Drought intensity and duration effects on morphological root traits vary across trait type and plant functional groups: a meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: The increasing severity and frequency of drought pose serious threats to plant species worldwide. Yet, we lack a general understanding of how various intensities of droughts affect plant traits, in particular root traits. Here, using a meta-analysis of drought experiments (997 effect sizes from 76 papers), we investigate the effects of various intensities of droughts on some of the key morphological root traits. Our results show that root length, root mean diameter, and root area decline when drought is of severe or extreme intensity, whereas severe drought increases root tissue density. These patterns are most pronounced in trees compared to other plant functional groups. Moreover, the long duration of severe drought decreases root length in grasses and root mean diameter in legumes. The

SUBMITTER: Sun Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11223356 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature