diff --git a/lib/active_model/array_serializer.rb b/lib/active_model/array_serializer.rb
index 518323ca..fc3159ad 100644
--- a/lib/active_model/array_serializer.rb
+++ b/lib/active_model/array_serializer.rb
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ module ActiveModel
           serializer = item.active_model_serializer
         end
 
-        serializable = serializer ? serializer.new(item, @options) : DefaultSerializer.new(item, @options)
+        serializable = serializer ? serializer.new(item, @options) : DefaultSerializer.new(item, @options.merge(:root => false))
 
         if serializable.respond_to?(:serializable_hash)
           serializable.serializable_hash
diff --git a/test/array_serializer_test.rb b/test/array_serializer_test.rb
index d3001ac1..1f261772 100644
--- a/test/array_serializer_test.rb
+++ b/test/array_serializer_test.rb
@@ -2,6 +2,27 @@ require "test_helper"
 require "test_fakes"
 
 class ArraySerializerTest < ActiveModel::TestCase
+
+  def test_array_items_do_not_have_root
+    array = [
+        BasicActiveModel.new(:name => "First model"),
+        BasicActiveModel.new(:name => "Second model")
+    ]
+    expected = { "root" => [
+        { :name => "First model" },
+        { :name => "Second model" }
+    ] }
+
+    default_serializer = array.active_model_serializer.new(array, :root => "root")
+    each_serializer = array.active_model_serializer.new(array, :root => "root", :each_serializer => BasicSerializer)
+
+    default_json = default_serializer.as_json
+    each_json = each_serializer.as_json
+
+    assert_equal(expected, default_json)
+    assert_equal(expected, each_json)
+  end
+
   # serialize different typed objects
   def test_array_serializer
     model    = Model.new
diff --git a/test/test_fakes.rb b/test/test_fakes.rb
index ab963714..dd2039e9 100644
--- a/test/test_fakes.rb
+++ b/test/test_fakes.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,26 @@
+class BasicActiveModel
+  include ActiveModel::Serializers::JSON
+  def initialize(hash = {})
+    @attributes = hash
+  end
+
+  def serializable_hash(*)
+    @attributes
+  end
+
+  def method_missing(method)
+    if @attributes.key? method
+      @attributes[method]
+    else
+      raise NoMethodError
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+class BasicSerializer < ActiveModel::Serializer
+  attributes :name
+end
+
 class Model
   def initialize(hash={})
     @attributes = hash