Root Traits in the Spotlight: Plants Respond Differently to Drought and Nutrient Stress

2025-07-24

As global change continues to intensify, with increasing drought and shifts in soil nutrient availability, understanding how plants adapt to these stressors becomes increasingly urgent. A research team, including scientists from the Ecological-Botanical Garden (ÖBG) of the University of Bayreuth, investigated how two widespread herbaceous species – ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and sorrel (Rumex acetosa) – respond to drought and low-nutrient conditions in a controlled greenhouse experiment.

Roots show distinct, stress-specific strategies

The study found that nutrient limitation—more so than drought—prompted a significant shift in biomass allocation to the roots. Plants increased their root-to-shoot ratio under nutrient-poor conditions, adopting an acquisitive resource-use strategy. In contrast, under drought, root biomass and surface area actually declined, indicating a more conservative response.

Traditional shoot traits, such as specific leaf area (SLA), consistently reflected a conservative strategy under both stress types. These findings underscore a crucial point: root and shoot systems respond differently and should be studied together to understand plant adaptation under global change.

Implications for climate-smart land use

This study highlights the need for greater emphasis on root traits in ecological research, especially in the context of sustainable land management. Maintaining species-rich ecosystems is vital to buffer the impacts of increasing drought events and to support resilient plant communities in a changing climate.

Original publication:
Root and shoot traits of two common herbs respond differently to drought and fertilization in a multifactorial global change experiment. Robert Weigel, Alexandra Werner, Laura Würzberg, Kyra Zembold, Katherine Angulo, Wilhelmine Bach, Capucine Hémonnet‑Dal, Tessa Nähring, Monika Hiebenga, Lena Muffler. Plant and Soil (2025).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07560-x

Contact:
Dr. Robert Weigel & Dr. Lena Muffler-Weigel
Head directors of the Ecological-Botanical Garden
e-mail: robert.weigel@uni-bayreuth.de
Tel: +49 (0)921 55 2960

 
The ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and sorrel (Rumex acetosa) plants used in the experiment (Foto: Dr. Robert Weigel).