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Issues and prospects of belowground ecology with special reference to global climate change

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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

The theory of ecology is based on over 100 a of research and investigation, all centered on aboveground patterns and processes. However, as contemporary ecologists are increasingly acknowledging, belowground structures, functions, and processes are some of the most poorly understood areas in ecology. This lack of understanding of belowground ecological processes seriously restricts the advance of global change research. The interdisciplinary field of belowground ecology began to flourish in the 1990s, along with the expansion of global change research, and quickly gained momentum. Belowground ecology aims to investigate belowground structures, functions, and processes, as well as their relationships with corresponding aboveground features, emphasizing the responses of belowground systems under global change conditions. Key research areas include root ecology, belowground animals, and soil microorganisms. This review summarizes and analyzes the relationships between above- and belowground ecosystems, root ecology, root biogeography, belowground biodiversity, as well as research areas with particular challenges and progress. This commentary emphasizes certain theoretical issues concerning the responses of belowground processes to global change, and concludes that belowground ecology is a critical research priority in the 21st century.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, College of Environmental Science, Center for Ecological Research and Education and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Process of Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China

    Jinsheng He & Jingyun Fang

  2. College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Northeast Forestry University, 150040, Harbin, China

    Zhengquan Wang

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He, J., Wang, Z. & Fang, J. Issues and prospects of belowground ecology with special reference to global climate change. Chin. Sci. Bull. 49, 1891–1899 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03184277

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