Above- and belowground interactions link ecology and evolution

Above- and belowground linkages commonly occur across scales of space, time and species and have important implications for a host of ecological phenomena. A little-appreciated approach, however, is to consider their evolutionary consequences. Recent empirical and theoretical work indicates that above- and belowground linkages between plants and soils can lead to trait divergence across environmental gradients through feedbacks.  These results suggests that these interactions may have long-term consequences and may be important for mediating the consequences of global change.