🌾🍂Removing #litter boosts belowground #bud banks + #shoot density, while litter buildup limits new shoots. #Bunchgrasses respond strongly, #rhizomatous grasses less. #Management is to avoid litter accumulation Our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/Detdg #ExFuMo #GoBelowground

🙌FunSem IV is behind us — long live FunSem V! 👑The 4th edition of the Functional Ecology Seminar was full of interesting talks and inspiring discussions. See you again next year! 🌱 @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social #ExFuMo #GoBelowground #plant #ecology #traits #evolution #diversity

Try harder! 🏋️‍♀️🪻How young clonal herbs rebuild after disturbance Read more ▶️ 1url.cz/beLwS #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #biomass #clonality #disturbance #establishment #functional #traits #perennial #herb #economic #spectrum #resource #allocation @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

How old do herbs live? For #clonal plants, it’s tricky. An individual can be thousands of years old even if their organs are only a few years old. How to #age clonal plants reliably? Read ▶️ 1url.cz/4Jy2x #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #rhizome #ramet #mutation @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

🚩Dig into plant functional ecology! 🌱⛏️Join the 8th Go Belowground! PhD course (13–19 Sep 2026 Czech Republic) Lectures, hands-on field, lab training ▶️ 1url.cz/2ziQz #clonality #budbank #belowground #mophology #roots #traits #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #functional #course

📢 Root exudates: invisible, fast-changing chemical signals shaping microbes, neighbors and soil. 🦠🌱 A new on our blog ▶️ 📢https://1url.cz/lJAdf #Rhizosphere #RootExudates #PlantEcology #ExFuMo #GoBelowground #Soil #Exudate #Microbes @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

#ExFuMo in 2025🎯 Review: new insights into #rhizome investment & #ontogeny, the #Belowground #Persistence Types” framework, the Plant Bodies book, and hands-on belowground training #IAVS #workshop + #GoBelowground course) Read the recap ▶️ 1url.cz/KJxLz @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

Calling researchers working on plant belowground - #bud banks, #storage, #rhizome, #anatomy, #clonality to join our #IAVS2026 Special Session-The Hidden Half: emerging questions in belowground #functional #ecology in #Gijón 22–26 Jun▶️ 1url.cz/OJ8fM #GoBelowground #IAVS @czechacademy.bsky.social

Heading to #IAVS2026 in #Gijón? Curious about plant belowground? Join the #Belowground #Workshop! Intro + hands-on field digging in JUN 21. Free for attendees, max 20 participants. Sign up via the conference site! ▶️ 1url.cz/OJ8fM #IAVS #ExFuMo #GoBelowground #clonality @ibotcz.bsky.social

🚩Dig into plant functional ecology! 🌱⛏️ Join the 8th Go Belowground! PhD course (13–19 Sep 2026, Czech Republic) Lectures, hands-on field, lab training ▶️ 1url.cz/2ziQz #clonality #budbank #belowground #mophology #roots #traits #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

🚩Dig into plant functional ecology! 🌱⛏️ Join the 8th Go Belowground! PhD course (13–19 Sep 2026, Czech Republic) Lectures, hands-on field, lab training ▶️ 1url.cz/2ziQz #clonality #budbank #belowground #mophology #roots #traits #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

Season’s greetings from our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/PJ6z5 Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, or contributed this year!🩷This illustration of buds on belowground storage organs is available with other materials here▶️ 1url.cz/FJ6z9 #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

An effect of biomass removal on functional traits of clonal and non-clonal herbs during establishment Martínková et al. @exfumo.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social @jitkaklimesova.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/QK9WCM...

🚩Dig into plant functional ecology! 🌱⛏️ Join the 8th Go Belowground! PhD course (13–19 Sep 2026, Czech Republic) Lectures, hands-on field, lab training ▶️ 1url.cz/2ziQz #clonality #budbank #belowground #mophology #roots #traits #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

Already #ancient antarctic #tree showed a clever survival trick! Root sprouting - new stems popping up from the roots after damage. These #Permian forests regenered from belowground and from roots! ▶️ 1url.cz/MJY2G #RootSprouting #Antarctica #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @ibotcz.bsky.social

Banana isn’t just about the fruit 🍌 🍌 New on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/uJ9Y3 We know little about carbon allocation in banana rhizome, a starch-rich hub connecting mother plants and daughters. Huge knowledge gaps, big climate resilience implications! #GoBelowground #ExFuMo

Plants race too! Just belowground. #Taproot stays put, #bulbsdives down, #tubers scatter in all directions, but the hypogeogenous #rhizome and a #rootsprouter take the gold for lateral spread ▶️ 1url.cz/ZJ57D #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #art #lateralspread @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

Perennial #herbs don’t “wake up” in spring out of nowhere. Their #renewalbuds preform leaves and even flowers months before we see any green. More on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/VJOhA 🌱 #budpreformation #FunctionalEcology #SpringTiming #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

#Novelty isn’t a yes/no, but a #gradient from #replication to #innovation. We should be honest about where our work sits on that gradient, instead of overselling everything as #groundbreaking More▶️ 1url.cz/sJXel #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #linocut @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

Ready for winter! ❄️☃️🪻As winter in the northern hemisphere approaches, plants are preparing to be protected from cold ❄️ Read more on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/PJ0Vy #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #rhizome #bud #clonality #overwintering #strategy @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

When fire digs deeper 🔥🌹🌱 A new on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/oJSXO Even in fire-adapted grasslands, too much fire can erode resilience! by @alinebombo.bsky.social #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #Brazil #CamposRupestres #Resilience #buds #regeneration #rhizome #root @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

‪ #Roots + #rhizomes + #buds = the “backup system” after #wildfire. Add the #soil #microbiome and you get real plant #resilience. Time to measure belowground #traits in #FireEcology🔥more ▶️ 1url.cz/IJIjY #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #Resprouting #Brazil @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

Studying the hidden half is messy—partial samples, broken roots, shifting soils. That’s exactly what students need to see. “In belowground science, perfection is impossible. Accuracy is not.” 🔍🌱 More ▶️ 1url.cz/DJIdJ #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #ScienceTeaching @ibotcz.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

Identifying fine roots is a frontier for belowground ecology! In our new blog post ▶️ 1url.cz/lJZZl 🔴Fine Root Identification Protocol 🟠Root Kahoot🟢Rhidentify quiz🟤Rhizarium (2,000+ fine root images) #root #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social @josephtumber.bsky.social

Cold-season cattail harvest = cleaner water, happier wetlands, and usable biomass—without stressing the system. Win-win 👍 More on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/8JhAe #Wetlands #NatureBasedSolutions #WaterQuality #GoBelowground #ExFuMo

Tubers = survival engines. Packed with energy, resilient in tough soils, vital for people & ecosystems. More on our blog: 1url.cz/qJDNS #tubers #resilience #energy #ecosystems #indigenous #ExFuMo #GoBelowground @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

Big news! Our colleague Martin Bitomský from the #ExFuMo department is heading to Spain for a two-year research stay under the #MSCA project. Wishing him lots of luck, scientific success and invaluable experience. ¡Buena suerte! 🇪🇸 #GoBelowground @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

A little digging in the forests of New England A new post on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/pJdXm Many of the plants have very long rhizomes that twist through the thick litter layer! Thanks @josephtumber.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social #ExFuMo #Rhizome #Clonality #GoBelowground

⛏️🌿Reflections from #IAVS2025 in Greeley - Commentary by Johanne Gresse (University of Tübingen) on Belowground workshop... they took us from plant anatomy to field digs to talks on belowground organ traits... more on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/uJdHi #ExFuMo #GoBelowground #clonality #bud #storage #morhology

#GoBelowground course is over! Huge thanks to all participants and lecturers! We hope you made it home safely and found the course useful. And also big thanks @czechacademy.bsky.social and @ibotcz.bsky.social for their support. Until next time! #ExFuMo #functional #morphology #clonality #roots

The final day of the #GoBelowground course on plant belowground #traits consisted of students´ miniprojects on #rooting depth, #bud bank, plant #age structure, fine #root traits and #clonal growth organs. See you next year! Thanks @czechacademy.bsky.social and @ibotcz.bsky.social for the support

🌷The fourth day of the #GoBelowground course was dedicated to #bud #traits and bud bank, fine #root traits with @joanabergmann.bsky.social and participants' presentations. Thanks to @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social #ExFuMo #clonality #functional #ecology #course #morphology #phenology

#Carbohydrate #storage, #analytical #methods of carbohydrate storage, sweet tasting and #plant #belowground organs hunt were the program of the third day of the #GoBelowground course 🌷🌿🪻 @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social #ExFuMo

The second day of the #GoBelowground! The course on #plant #belowground #functional #morphology was about the fine #roots and #anatomy of #storage #organs. We are grateful to @czechacademy.bsky.social and @ibotcz.bsky.social for the support, and to all participants for their enthusiasm! #ExFuMo 🌱🌴🌷

The first day of the 7th edition of the #GoBelowground course! 16 participants from 7 countries and 3 continents are admiring the ecological functions of clonal growth organs. Our mission? Not to overlook crucial plant part - belowground! Thanks @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social #ExFuMO

🚩Beware the Hoof! 🦓🐮 A new on our blog ⏩ 1url.cz/tJsmC South Africa’s mesic #grasslands depend on #forbs, but heavy #grazing threatens their rich #biodiversity. Protect them with careful grazing and time to recover. #ExFuMo #GoBelowground @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

Blue-and-white Blue Onion #cibulak a classic Central European motif began as a pomegranate motif resembling an onion. These images push it further😄They fuse leaves, stems, flowers & belowground! #GoBelowgroud #ExFuMo #art #science @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social ▶️ 1url.cz/EJkYG

📢Fine root responses to soil uncovered with high-resolution sampling of multiple nutrients A new on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/SJVhx ..."We were surprised at the strength of fine root responses to cations like magnesium and calcium"... #GoBelowgrund #ExFuMo @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

🚩When Roots Meet: The Social Life Belowground A new on our blog ⏩ 1url.cz/3J333 ...In the presence of a neighbour, the primary root’s behaviour changed: nutations became more frequent and faster... #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #Root @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

🌴🌲🌾Plant Bodies are here! A new book by @jitkaklimesova.bsky.social Do You Want to Know How Plant Structures Contribute to Our Comprehension of Their Life-History Strategy? 1url.cz/ZJRTl #morphology #architecture #ecology #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

📢Context matters: Plant diversity affects soil carbon storage differently across ecosystems To know more, read our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/zJRTz #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #biodiversity #soil #carbon #sequestration #persistence #environment @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

The Dynamic World of the Root Cortex! 📢A new on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/qJFBz ..."If you’ve ever marvelled at how grasses manage to survive in everything from soggy swamps to scorching deserts, you’re not alone"... #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #grass #root #cortex #anatomy

It Takes Digging to See the Whole! 📢A new on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/RJFEx ..."As a geologist, it always seemed to me that plant scientists don’t seem to hesitate to sweep conclusions based only on aboveground parts..." 🙉 #ExFuMo #GoBelowground

🔔A new on our blog: Belowground traits significantly differ between decreasing and increasing plant species in alpine meadows 🌻🌹▶️ 1url.cz/FJBzX #Alpine #Climatechange #GoBelowground #Traits #Rhizomes #Roots #Abundance #Drought #Stress #Functional #Ecology #ExFuMo

📢Klimešová et al. (2025) in Trends Plant Sci: Belowground persistence types relevant to severe disturbance - a new classification! ▶️ 1url.cz/FJExZ #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #Clonality #BudBank #Resprouting #Disturbance #Storage

Research waste in ecology... a new on our blog 1url.cz/cJqmE "Research waste in ecology is not only used paper bags, but also poorly planned, conducted or reported research, the results of which are not traceable, usable, or understandable..." #GoBelowground #ExFuMo

Maybe we are upside down 🙃🙂 A new on the blog! 1url.cz/WJ298 Do we really know the point of view of plants? Maybe their focus is different... #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #storage #plants #upsidedown #whatif @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

The Limits of Sharing in Ecology - a new commentary on our blog by @jitkaklimesova.bsky.social ▶️ 1url.cz/lJHkH Let’s look at the reasons why it is sometimes difficult to #share (#resources, #data, or #ideas) in #ecology. #GoBelowground #ExFuMo @ibotcz.bsky.social @czechacademy.bsky.social

‼️Colours belowground! Although not always as showy as the plant parts aboveground, the belowground can also feature a variety of colours! Read more on our blog ▶️ 1url.cz/6JN3U #GoBelowground #ExFuMo #Oxalis @czechacademy.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social

#GoBelowground Morphological knowledge in plant ecology matters! @jitkaklimesova.bsky.social @ibotcz.bsky.social