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. A variety of modelling studies have suggested tree rooting depthas a key variable to explain evapotranspiration rates, productivity and thegeographical distribution of evergreen forests in tropical South America.However, none of those studies have acknowledged resource investment, timing andphysical constraints of tree rooting depth within a competitive environment,undermining the ecological realism of their results. Here, we present anapproach of implementing variable rooting strategies and dynamic root growthinto the LPJmL4.0 (Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land) dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) and apply it to tropical and sub-tropicalSouth America under contemporary climate conditions. We show how competingrooting strategies which underlie the trade-off between above- andbelow-ground carbon investment lead to more realistic simulation ofintra-annual productivity and evapotranspiration and consequently offorest cover and spatial biomass distribution. We find that climate and soildepth determine a spatially heterogeneous pattern of mean rooting depth andbelow-ground biomass across the study region. Our findings support thehypothesis that the ability of evergreen trees to adjust their rootingsystems to seasonally dry climates is crucial to explaining the currentdominance, productivity and evapotranspiration of evergreen forests intropical South America.

Variable tree rooting strategies are key for modelling the distribution, productivity and evapotranspiration of tropical evergreen forests