Question: Three habitats differ in soil nitrogen: habitat A is uniformly low in nitrogen, habitat B is uniformly high in nitrogen, and habitat C is spatially variable with high-N and low-N patches.
A. How do you think root architecture and growth will differ among the three habitats based on their soil nitrogen characteristics? Explain your reasoning using concepts from optimal foraging theory.
B. If you wanted to test whether below-ground investment in roots trades off with above- ground investment in shoots, would you measure individuals from within a single habitat (and if so, which one) or from across habitats? Why?