13C and 15N in microarthropods reveal little response of Douglas-fir ecosystems to climate change

Understanding ecosystem carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling under global change requires experiments maintaining natural interactions among soil structure, soil communities, nutrient availability, and plant growth. In model Douglas-fir ecosystems maintained for five growing seasons, elevated temperature and carbon dioxide (CO₂) increased photosynthesis and increased C storage belowground but not aboveground. We hypothesized that interactions between N cycling and C fluxes through two main groups of microbes, mycorrhizal fungi (symbiotic with plants) and saprotrophic fungi (free-living), mediated ecosystem C storage. To quantify proportions of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi, we measured stable isotopes in fungivorous microarthropods that efficiently censused the fungal community. Fungivorous microarthropods consumed on average 35% mycorrhizal fungi and 65% saprotrophic fungi. Elevated temperature decreased C flux through mycorrhizal fungi by 7%, whereas elevated CO₂ increased it by 4%. The dietary proportion of mycorrhizal fungi correlated across treatments with total plant biomass (n= 4, r²= 0.96, P= 0.021), but not with root biomass. This suggests that belowground allocation increased with increasing plant biomass, but that mycorrhizal fungi were stronger sinks for recent photosynthate than roots. Low N content of needles (0.8–1.1%) and A horizon soil (0.11%) coupled with high C : N ratios of A horizon soil (25–26) and litter (36–48) indicated severe N limitation. Elevated temperature treatments increased the saprotrophic decomposition of litter and lowered litter C : N ratios. Because of low N availability of this litter, its decomposition presumably increased N immobilization belowground, thereby restricting soil N availability for both mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth. Although increased photosynthesis with elevated CO₂ increased allocation of C to ectomycorrhizal fungi, it did not benefit plant N status. Most N for plants and soil storage was derived from litter decomposition. N sequestration by mycorrhizal fungi and limited N release during litter decomposition by saprotrophic fungi restricted N supply to plants, thereby constraining plant growth response to the different treatments.     

植物群落向土壤有机碳输入及其对气候变暖的响应研究进展

植物群落作为陆地生态系统土壤有机碳的主要来源,可通过地表凋落物分解、细根周转和根系分泌物等方式将光合作用同化的碳输入到土壤中。全球气候变暖正深刻地影响植物群落的分布、结构与功能,改变森林地上和地下凋落物产量与分解速率和根系分泌过程,从而改变植物群落向土壤输入有机碳数量。本文综述了植物群落向土壤有机碳输入过程及其对气候变暖的响应研究进展。研究表明,气候变暖可通过影响植物群落生产直接影响凋落物产量和根系分泌过程,还可通过改变凋落物分解环境条件、凋落物基质质量和分解者群落结构与活性等非生物与生物因子而间接作用于凋落物向土壤有机碳输入过程。气候变暖还可通过影响植物根系性状、根系分泌物化学组成等间接影响植物根系向土壤输入的碳量,但其具体机制还需深入探讨。未来的研究应该关注气候变暖导致植物群落结构改变进而影响土壤有机碳输入的具体机制以及粗木质残体对土壤有机碳输入的贡献,同时还应注重植物凋落物与根系分泌过程的整合研究,以期更全面地认识气候变暖背景下植物群落对土壤碳库及碳循环过程的贡献。     

UV-B辐射对马尾松凋落叶分解和养分释放的影响

由大气臭氧层减薄导致的UV-B辐射变化将直接影响到凋落物的分解。目前,有关UV-B辐射影响木本植物凋落物分解的研究还很少,在国内还没有开展。采用分解袋法开展了马尾松凋落叶在自然环境和UV-B辐射滤减两种辐射环境下的分解试验。结果表明：在UV-B辐射滤减环境下的马尾松凋落叶年分解速率比对照环境减慢了47.74%。UV-B辐射极显著(p<0.01)地加快了马尾松凋落叶的分解速率,促进了凋落叶中碳、磷、钾的释放和木质素的降解,对氮的释放无明显影响。研究结果意味着UV-B辐射将加快马尾松林的营养循环速度,降低马尾松林凋落物层的碳储量。     

Mechanisms of plant species impacts on ecosystem nitrogen cycling

Plant species are hypothesized to impact ecosystem nitrogen cycling in two distinctly different ways. First, differences in nitrogen use efficiency can lead to positive feedbacks on the rate of nitrogen cycling. Alternatively, plant species can also control the inputs and losses of nitrogen from ecosystems. Our current understanding of litter decomposition shows that most nitrogen present within litter is not released during decomposition but incorporated into soil organic matter. This nitrogen retention is caused by an increase in the relative nitrogen content in decomposing litter and a much lower carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio of soil organic matter. The long time lag between plant litter formation and the actual release of nitrogen from the litter results in a bottleneck, which prevents feedbacks of plant quality differences on nitrogen cycling. Instead, rates of gross nitrogen mineralization, which are often an order of magnitude higher than net mineralization, indicate that nitrogen cycling within ecosystems is dominated by a microbial nitrogen loop. Nitrogen is released from the soil organic matter and incorporated into microbial biomass. Upon their death, the nitrogen is again incorporated into the soil organic matter. However, this microbial nitrogen loop is driven by plant‐supplied carbon and provides a strong negative feedback through nitrogen cycling on plant productivity. Evidence supporting this hypothesis is strong for temperate grassland ecosystems. For other terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, tropical and boreal regions, the data are much more limited. Thus, current evidence does not support the view that differences in the efficiency of plant nitrogen use lead to positive feedbacks. In contrast, soil microbes are the dominant factor structuring ecosystem nitrogen cycling. Soil microbes derive nitrogen from the decomposition of soil organic matter, but this microbial activity is driven by recent plant carbon inputs. Changes in plant carbon inputs, resulting from plant species shifts, lead to a negative feedback through microbial nitrogen immobilization. In contrast, there is abundant evidence that plant species impact nitrogen inputs and losses, such as: atmospheric deposition, fire‐induced losses, nitrogen leaching, and nitrogen fixation, which is driven by carbon supply from plants to nitrogen fixers. Additionally, plants can influence the activity and composition of soil microbial communities, which has the potential to lead to differences in nitrification, denitrification and trace nitrogen gas losses. Plant species also impact herbivore behaviour and thereby have the potential to lead to animal‐facilitated movement of nitrogen between ecosystems. Thus, current evidence supports the view that plant species can have large impacts on ecosystem nitrogen cycling. However, species impacts are not caused by differences in plant quantity and quality, but by plant species impacts on nitrogen inputs and losses.     

Initial Soil Organic Matter Content Influences the Storage and Turnover of Litter,Root and Soil Carbon in Grasslands

Grassland degradation is a worldwide problem that often leads to substantial loss of soil organic matter (SOM). To estimate the potential for carbon (C) accumulation in degraded grassland soils, we first need to understand how SOM content influences the transformation of plant C and its stabilization within the soil matrix. We conducted a greenhouse experiment using C₃ soils with six levels of SOM content; we planted the C₄ grass Cleistogenes squarrosa or added its litter to the soils to investigate how SOM content regulates the storage of new soil C derived from litter and roots, the decomposition of extant soil C, and the formation of soil aggregates. We found that with the increase in SOM content, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and the mineralization of litter C increased. Both the litter addition and planted treatments increased the amount of new C inputs to soil. However, the mineralization of extant soil C was significantly accelerated by the presence of living roots but was not affected by litter addition. Accordingly, the soil C content was significantly higher in the litter addition treatments but was not affected by the planted treatments by the end of the experiment. The soil macroaggregate fraction increased with SOM content and was positively related to MBC. Our experiment suggests that as SOM content increases, plant growth and soil microbial activity increase, which allows microbes to process more plant-derived C and promote new soil C formation. Although long-term field experiments are needed to test the robustness of our findings, our greenhouse experiment suggests that the interactions between SOM content and plant C inputs should be considered when evaluating soil C turnover in degraded grasslands.     

稳定碳同位素技术在土壤-植物系统碳循环中的应用

碳作为重要的生命元素,在土壤 植物系统物质循环中发挥重要作用.作为一种天然的示踪物,稳定碳同位素（¹³C）较放射性同位素具有安全、无污染、易控制的优点,在土壤 植物生态系统碳循环研究中得到广泛应用.通过检测土壤 植物体系中稳定碳同位素的自然丰度或采用稳定碳同位素标记有机材料,能够较真实地了解植物的光合特性、光合产物在土壤 植物体系中的运转及其在土壤中的分解、转化等过程.本文概述了稳定碳同位素技术在植物光合作用及光合产物运转、古气候重建、土壤有机质周转以及植物 根际微生物相互作用等方面的研究进展,并针对当前研究中存在的问题提出了今后的研究展望.     

全球气候变暖对凋落物分解的影响

凋落物分解作为生态系统核心过程,参与生态系统碳的周转与循环,影响生态系统碳的收支平衡,调控生态系统对全球气候变暖的反馈结果。全球气候变暖通过环境因素、凋落物数量和质量以及分解者3个方面,直接或间接地作用于凋落物分解过程,并进一步影响土壤养分周转和碳库动态。气候变暖可通过升高温度和改变实际蒸散量等环境因素直接作用于凋落物分解。气候变暖可引起植物物种短期内碳、氮和木质素等化学性质的改变以及群落中物种组成的长期变化从而改变凋落物质量。在凋落物分解过程中,土壤分解者亚系统作为主要生命组分(土壤动物和微生物)彼此相互作用、相互协调共同参与调节凋落物的分解过程。凋落物分解可以通过改变土壤微生物量、微生物活动和群落结构来加快微生物养分的固定或矿化,以形成新的养分利用模式来改变土壤有机质从而对气候变化做出响应。未来凋落物分解的研究方向应基于大尺度跨区域分解实验和长期实验,关注多个因子交互影响下,分解过程中碳、氮养分释放、地上/地下凋落物分解生物学过程与联系、分解者亚系统营养级联效应等方面。     

基于个体的中国森林生态系统碳收支模型FORCCHN及模型验证

以植物生理学、森林生态学和土壤环境学的基本原理为基础,建立了基于个体的中国森林生态系统碳收支模型FORCCHN。模型通过两种步长运行:在步长为天时的基本过程包括林分(个体)的光合、呼吸、分配和凋落,以及凋落物和土壤有机物的呼吸和转移;在步长为年时的基本过程包括林分的同化物分配、树高和胸径增长、大凋落物生成。通过对模型样地水平上与全国总量上NPP、NEP的验证,说明该模型在考虑幼龄林基础上,能较好的模拟出中国森林生态系统的碳收支,因此可以用来模拟中国森林生态系统碳收支的过去动态和未来发展趋势。     

Ecological significance of litter redistribution by wind and snow in arctic landscapes

During winter in the Arctic, plant litter is scoured from exposed hills and ridges by wind and snow and is redistributed to other portions of the landscape. The aim of this research was to quantify the physical and biological consequences of this litter redistribution. Litter biomass accumulation was ten times greater in areas of high deposition (e.g. snow drifts) than in areas of low deposition. Spring snow melt was delayed by several days and soils were cooler throughout the growing season and throughout winter in areas of increased litter deposition than areas with no litter. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was reduced to near zero with small accumulations of litter. Annual C and N inputs from allochthonous litter were 143 g Cm-2 and 14 g Nm in high lilter areas and 3.4 g C m⁻² and 0.3 g N ^m-2 in non-drift, ambient litter deposition areas. Although PAR and soil temperatures were significantly reduced with increased litter deposition, we did not observe significant delays in key plant phenological events of several species or measure a decrease in gross ecosystem photosynthesis. We did measure a significant increase in ecosystem respiration with increased litter deposition, which resulted in a shift in the net C balance of dry heath tundra from near zero with no litter to a net source of CO₂ to the atmosphere. Our study indicates that the redistribution of litter by wind and snow during winter is an important mechanism of nutrient transfer across the arctic landscape and that allochthonous litter inputs are of great enough magnitude to alter the carbon balance of some areas of the arctic landscape.     

Effects of Substrate Addition on Soil Respiratory Carbon Release Under Long-Term Warming and Clipping in a Tallgrass Prairie

Regulatory mechanisms of soil respiratory carbon (C) release induced by substrates (i.e., plant derived substrates) are critical for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change, but the mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we sampled soils from a long-term field manipulative experiment and conducted a laboratory incubation to explore the role of substrate supply in regulating the differences in soil C release among the experimental treatments, including control, warming, clipping, and warming plus clipping. Three types of substrates (glucose, C₃ and C₄ plant materials) were added with an amount equal to 1% of soil dry weight under the four treatments. We found that the addition of all three substrates significantly stimulated soil respiratory C release in all four warming and clipping treatments. In soils without substrate addition, warming significantly stimulated soil C release but clipping decreased it. However, additions of glucose and C₃ plant materials (C₃ addition) offset the warming effects, whereas C₄ addition still showed the warming-induced stimulation of soil C release. Our results suggest that long-term warming may inhibit microbial capacity for decomposition of C₃ litter but may enhance it for decomposition of C₄ litter. Such warming-induced adaptation of microbial communities may weaken the positive C-cycle feedback to warming due to increased proportion of C₄ species in plant community and decreased litter quality. In contrast, clipping may weaken microbial capacity for warming-induced decomposition of C₄ litter but may enhance it for C₃ litter. Warming- and clipping-induced shifts in microbial metabolic capacity may be strongly associated with changes in plant species composition and could substantially influence soil C dynamics in response to global change.     

Establishing and validating individual-based carbon budget model FORCCHN of forest ecosystems in China

According to the principles of plant physiology, forest ecology and soil environment, the individual-based carbon budget model of forest ecosystems in China was established. The model process included two timesteps: the primary daily process comprises photosynthesis, plant respiration, allocation and litter production, and soil respiration and transfer; the primary annual process consists of allocation between stands, increase of tree height and breast diameter, and production of large amount of litter fall. Through validating net primary productiviry (NPP) and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) at the plot level and at the country level, it was demonsteated that the model can well simulate carbon budget of forest ecosystems in China, so it can also simulate dynamics of carbon budget of forest ecosystems in the past and in the future.     

Establishing and validating individual-based carbon budget model FORCCHN of forest ecosystems in China

According to the principles of plant physiology, forest ecology and soil environment, the individual-based carbon budget model of forest ecosystems in China was established. The model process included two timesteps: the primary daily process comprises photosynthesis, plant respiration, allocation and litter production, and soil respiration and transfer; the primary annual process consists of allocation between stands, increase of tree height and breast diameter, and production of large amount of litter fall. Through validating net primary productiviry (NPP) and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) at the plot level and at the country level, it was demonsteated that the model can well simulate carbon budget of forest ecosystems in China, so it can also simulate dynamics of carbon budget of forest ecosystems in the past and in the future.     

Influence of Litter Diversity on Dissolved Organic Matter Release and Soil Carbon Formation in a Mixed Beech Forest

We investigated the effect of leaf litter on below ground carbon export and soil carbon formation in order to understand how litter diversity affects carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. ¹³C labeled and unlabeled leaf litter of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior), characterized by low and high decomposability, were used in a litter exchange experiment in the Hainich National Park (Thuringia, Germany). Litter was added in pure and mixed treatments with either beech or ash labeled with ¹³C. We collected soil water in 5 cm mineral soil depth below each treatment biweekly and determined dissolved organic carbon (DOC), δ¹³C values and anion contents. In addition, we measured carbon concentrations and δ¹³C values in the organic and mineral soil (collected in 1 cm increments) up to 5 cm soil depth at the end of the experiment. Litter-derived C contributes less than 1% to dissolved organic matter (DOM) collected in 5 cm mineral soil depth. Better decomposable ash litter released significantly more (0.50±0.17%) litter carbon than beech litter (0.17±0.07%). All soil layers held in total around 30% of litter-derived carbon, indicating the large retention potential of litter-derived C in the top soil. Interestingly, in mixed (ash and beech litter) treatments we did not find a higher contribution of better decomposable ash-derived carbon in DOM, O horizon or mineral soil. This suggest that the known selective decomposition of better decomposable litter by soil fauna has no or only minor effects on the release and formation of litter-derived DOM and soil organic matter. Overall our experiment showed that 1) litter-derived carbon is of low importance for dissolved organic carbon release and 2) litter of higher decomposability is faster decomposed, but litter diversity does not influence the carbon flow.     

Effects of leachate from understory medicinal plants on litter decomposition and soil enzyme activities of Betula albo-sinensis and Eucommia ulmoides

Aims Forest litter decomposition is an important factor affecting nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability. In a complex system with forest and understory medicinal plants, leachate from the medicinal plants enriched in plant secondary metabolites (PSM) may inhibit litter decomposition and soil enzyme activity of forest trees. Thus, inspection on whether or not this phenomenon exits is one important basis for selecting understory medicinal plants.Methods In this paper, typical forest species Betula albo-sinensis and Eucommia ulmoides and six species of common medicinal plants (Corydalis bungeana, Mentha haplocalyx, Houttuynia cordata, Nepeta cataria, Gynostemma pentaphyllum and Prunella vulgaris) in Qinling Mountains area were taken as objects, and the litter decomposition experiment was carried out. The leachate (water-extraction solution) from the stems and leaves of the medicinal materials were sprayed onto the litter in order to study the effects of leachate from understory plants on forests litter decomposition, nutrient release (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) and soil enzyme activity.Important findings For litter of B. albo-sinensis, the decomposition half-life and the turnover period were extended by 76% and 4.3 times, respectively, under H. cordata leachate treatment and the inhibitory effects on the release of carbon and nitrogen were also significant. While under G. pentaphyllum leachate treatment, the half-life of litter decomposition and turnover period were extended by 35% and 2.7 times, respectively, and the inhibitory effects on the release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were all significant. The leachate from these two species of medicinal plants displayed significant inhibitory effects on seven kinds of soil enzymes (invertase, carboxymethyl cellulase, β-glucosidase, dehydrogenase, polyphenol oxidase, protease and phosphatase) activity. For litter of E. ulmoides, the decomposition half-life and the turnover period were extended by 1.7 times and 4.2 times respectively, under H. cordata leachate treatment; while they were extended by 1 times and 9 times respectively, under G. pentaphyllum leachate treatment. The leachate from these two species of medicinal plants displayed significant inhibitory effects on the release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from litter decomposition and the activities of all seven kinds of soil enzymes. Therefore, results suggested that H. cordata and G. pentaphyllum should not be planted under B. albo-sinensis and E. ulmoides forests, or the interplanting density must be low to reduce the inhibitory effects of litter decomposition.     

Partitioning the effect of composition and diversity of tree communities on leaf litter decomposition and soil respiration

The decomposition of plant material is an important ecosystem process influencing both carbon cycling and soil nutrient availability. Quantifying how plant diversity affects decomposition is thus crucial for predicting the effect of the global decline in plant diversity on ecosystem functioning. Plant diversity could affect the decomposition process both directly through the diversity of the litter, and/or indirectly through the diversity of the host plant community and its affect on the decomposition environment. Using a biodiversity experiment with trees in which both functional and taxonomic diversity were explicitly manipulated independently, we tested the effects of the functional diversity and identity of the living trees separately and in combination with the functional diversity and identity of the decomposing litter on rates of litter decomposition and soil respiration. Plant traits, predominantly leaf chemical and physical traits, were correlated with both litter decomposition and soil respiration rates. Surface litter decomposition, quantified by mass loss in litterbags, was best explained by abundance‐weighted mean trait values of tree species from which the litter was assembled (functional identity). In contrast, soil respiration, which includes decomposition of dissolved organic carbon and root respiration, was best explained by the variance in trait values of the host trees (functional diversity). This research provides insight into the effect of loss of tree diversity in forests on soil processes. Such understanding is essential to predicting changes in the global carbon budget brought on by biodiversity loss.     

植物凋落物影响土壤有机质分解的研究进展

植物凋落物是土壤动物和土壤微生物的主要生命物质和能量来源,其类型、组成以及物理化学等性质直接决定了土壤有机质的品质。对植物凋落物的类型、品质、物理性质、层效应和激发效应以及根际碳淀积与土壤有机质分解的关系进行了总结,可为研究植物凋落物对土壤有机质的影响提供理论参考,指出要在全球变暖背景下进一步加强凋落物分解过程中土壤微生物和酶活性变化的研究。     

Grazing history effects on above- and below-ground litter decomposition and nutrient cycling in two co-occurring grasses

Large herbivores may alter carbon and nutrient cycling in soil by changing above- and below-ground litter decomposition dynamics. Grazing effects may reflect changes in plant allocation patterns, and thus litter quality, or the site conditions for decomposition, but the relative roles of these broad mechanisms have rarely been tested. We examined plant and soil mediated effects of grazing history on litter mass loss and nutrient release in two grazing-tolerant grasses, Lolium multiflorum and Paspalum dilatatum, in a humid pampa grassland, Argentina. Shoot and root litters produced in a common garden by conspecific plants collected from grazed and ungrazed sites were incubated under both grazing conditions. We found that grazing history effects on litter decomposition were stronger for shoot than for root material. Root mass loss was neither affected by litter origin nor incubation site, although roots from the grazed origin immobilised more nutrients. Plants from the grazed site produced shoots with higher cell soluble contents and lower lignin:N ratios. Grazing effects mediated by shoot litter origin depended on the species, and were less apparent than incubation site effects. Lolium shoots from the grazed site decomposed and released nutrients faster, whereas Paspalum shoots from the grazed site retained more nutrient than their respective counterparts from the ungrazed site. Such divergent, species-specific dynamics did not translate into consistent differences in soil mineral N beneath decomposing litters. Indeed, shoot mass loss and nutrient release were generally faster in the grazed grassland, where soil N availability was higher. Our results show that grazing influenced nutrient cycling by modifying litter breakdown within species as well as the soil environment for decomposition. They also indicate that grazing effects on decomposition are likely to involve aerial litter pools rather than the more recalcitrant root compartment.     

西沙永兴岛抗风桐与海岸桐群落凋落叶分解及中型土壤动物的贡献

我国南海诸岛主要是珊瑚岛。植物凋落物分解是生态系统元素循环的关键环节,但目前关于南海珊瑚岛生态系统凋落物分解的研究还是空白。以我国西沙群岛的优势树种抗风桐（Pisonia grandis）和海岸桐（Guettarda speciosa）为研究对象,采用凋落物袋法,分别于分解期间的第3、6、9、13和15个月取样,探究中型土壤动物对两种植物群落中凋落物分解过程中质量损失和养分释放的影响。结果表明：与没有中型土壤动物存在的情况（0.1 mm凋落物袋）相比,分解开始后的6个月内,中型土壤动物存在（2 mm凋落物袋）使抗风桐和海岸桐凋落叶分解速率分别提高了12.3%和4.8%（P<0.05）;分解6-15个月期间,中型土壤动物存在使抗风桐和海岸桐凋落叶分解速率分别提高了33.0%和12.3%（P<0.05）。中型土壤动物排除显著影响了不同分解阶段凋落叶总碳（Total carbon,TC）、总氮（Total nitrogen,TN）、纤维素、木质素和半纤维素的残留率变化。中型土壤动物群落组成受土壤温度显著影响（P<0.05）,它们对凋落叶分解的贡献可能主要受优势类群如真螨目和寄螨目的影响。相较海岸桐,抗风桐凋落叶的分解周期更短,中型土壤动物对其的贡献更大;选用抗风桐作为南海珊瑚岛退化植被恢复或新建的先锋种对促进生态系统元素循环更有利。     

Carbon mineralization in the southern Sonoran Desert

We measured carbon mineralization in four different desert habitats (Arroyos, Hillsides, Canopies-Plains and Open-Plains) and the separate effect of litter addition from annual and perennial plants on soil microbial respiration using two laboratory soil incubation experiments. The differences in total aboveground phytomass among habitats correlates with soil nutrient content, soil particulate organic matter (POM) and consequently, C mineralization. The Arroyos habitat with the highest perennial plant phytomass and litter production, had the highest soil nutrient content, soil POM and C mineralization. Litter from annual plants had twice the P concentration than litter from the perennials, but only half the N concentration. Soil microbial respiration was higher with annual plant litter than with perennial plant litter in the Hillsides and Canopies-Plains, suggesting that microbial activity in both habitats was improved by litter with a higher C quality. In contrast, in the poorest habitat, the Open-Plains, the better response to the addition of perennial plant litter suggests that microbial activity may have been constrained by N input.     

Root exudation rate as functional trait involved in plant nutrient‐use strategy classification

Plants adopt a variety of life history strategies to succeed in the Earth's diverse environments. Using functional traits which are defined as “morphological, biochemical, physiological, or phonological” characteristics measurable at the individual level, plants are classified according to their species’ adaptative strategies, more than their taxonomy, from fast growing plant species to slower‐growing conservative species. These different strategies probably influence the input and output of carbon (C)‐resources, from the assimilation of carbon by photosynthesis to its release in the rhizosphere soil via root exudation. However, while root exudation was known to mediate plant‐microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, it was not used as functional trait until recently. Here, we assess whether root exudate levels are useful plant functional traits in the classification of plant nutrient‐use strategies and classical trait syndromes? For this purpose, we conducted an experiment with six grass species representing along a gradient of plant resource‐use strategies, from conservative species, characterized by low biomass nitrogen (N) concentrations and a long lifespans, to exploitative species, characterized by high rates of photosynthesis and rapid rates of N acquisition. Leaf and root traits were measured for each grass and root exudate rate for each planted soil sample. Classical trait syndromes in plant ecology were found for leaf and root traits, with negative relationships observed between specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content or between specific root length and root dry matter content. However, a new root trait syndrome was also found with root exudation levels correlating with plant resource‐use strategy patterns, specifically, between root exudation rate and root dry matter content. We therefore propose root exudation rate can be used as a key functional trait in plant ecology studies and plant strategy classification.