Biology subjects

Valverde-Barrantes, O. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Valverde-Barrantes, O. J..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Unique belowground ecological strategies of subtropical and tropical plant species expand the root trait space

Root trait variation may reflect the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping biodiversity, but remains poorly quantified in the (sub)tropics. Here, we aim to further complete our knowledge of belowground functional strategies by assessing the contributions of subtropical and tropical species to global root trait diversity. We gathered root data for 1618 temperate, 341 subtropical, and 775 tropical species. We compared functional diversity among biomes and calculated the unique contribution of each biome to the global root economics space. Further, we determined if the within-variation of subtropical and tropical biomes is shaped by species niches and/or differences in evolutionary history. Root trait expressions differed among biomes, but root functional diversity did not. Furthermore, subtropical and tropical biomes accounted for 40% of the unique root functional space within the global traits space. Species climate niches and phylogenetic turnover explained variation in root traits (e.g., denser root tissue was associated with drier sites) among subtropical but not tropical species. Through their unique root traits, sub(tropical) species strongly expand the current global root trait space. This work underwrites their importance in conceptual models for more complete insights into how various belowground strategies drive plant functional biogeography and biodiversity globally.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Exploring symbiotic legume-rhizobia relationships across tropical species

O_LIThe nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with rhizobia significantly contributes to the successful establishment of legumes in tropical environments. Here, we explored the symbiotic interactions between legumes and rhizobia across 109 tropical species. C_LIO_LIWe evaluated the presence of root nodules in 72 genera spanning four Fabaceae subfamilies, encompassing 53% of the genera in Costa Rica and approximately 9.4% globally. Our analysis revealed root nodules in 78% of the species belonging to Caesalpinioideae (67%) and Papilionoideae (84%). Also, we formulated a predictive model for nodulation in legumes, with fine-root color and flower symmetry as the main predictor criteria. C_LIO_LINodulating taxa consistently presented higher N levels in tissues, thinner roots, and a pronounced phylogenetic influence on nodulation. We also identified the bacterial genera associated with all nodulating legumes. Caesalpinioideae formed symbiotic relationships with ten rhizobial genera, whereas Papilionoideae were associated with only four. Bradyrhizobium emerged as the predominant symbiont in nodules, while Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Agrobacterium, Paraburkholderia, and Cupriavidus exhibited a more restricted host range. Furthermore, genomic analysis suggests that 15 out of the 22 sequenced rhizobial strains may represent novel species. C_LIO_LIOur study enhances the understanding of the different dimensions that comprise legume-rhizobia interactions, incorporating a diverse array of previously unexamined tropical forest legume taxa. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Global Root Traits (GRooT) Database

MotivationTrait data are fundamental to quantitatively describe plant form and function. Although root traits capture key dimensions related to plant responses to changing environmental conditions and effects on ecosystem processes, they have rarely been included in large-scale comparative studies and global models. For instance, root traits remain absent from nearly all studies that define the global spectrum of plant form and function. Thus, to overcome conceptual and methodological roadblocks preventing a widespread integration of root trait data into large-scale analyses we created the Global Root Trait (GRooT) Database. GRooT provides ready-to-use data by combining the expertise of root ecologists with data mobilization and curation. Specifically, we (i) determined a set of core root traits relevant to the description of plant form and function based on an assessment by experts, (ii) maximized species coverage through data standardization within and among traits, and (iii) implemented data quality checks. Main types of variables containedGRooT contains 114,222 trait records on 38 continuous root traits. Spatial location and grainGlobal coverage with data from arid, continental, polar, temperate, and tropical biomes. Data on root traits derived from experimental studies and field studies. Time period and grainData recorded between 1911 and 2019 Major taxa and level of measurementGRooT includes root trait data for which taxonomic information is available. Trait records vary in their taxonomic resolution, with sub-species or varieties being the highest and genera the lowest taxonomic resolution available. It contains information for 184 sub-species or varieties, 6,214 species, 1,967 genera and 254 families. Due to variation in data sources, trait records in the database include both individual observations and mean values. Software formatGRooT includes two csv file. A GitHub repository contains the csv files and a script in R to query the database.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

The fungal collaboration gradient dominates the root economics space in plants

Plant economics run on carbon and nutrients instead of money. Leaf strategies aboveground span an economic spectrum from live fast and die young to slow and steady, but the economy defined by root strategies belowground remains unclear. Here we take a holistic view of the belowground economy, and show that root-mycorrhizal collaboration can short circuit a one-dimensional economic spectrum, providing an entire space of economic possibilities. Root trait data from 1,781 species across the globe confirm a classical fast-slow conservation gradient but show that most variation is explained by an orthogonal collaboration gradient, ranging from do-it-yourself resource uptake to outsourcing of resource uptake to mycorrhizal fungi. This broadened root economics space provides a solid foundation for predictive understanding of belowground responses to changing environmental conditions. One Sentence SummaryCollaboration broadens the root economics space ranging from do-it-yourself resource acquisition to outsourcing to mycorrhizal partners.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2019

Intraspecific root and leaf trait variation with tropical forest successional status: consequences for community-weighted patterns

O_LIQuantifying the dimensions and magnitude of intraspecific root trait variation is key to understanding the functional trade-offs in the belowground plant strategies of tropical forest trees. Additionally, accurately measuring how belowground functional trait variation relates to soil environment and forest age is crucial to tropical forest modeling efforts.\nC_LIO_LIWe sampled leaf and root morphologies from 423 juvenile trees of 72 species from 14 Angiosperm families along a 6.6 km transect that corresponded to an environmental gradient in decreasing soil fertility and texture with increasing forest age.\nC_LIO_LIWe observed within-lineage conservative functional trait-shifts in root and leaf morphological traits along the transect. From secondary to primary forest, average leaf area increased 7 cm2 and average root system diameter increased 0.4 mm. Mean specific leaf area decreased by 0.8 m2 kg-1, specific root length decreased by 3.5 m kg-1, and root branching intensity decreased by 0.3 tips cm-1. Leaf thickness and root tissue density showed no change.\nC_LIO_LIWe coupled trait measurements to a network of 164 1/16th-ha plots across a Chinese tropical forest reserve, to scale individual trait measurements up to the community-level, accounting for forest age.\nC_LIO_LIFor most traits, intraspecific trait variation negatively covaried with species compositional turnover between plots in younger versus older forest to compound and create greater community-weighted differences in trait values than would be observed if intraspecific variation in traits with forest age was not accounted for.\nC_LIO_LISummary Root morphologies are variable with local scale variation in soil fertility and texture. Accurately understanding broader (i.e. forest)-scale patterns in root functional traits, requires attention to underlying environmental variation in soil resources, which interacts with environmental filtering of plant communities.\nC_LI

plant biology↗