Recently, Associate Professor Wang Junjian from the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Southern University of Science and Technology (referred to as SUSTech), in collaboration with Professor Kong Deliang's team from Henan Agricultural University, published their research findings in "Nature Plants." The research team utilized nuclear magnetic resonance to analyze the molecular-level carbon traits of tropical tree fine roots, elucidating the potential role of molecular-level carbon traits in shaping the multidimensional economic trait space of fine roots.
Research Illustration Provided by Southern University of Science and Technology
Carbon is a crucial element forming the basic framework of the majority of terrestrial life forms. While the total carbon content of plants has long been a focus, little is known about the composition, abundance, and diversity of carbon compounds in plants at the molecular level, as well as the variation patterns and ecological and evolutionary significance of carbon traits, especially the "hidden iceberg" in the soil – fine roots.
To address this, a research team collected fine root samples from 66 tropical tree species. By utilizing carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, they quantified the relative abundance of different compounds and functional groups in the fine roots, establishing the coupling relationship between the molecular-level carbon traits of tree fine roots and common fine root economic traits. Furthermore, the study conducted comparative analyses with trait datasets on a global scale to test the universality of the revealed patterns.
In this study, the team first identified two major dimensions of variation in molecular-level carbon traits. These were highly coupled with the well-known multidimensional trait space of roots, which is composed of root morphology and nutrient traits, indicating that the formation of the multidimensional economic space of fine roots has a significant molecular basis.
Different carbon-containing compounds often possess distinct physiological and ecological functions. Therefore, molecular-level carbon traits can better reveal the function, diversity, and environmental adaptation of fine roots compared to total carbon content. Additionally, the research team found that key carbon traits of fine roots are well coupled with common functional traits of fine roots.
This study reveals, for the first time, the significant role of molecular-level carbon traits in shaping the economic space of fine roots. It not only provides new molecular-scale insights into understanding the diversity of plant root morphology and function but also holds important implications for understanding plant evolution, species coexistence, and adaptability to heterogeneous environments.
For more information, refer to the related paper at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01700-4
