Analogous above- and belowground traits for twelve boreal tree species

It is heavily debated whether analagous aboveground and belowground traits are coordinated. Here, we collected trait data (above- and belowground) for twelve boreal forest tree species to assess trait coordination in leaves and roots. We find only partial evidence for above-belowground coordination for "fast-slow economic traits", such that N content and dry matter content were positively correlated with each other. However, root dry matter content and leaf N had no significant relationship. For reseource acquisition traits we found no strong evidence for trait cordination, as specific root length and specific leaf area were not positively correlated.Site explained little of the total trait variation, whereas within-site variation contributed substantially to the total trait variation for a large number of traits, more so for morphological root traits than leaf traits.