DO - 10.1016/j.tplants.2021.07.014

M3 - Review article

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AN - SCOPUS:85112542666

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Belowground facilitation and trait matching: two or three to tango?

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