Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species
The investigation into trade-offs among plant functional traits sheds light on how plants strategically balance growth and survival when facing environmental stress. This study sought to evaluate whether trade-offs observed at both community and individual species levels could indicate adaptive fitn...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/7/978 |
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| author | Hang Zou Wanyu Wang Jinxia Huang Xiaohong Li Maohua Ma Shengjun Wu Cunfeng Zhao |
| author_facet | Hang Zou Wanyu Wang Jinxia Huang Xiaohong Li Maohua Ma Shengjun Wu Cunfeng Zhao |
| author_sort | Hang Zou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The investigation into trade-offs among plant functional traits sheds light on how plants strategically balance growth and survival when facing environmental stress. This study sought to evaluate whether trade-offs observed at both community and individual species levels could indicate adaptive fitness across an intensity of flooding intensity. The study was conducted at 25 sampling sites spanning approximately 600 km along the riparian zone in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. The findings revealed that, along the flooding gradient, the overall riparian community did not exhibit significant trade-offs between leaf and root traits. Examining three broadly distributed dominant species (<i>Cynodon dactylon</i>, <i>Xanthium strumarium</i>, and <i>Abutilon theophrasti</i>), perennial plants showed pronounced trade-offs under low flooding intensity, while annuals exhibited trade-offs under moderate and low flooding intensity. The trade-offs were evident in traits related to nitrogen-carbon resources, such as specific leaf area, root tissue density, and photosynthetic rate. However, under strong flooding intensity, the relationship between leaf and root traits of the species studied was decoupled. Furthermore, the study identified a significant correlation between soil nitrogen and the trade-off traits under moderate and low flooding intensity. Integrating results from the CSR (Competitors, Stress-tolerators, Ruderals) strategy model, species niche breath analysis, and nitrogen-regulated trade-off, the study revealed that, in the face of high flooding intensity, perennial species (<i>C. dactylon</i>) adopts an S-strategy, demonstrating tolerance through a conservative resource allocation that decouples leaf-root coordination. Annual species (<i>X. strumarium</i> and <i>A. theophrasti</i>), on the other hand, exhibit niche specialization along the flooding gradient, employing distinct strategies (R- and C-strategy). As flooding stress diminishes and soil nitrogen level decreases, plant strategies tend to shift towards an R-strategy with a competition for reduced N resources. In conclusion, the study highlighted the pivotal roles of soil nitrogen and flooding intensity acting as the dual determinants of species growth and tolerance. These dynamics of growth-tolerance balance were evident in the diverse trade-offs between leaf and root traits of individual plant species with different life histories, underscoring the array of adaptive strategies employed by riparian plants across the flooding intensity gradient. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:36:59Z |
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| id | doaj.art-97f080d109ff4511896b9b1ff4f4db19 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:36:59Z |
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| spelling | doaj.art-97f080d109ff4511896b9b1ff4f4db192024-04-12T13:24:46ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-03-0113797810.3390/plants13070978Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant SpeciesHang Zou0Wanyu Wang1Jinxia Huang2Xiaohong Li3Maohua Ma4Shengjun Wu5Cunfeng Zhao6The College of River and Ocean Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, ChinaChongqing Institute of Green Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, ChinaThe College of River and Ocean Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, ChinaChongqing Institute of Green Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, ChinaChongqing Institute of Green Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, ChinaChongqing Institute of Green Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, ChinaChongqing Institute of Green Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, ChinaThe investigation into trade-offs among plant functional traits sheds light on how plants strategically balance growth and survival when facing environmental stress. This study sought to evaluate whether trade-offs observed at both community and individual species levels could indicate adaptive fitness across an intensity of flooding intensity. The study was conducted at 25 sampling sites spanning approximately 600 km along the riparian zone in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. The findings revealed that, along the flooding gradient, the overall riparian community did not exhibit significant trade-offs between leaf and root traits. Examining three broadly distributed dominant species (<i>Cynodon dactylon</i>, <i>Xanthium strumarium</i>, and <i>Abutilon theophrasti</i>), perennial plants showed pronounced trade-offs under low flooding intensity, while annuals exhibited trade-offs under moderate and low flooding intensity. The trade-offs were evident in traits related to nitrogen-carbon resources, such as specific leaf area, root tissue density, and photosynthetic rate. However, under strong flooding intensity, the relationship between leaf and root traits of the species studied was decoupled. Furthermore, the study identified a significant correlation between soil nitrogen and the trade-off traits under moderate and low flooding intensity. Integrating results from the CSR (Competitors, Stress-tolerators, Ruderals) strategy model, species niche breath analysis, and nitrogen-regulated trade-off, the study revealed that, in the face of high flooding intensity, perennial species (<i>C. dactylon</i>) adopts an S-strategy, demonstrating tolerance through a conservative resource allocation that decouples leaf-root coordination. Annual species (<i>X. strumarium</i> and <i>A. theophrasti</i>), on the other hand, exhibit niche specialization along the flooding gradient, employing distinct strategies (R- and C-strategy). As flooding stress diminishes and soil nitrogen level decreases, plant strategies tend to shift towards an R-strategy with a competition for reduced N resources. In conclusion, the study highlighted the pivotal roles of soil nitrogen and flooding intensity acting as the dual determinants of species growth and tolerance. These dynamics of growth-tolerance balance were evident in the diverse trade-offs between leaf and root traits of individual plant species with different life histories, underscoring the array of adaptive strategies employed by riparian plants across the flooding intensity gradient.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/7/978leaf traitsroot traitstrade-offsflooding intensitysoil nitrogenadaptive strategy |
| spellingShingle | Hang Zou Wanyu Wang Jinxia Huang Xiaohong Li Maohua Ma Shengjun Wu Cunfeng Zhao Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species Plants leaf traits root traits trade-offs flooding intensity soil nitrogen adaptive strategy |
| title | Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species |
| title_full | Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species |
| title_fullStr | Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species |
| title_short | Soil Nitrogen and Flooding Intensity Determine the Trade-Off between Leaf and Root Traits of Riparian Plant Species |
| title_sort | soil nitrogen and flooding intensity determine the trade off between leaf and root traits of riparian plant species |
| topic | leaf traits root traits trade-offs flooding intensity soil nitrogen adaptive strategy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/7/978 |
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