Warming and elevated CO2 alter the suberin chemistry in roots

Heatmap and two-way hierarchical clustering of suberin monomers of roots of B. gracilis exposed to different climate treatments (Credit: Suseela et al.)

The decomposability of fine roots and their potential to contribute to soil carbon (C) is partly regulated by their tissue chemical composition. In a recent Editor’s Choice article published in AoB PLANTS, Suseela et al. examined the effects of elevated CO2 and warming on the quantity and composition of suberin in the roots of a C4 and C3 grass species. Elevated CO2 and warming altered the content and composition of suberin in roots of the C4 species, which could alter the rate of root decomposition. However, suberin in the C3 species was less responsive to climate treatments, suggesting that climate change-induced alterations in species composition will further mediate potential suberin contributions to soil carbon pools.

AoBPLANTS

AoB PLANTS is an open-access, online journal that publishes peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of environmental and evolutionary biology. Published by Oxford University Press, AoB PLANTS provides a fast-track pathway for publishing high-quality research, where papers are available online to anyone, anywhere free of charge. Reasons to publish in AoB PLANTS include double-blind peer review of manuscripts, rapid processing time and low open-access charges.

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