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Project properties |
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| Title | The rooting strategies of grasses |
| Group | Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 30-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Dr Jasper van Ruijven |
| Examiner(s) | Dr Jasper van Ruijven |
| Contact info | jasper.vanruijven@wur.nl Tel.: 0317-484835
see also: https://www.wur.nl/en/Persons/Jasper-dr.-J-Jasper-van-Ruijven.htm |
| Begin date | 2021/11/17 |
| End date | 2023/12/31 |
| Description | In grasslands, more than half of plant biomass may be found belowground, in roots. Roots play important roles in plant interactions, nutrient cycling and carbon storage, but our understanding of root form and function is still limited compared to the aboveground parts of plants. Recently, we have revealed the root economic space of plants (RES), showing two major axes of variation in root form related to nutrient acquisition and conservation (Bergmann et al. 2020). The next step is to reveal the functionality of this RES. This can be done by linking species' root traits to important environmental gradients like nutrient availability. In this project, you will collect root trait and environment data in the field and from existing databases for a range of plant species, focusing on grasses (Poaceae) and reveal how the position of plant species in the RES is driven by environmental factors. |
| Used skills | conceptual thinking, data collection, statistical analyses, scientific writing |
| Requirements | root data needs to be collected during the growing season |