Leaf trait variation and decomposition in short-rotation woody biomass crops under agroforestry management

Coleman, Brent; Martin, Adam R.; Thevathasan, Naresh V.; Gordon, Andrew; Isaac, Marney E.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2020.106971

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…In agricultural systems, studies have evaluated how interspecific (Buchanan et al, 2020;Gagliardi et al, 2020) and intraspecific (Isaac and Martin, 2019;Coleman et al, 2020;Sauvadet et al, 2021) trait variation are mechanistically linked with agroecosystem functioning. Others have also applied a functional traits lens to understand the impacts and outcomes of crop domestication.…”

Section: Crop Trait Variation and Domestication Syndromesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crop Domestication, Root Trait Syndromes, and Soil Nutrient Acquisition in Organic Agroecosystems: A Systematic Review

Isaac

Nimmo

Gaudin

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Selecting crops that express certain reproductive, leaf, and root traits has formed detectable, albeit diverse, crop domestication syndromes. However, scientific and informal on-farm research has primarily focused on understanding and managing linkages between only certain domestication traits and yield. There is strong evidence suggesting that functional traits can be used to hypothesize and detect trade-offs, constraints, and synergies among crop yield and other aspects of crop biology and agroecosystem function. Comparisons in the functional traits of crops vs. wild plants has emerged as a critical avenue that has helped inform a better understanding of how plant domestication has reshaped relationships among yield and traits. For instance, recent research has shown domestication has led important economic crops to express extreme functional trait values among plants globally, with potentially major implications for yield stability, nutrient acquisition strategies, and the success of ecological nutrient management. Here, we present an evidence synthesis of domestication effects on crop root functional traits, and their hypothesized impact on nutrient acquisition strategies in organic and low input agroecosystems. Drawing on global trait databases and published datasets, we show detectable shifts in root trait strategies with domestication. Relationships between domestication syndromes in root traits and nutrient acquisition strategies in low input systems underscores the need for a shift in breeding paradigms for organic agriculture. This is increasingly important given efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets of Zero Hunger via resilient agriculture practices such as ecological nutrient management and maintenance of genetic diversity.

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Section: Crop Trait Variation and Domestication Syndromesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crop Domestication, Root Trait Syndromes, and Soil Nutrient Acquisition in Organic Agroecosystems: A Systematic Review

Isaac

Nimmo

Gaudin

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…Trait-based plant ecology strives to explain plants’ response to the environment (“response”) and/or plants’ impact on the environment (“effect”) ( Lavorel and Garnier, 2002 ; Violle et al, 2007 ). This approach has provided major advances in relating key plant traits to biogeochemical processes ( De Vries et al, 2016 ; Borden et al, 2019 ; Coleman et al, 2020 ). The strength and importance of root traits in describing CO 2 fluxes from soil is uncertain given the limited information from natural plant communities ( De Long et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Functional Trait and Soil Microbial Coordination: Implications for Soil Respiration in Riparian Agroecosystems

et al. 2021

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Predicting respiration from roots and soil microbes is important in agricultural landscapes where net flux of carbon from the soil to the atmosphere is of large concern. Yet, in riparian agroecosystems that buffer aquatic environments from agricultural fields, little is known on the differential contribution of CO2 sources nor the systematic patterns in root and microbial communities that relate to these emissions. We deployed a field-based root exclusion experiment to measure heterotrophic and autotrophic-rhizospheric respiration across riparian buffer types in an agricultural landscape in southern Ontario, Canada. We paired bi-weekly measurements of in-field CO2 flux with analysis of soil properties and fine root functional traits. We quantified soil microbial community structure using qPCR to estimate bacterial and fungal abundance and characterized microbial diversity using high-throughput sequencing. Mean daytime total soil respiration rates in the growing season were 186.1 ± 26.7, 188.7 ± 23.0, 278.6 ± 30.0, and 503.4 ± 31.3 mg CO2-C m–2 h–1 in remnant coniferous and mixed forest, and rehabilitated forest and grass buffers, respectively. Contributions of autotrophic-rhizospheric respiration to total soil CO2 fluxes ranged widely between 14 and 63% across the buffers. Covariation in root traits aligned roots of higher specific root length and nitrogen content with higher specific root respiration rates, while microbial abundance in rhizosphere soil coorindated with roots that were thicker in diameter and higher in carbon to nitrogen ratio. Variation in autotrophic-rhizospheric respiration on a soil area basis was explained by soil temperature, fine root length density, and covariation in root traits. Heterotrophic respiration was strongly explained by soil moisture, temperature, and soil carbon, while multiple factor analysis revealed a positive correlation with soil microbial diversity. This is a first in-field study to quantify root and soil respiration in relation to trade-offs in root trait expression and to determine interactions between root traits and soil microbial community structure to predict soil respiration.

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“…This includes studies on soy [13], coffee [14,15], wheat [16], maize [17], cocoa [18], rice [19], and sunflower [20], cultivated across field and lab-based conditions. These studies have largely focused on: 1) quantifying how plants of the same crop species or variety differ from one another across the LES [e.g., 15]; 2) elucidating the role environmental conditions, genetics, and/ or domestication history plays in structuring LES trait variation in crops [e.g., 18]; and finally, 3) assessing relationships between LES trait variation in crops and agroecosystem functions, including yield [13,21], tissue decomposition [22], soil microbial diversity [23], and plant-soil interactions such as N2 fixation [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intraspecific Leaf Trait Variation Across and Within Wine Grape Varieties

Macklin¹,

Mariani²,

Young³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Variability in traits forming the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) among and within crop species play a key role in governing agroecosystem processes. However, studies evaluating the extent, causes, and consequences of within-species variation in LES traits for some of the world’s most common crops remain limited. We quantified variation in nine leaf traits measured across 90 vines of five wine grape (Vitis vinifera) varieties at two ontogenetic stages. Grape traits covary along an intraspecific LES, in patterns similar to those documented in wild plants. Across varieties, high rates of photosynthesis (A), and leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations, are coupled with low leaf mass per area (LMA), while the opposite suite of traits defines the “resource conserving end” of this intraspecific LES in grape. Variety identity predicted of leaf physiological (A) and morphological traits (i.e., leaf area and leaf mass), while leaf chemical traits and LMA were best explained by ontogenetic stage. All varieties expressed greater resource conserving trait syndromes (i.e., higher LMA, lower N, lower Amass) later in the growing season. Traits related to leaf hydraulics, including instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUE), were unrelated to LES and other resource capture traits, and were better explained by spatial location. Our results highlight the relative contributions of genetic vs. phenotypic factors in structuring this variation and point to a key role of domestication in governing trait relationships in the world’s crops.

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Leaf trait variation and decomposition in short-rotation woody biomass crops under agroforestry management

Cited by 14 publications

References 71 publications

Crop Domestication, Root Trait Syndromes, and Soil Nutrient Acquisition in Organic Agroecosystems: A Systematic Review

Crop Domestication, Root Trait Syndromes, and Soil Nutrient Acquisition in Organic Agroecosystems: A Systematic Review

Root Functional Trait and Soil Microbial Coordination: Implications for Soil Respiration in Riparian Agroecosystems

Intraspecific Leaf Trait Variation Across and Within Wine Grape Varieties

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