Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture
Mixed cultivation with legumes may alleviate the nitrogen (N) limitation of monoculture <i>Eucalyptus</i>. However, how leaf functional traits respond to N in mixed cultivation with legumes and how they affect tree growth are unclear. Thus, this study investigated the response of leaf fu...
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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/2223-7747/13/7/988 |
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| author | Han Zhang Yahui Lan Chenyang Jiang Yuhong Cui Yaqin He Jiazhen Deng Mingye Lin Shaoming Ye |
| author_facet | Han Zhang Yahui Lan Chenyang Jiang Yuhong Cui Yaqin He Jiazhen Deng Mingye Lin Shaoming Ye |
| author_sort | Han Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mixed cultivation with legumes may alleviate the nitrogen (N) limitation of monoculture <i>Eucalyptus</i>. However, how leaf functional traits respond to N in mixed cultivation with legumes and how they affect tree growth are unclear. Thus, this study investigated the response of leaf functional traits of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> (<i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i>) and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> (<i>D. odorifera</i>) to mixed culture and N application, as well as the regulatory pathways of key traits on seedling growth. In this study, a pot-controlled experiment was set up, and seedling growth indicators, leaf physiology, morphological parameters, and N content were collected and analyzed after 180 days of N application treatment. The results indicated that mixed culture improved the N absorption and photosynthetic rate of <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i>, further promoting seedling growth but inhibiting the photosynthetic process of <i>D. odorifera</i>, reducing its growth and biomass. Redundancy analysis and path analysis revealed that leaf nitrogen content, pigment content, and photosynthesis-related physiological indicators were the traits most directly related to seedling growth and biomass accumulation, with the net photosynthetic rate explaining 50.9% and 55.8% of the variation in growth indicators for <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i> and <i>D. odorifera</i>, respectively. Additionally, leaf morphological traits are related to the trade-off strategy exhibited by <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i> and <i>D. odorifera</i> based on N competition. This study demonstrated that physiological traits related to photosynthesis are reliable predictors of N nutrition and tree growth in mixed stands, while leaf morphological traits reflect the resource trade-off strategies of different tree species. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:37:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-d3ca6bca45a14ccf8964ef4402857e542024-04-12T13:24:48ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-03-0113798810.3390/plants13070988Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed CultureHan Zhang0Yahui Lan1Chenyang Jiang2Yuhong Cui3Yaqin He4Jiazhen Deng5Mingye Lin6Shaoming Ye7College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, ChinaMixed cultivation with legumes may alleviate the nitrogen (N) limitation of monoculture <i>Eucalyptus</i>. However, how leaf functional traits respond to N in mixed cultivation with legumes and how they affect tree growth are unclear. Thus, this study investigated the response of leaf functional traits of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> (<i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i>) and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> (<i>D. odorifera</i>) to mixed culture and N application, as well as the regulatory pathways of key traits on seedling growth. In this study, a pot-controlled experiment was set up, and seedling growth indicators, leaf physiology, morphological parameters, and N content were collected and analyzed after 180 days of N application treatment. The results indicated that mixed culture improved the N absorption and photosynthetic rate of <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i>, further promoting seedling growth but inhibiting the photosynthetic process of <i>D. odorifera</i>, reducing its growth and biomass. Redundancy analysis and path analysis revealed that leaf nitrogen content, pigment content, and photosynthesis-related physiological indicators were the traits most directly related to seedling growth and biomass accumulation, with the net photosynthetic rate explaining 50.9% and 55.8% of the variation in growth indicators for <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i> and <i>D. odorifera</i>, respectively. Additionally, leaf morphological traits are related to the trade-off strategy exhibited by <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. grandis</i> and <i>D. odorifera</i> based on N competition. This study demonstrated that physiological traits related to photosynthesis are reliable predictors of N nutrition and tree growth in mixed stands, while leaf morphological traits reflect the resource trade-off strategies of different tree species.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/7/988leaf functional traitsmixed plantationN applicationgrowthnet photosynthetic rate |
| spellingShingle | Han Zhang Yahui Lan Chenyang Jiang Yuhong Cui Yaqin He Jiazhen Deng Mingye Lin Shaoming Ye Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture Plants leaf functional traits mixed plantation N application growth net photosynthetic rate |
| title | Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture |
| title_full | Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture |
| title_fullStr | Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture |
| title_short | Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of <i>Eucalyptus urophylla</i> × <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> and <i>Dalbergia odorifera</i> in Mixed Culture |
| title_sort | leaf traits explain the growth variation and nitrogen response of i eucalyptus urophylla i i eucalyptus grandis i and i dalbergia odorifera i in mixed culture |
| topic | leaf functional traits mixed plantation N application growth net photosynthetic rate |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/7/988 |
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