A Meta-analysis of Studies on Plant Growth Rate and Allocation to Roots and Shoots

Abstract

I performed a meta-analysis of studies examining the relationships among nutrient availability, plant growth rate and allocation to roots vs. shoots. Species characteristic of high fertility habits grew faster than species characteristic of less fertile habitats. While species were highly plastic in root/shoot ratio, there was a strong correlation in root/shoot across fertility levels when plants were grown across fertility gradients. This suggests that the proportional mass allocation to roots is a consistent characteristic of individual species relative to other species. There was no consistent relationship between allocation to roots and either growth rate or the fertility of habitats that species typically are found in.