Linking Foliar Traits to Belowground Processes [chapter]

Michael Madritch, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Sarah E. Hobbie, Philip A. Townsend
2020 Remote Sensing of Plant Biodiversity  
Remote sensing (RS) of belowground processes via aboveground ecosystem properties and plant foliar traits depends upon (1) the ability to quantify ecosystem productivity and relevant plant attributes-including plant chemical composition and diversity-and (2) tight linkages between above-and belowground systems. These linkages can occur through the effects of aboveground inputs into belowground systems and/or through relationships between above-and belowground attributes and, in turn, between
more » ... owground relationships between plant roots and microbial communities and processes (i.e., fine-root turnover, mycorrhizal associations). The increasing ability of remotely sensed information to accurately measure productivity, ecologically important plant traits (Serbin and Townsend, Chap. 3, this volume; Wang et al. 2019), and plant taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity (Wang et al. 2019; Schweiger et al. 2018; Gholizadeh et al. 2019) creates new opportunities to observe terrestrial ecosystems. While the focus of RS tools is generally on aboveground vegetation characteristics, the tight linkage between above-and belowground systems through productivity and foliar chemistry means that many belowground processes can be inferred from remotely sensed information. Here, we focus on how the productivity and composition of foliar traits in plant communities influence belowground processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling. We specifically consider foliar traits that are increasingly measurable via
doi:10.1007/978-3-030-33157-3_8 fatcat:7xpxuc56sfdlfcpci462ljfy2a