Researchers report that in a whole-ecosystem peatland warming experiment, each degree of warming resulted in a 130% increase in plant fine-root growth, likely driven by soil drying; the results illustrate how fine roots, which are responsible for plant nutrient and water uptake and ecosystem carbon cycling, may rapidly respond to environmental change, according to the authors.
Article #20-03361: "Peatland warming strongly increases fine-root growth," by Avni Malhotra et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Avni Malhotra, Stanford University, CA; e-mail: avnim@stanford.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences