Global Root Traits (GRooT) Database
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Abstract
Abstract Motivation Trait data are fundamental to quantitatively describe plant form and function. Although root traits capture key dimensions related to plant responses to changing environmental conditions and effects on ecosystem processes, they have rarely been included in large-scale comparative studies and global models. For instance, root traits remain absent from nearly all studies that define the global spectrum of plant form and function. Thus, to overcome conceptual and methodological roadblocks preventing a widespread integration of root trait data into large-scale analyses we created the Global Root Trait (GRooT) Database. GRooT provides ready-to-use data by combining the expertise of root ecologists with data mobilization and curation. Specifically, we (i) determined a set of core root traits relevant to the description of plant form and function based on an assessment by experts, (ii) maximized species coverage through data standardization within and among traits, and (iii) implemented data quality checks. Main types of variables contained GRooT contains 114,222 trait records on 38 continuous root traits. Spatial location and grain Global coverage with data from arid, continental, polar, temperate, and tropical biomes. Data on root traits derived from experimental studies and field studies. Time period and grain Data recorded between 1911 and 2019 Major taxa and level of measurement GRooT includes root trait data for which taxonomic information is available. Trait records vary in their taxonomic resolution, with sub-species or varieties being the highest and genera the lowest taxonomic resolution available. It contains information for 184 sub-species or varieties, 6,214 species, 1,967 genera and 254 families. Due to variation in data sources, trait records in the database include both individual observations and mean values. Software format GRooT includes two csv file. A GitHub repository contains the csv files and a script in R to query the database.
Authors 49
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Nathaly R. Guerrero‐Ramírez corresponding
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · University of Göttingen
Affiliation as printed
Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier · Station d’Écologie Théorique et Expérimentale · Université de Toulouse
Affiliation as printed
Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, University of Toulouse III, Moulis, France
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Affiliation as printed
Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Tree Science, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, USA
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German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
Affiliation as printed
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · Macquarie University
Affiliation as printed
ForschungszentrumJülich, Jülich, Germany
Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia
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Affiliation as printed
Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research · Freie Universität Berlin
Affiliation as printed
Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
Freie University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Soil Biology, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Noble Research Institute, USA
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German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Affiliation as printed
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
University of Wyoming, Department of Botany, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Plant Ecology, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · École Pratique des Hautes Études · Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier · Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive · Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Affiliation as printed
CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
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Wageningen University & Research
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Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
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Florida International University
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International Center of Tropical Biodiversity, Florida International University, USA
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Canadian Forest Service · Natural Resources Canada
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Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste Marie, ON, Canada
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Geography, King’s College London, London, UK
Department of Geography, King's College London, London, UK
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Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre
Affiliation as printed
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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University of Toronto · University of Toronto Scarborough
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Affiliation as printed
Area de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
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Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg · Vrije Universiteit Brussel
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Department of Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centre d'Investigacions sobre Desertificació
Affiliation as printed
CIDE-CSIC, Valencia, Spain
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Nanyang Technological University · Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Asian School of Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia Aachen Environmental Biology Department Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)
Affiliation as printed
Environmental Biology Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, USA
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Jonah Ventures, USA
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Systems Ecology, Dept. of Ecological Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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University of Toronto · University of Toronto Scarborough
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Wageningen University & Research
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Environmental Science Group, Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands
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Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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Department of Geography, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
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Lomonosov Moscow State University
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Moscow State Lomonosov University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow, Russia
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications · Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB
Affiliation as printed
CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
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University of Minnesota · Western Sydney University
Affiliation as printed
Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
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Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research · Freie Universität Berlin
Affiliation as printed
Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
Freie University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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University of California, Los Angeles
Affiliation as printed
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
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University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden · University of Tartu
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Natural History Museum and Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
Affiliation as printed
National Museum of Natural Sciences, MNCN, CSIC, Spain
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Peter M. van Bodegom Aachen Environmental Biology Department Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)
Affiliation as printed
Environmental Biology Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, USA
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German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · Leipzig University
Affiliation as printed
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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