View article

1.Ideas about mechanisms controlling plant species richness are founded on empirical studies of above‐ground vegetation. In many ecosystems, however, the majority of vegetation (e.g. 50–90% in temperate grasslands) occurs below‐ground as roots, rhizomes and shoot bases. Whether the richness patterns described for above‐ground vegetation also hold for the large below‐ground component is still unknown.

2.Here, we provide a concise overview how the use of DNA‐based techniques might alter our perception of richness patterns in plant communities. We focus mainly on temperate grasslands, but new patterns should also arise in other community types (except epiphyte‐rich ecosystems).

3.We hypothesise that DNA‐based measurements of below‐ground plant richness will reveal that richness is greater below‐ than above‐ground because many perennial plants persist below‐ground even in the …