Recipient Organization
FOREST SERVICE
201 14TH ST SW YATES BLDG
WASHINGTON,DC 20002-6405
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Plants are an integral part of the Earth's Critical Zone, linking the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Belowground organs mediate plant responses to drought, climate change, fire, grazing, and other disturbances and are the least-studied portion of the biosphere (Klimešová et al. 2018). Roots and belowground stems (e.g., rhizomes and tubers) acquire and store nutrients and support belowground buds (i.e., meristems) that enable plants to regenerate following dormant seasons or disturbance (Klimešová and Klimeš 2007, Ott et. al 2019). Therefore, understanding rangeland and forest health and ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and forage production, often depends on precise measurements of belowground traits of herbaceous plants. Methodologies have been developed to evaluate belowground plant traits and their response to different management and conservation practices that would improve system resilience and services (Klimešová et al. 2019). American scientists together with colleagues from the Czech Republic (Czech Academy of Science- Institute of Botany(CAS-IoB)) have led international efforts to define belowground traits related to regeneration, document methodologies to evaluate belowground plant traits, and examine how belowground traits contribute to system form and function. We aim to discuss and teach current belowground trait definitions, methodologies of their measurement, and how they contribute to system form and function. Belowground plant traits are key to maintaining the sustainability of their agricultural operations and the natural environments they rely on - a goal matching that of the Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment program area.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Overall goal: To offer a workshop merging different aspects of belowground plant expertise to explore methodologies for measuring belowground plant traits and how these methodologies can be used to further ecological knowledge and management goals.Specific objectives:Provide demonstrations and hand-on practice of current belowground plant trait methodologiesExplore the variety of ways in which belowground plant traits can inform ecological responses to ecosystems drivers and managementBring together international experts from anatomical, morphological, and ecological backgrounds to better inform future belowground plant trait researchDevelop the next generation of belowground plant trait scientists and research agenda
Project Methods
We will hold weeklong workshop featuring a combination of field sampling, laboratory exercises, and lectures at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) at Kansas State University. With its perennial tallgrass prairie system, KPBS offers an excellent model system to learn belowground trait sampling methodologies and discuss their applications in ecology and land management. This workshop will be modeled after CAS-IoB's Go Belowground! workshop that has been offered five times in Europe. Topics will center around various functions of belowground organs, their corresponding traits, and applications to understanding ecological responses. Topics will include: Resource Acquisition focusing on traits such as root fibrous index, root anatomy, rooting depth, Resource Storage focusing on traits such as belowground storage organ classification and non-structural carbohydrate measurements, Resource Translocation focusing on traits such as clonal growth organ identification, lateral spread, and physiological integration, and Regeneration focusing on bud bank traits.We will open the conference with some plenary type speakers setting the stage on the ecological importance of belowground traits. As belowground traits are closely associated with perenniality and clonality, we will then have a lecture on clonality and the descriptions of the belowground plant organs associated with clonality. There is a rich history of belowground clonal organ descriptions that have developed over centuries and Drs. Klimesova and Niklas will guide us through the plant form and function and how they can be understood and applied to current ecological questions. After this introduction, we will start a series of topical lectures centered around different belowground trait functions. Each function will be introduced in a lecture which will include descriptions of how the associated traits may be measured and how they have been applied to answer ecological and natural resource questions. Each lecture will be followed by a practical experience in measuring some of the key belowground traits for that function (Figure 2). This will occur for the four topic areas outlined in the earlier paragraph over the first four days of the conference and will be interspersed with an opportunity for student participants to provide a 10 minute presentation on their belowground research interests to facilitate collaboration among the students. We will also host a discussion on the future of belowground plant trait research and discuss databases and applications of these traits to natural resources and agricultural issues. There will also be a lecture and field trip to learn more about the ongoing research at Konza Prairie Biological Station.On the final day, each student will choose a species from tallgrass prairie to examine belowground traits and present their findings to the class. Lecturers are expected to be present for the whole week and will be available to consult on questions as the students apply the skills they have learned. We will also have a final discussion focusing on creating a special symposia at the Ecological Society of America based on ongoing research of all the participants. The smaller class size with a combination of lecture, laboratory work, and field activities is designed to create an interactive experience for both lecturers and student participants to learn alongside one another. This will offer multiple informal learning opportunities throughout the week especially as we will be housed at the KPBS campus.