Going underground: root traits as drivers of ecosystem processes

• Root traits have a major role in modifying ecosystem processes.
• These impacts of root traits operate via a variety of mechanisms.
• Global change could modify relations between root traits and the soil environment.
• Such modifications could have far-reaching implications for ecosystem processes.

Ecologists are increasingly adopting trait-based approaches to understand how community change influences ecosystem processes. However, most of this research has focussed on aboveground plant traits, whereas it is becoming clear that root traits are important drivers of many ecosystem processes, such as carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, and the formation and structural stability of soil. Here, we synthesise emerging evidence that illustrates how root traits impact ecosystem processes, and propose a pathway to unravel the complex roles of root traits in driving ecosystem processes and their response to global change. Finally, we identify research challenges and novel technologies to address them.