Tree size and climatic water deficit control root to shoot ratio in individual trees globally

What is it about?

The size of tree root systems cannot be accurately estimated just by looking at the aerial part using existing data. To address this knowledge gap, we compiled a global data-set on the relative proportions of biomass devoted to roots and the aerial parts for a large sample of trees from many parts of the world. We found that smaller trees had proportionally more roots than larger trees, and that trees growing in drier habitats have comparatively larger root systems. These results suggest that climate change could influence the distribution of biomass among tree roots, stems and crowns, as well as change the distribution of tree size and species in the world’s forests

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