Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales
The allocation of biomass reflects a plant’s resource utilization strategy and is significantly influenced by climatic factors. However, it remains unclear how climate factors affect the aboveground and belowground biomass allocation patterns on macro scales. To address this, a study was conducted u...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/15/2843 |
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| author | Xianxian Wang Xiaohong Chen Jiali Xu Yuhui Ji Xiaoxuan Du Jie Gao |
| author_facet | Xianxian Wang Xiaohong Chen Jiali Xu Yuhui Ji Xiaoxuan Du Jie Gao |
| author_sort | Xianxian Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The allocation of biomass reflects a plant’s resource utilization strategy and is significantly influenced by climatic factors. However, it remains unclear how climate factors affect the aboveground and belowground biomass allocation patterns on macro scales. To address this, a study was conducted using aboveground and belowground biomass data for 486 species across 294 sites in China, investigating the effects of climate change on biomass allocation patterns. The results show that the proportion of belowground biomass in the total biomass (BGBP) or root-to-shoot ratio (R/S) in the northwest region of China is significantly higher than that in the southeast region. Significant differences (<i>p</i> < 0.05) were found in BGBP or R/S among different types of plants (trees, shrubs, and herbs plants), with values for herb plants being significantly higher than shrubs and tree species. On macro scales, precipitation and soil nutrient factors (i.e., soil nitrogen and phosphorus content) are positively correlated with BGBP or R/S, while temperature and functional traits are negatively correlated. Climate factors contribute more to driving plant biomass allocation strategies than soil and functional trait factors. Climate factors determine BGBP by changing other functional traits of plants. However, climate factors influence R/S mainly by affecting the availability of soil nutrients. The results quantify the productivity and carbon sequestration capacity of terrestrial ecosystems and provide important theoretical guidance for the management of forests, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:18:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec6ca651efca436d8957225b54ae6e2b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:18:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec6ca651efca436d8957225b54ae6e2b2023-11-18T23:26:38ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-08-011215284310.3390/plants12152843Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro ScalesXianxian Wang0Xiaohong Chen1Jiali Xu2Yuhui Ji3Xiaoxuan Du4Jie Gao5College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, ChinaCoastal Agriculture Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaCollege of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, ChinaThe allocation of biomass reflects a plant’s resource utilization strategy and is significantly influenced by climatic factors. However, it remains unclear how climate factors affect the aboveground and belowground biomass allocation patterns on macro scales. To address this, a study was conducted using aboveground and belowground biomass data for 486 species across 294 sites in China, investigating the effects of climate change on biomass allocation patterns. The results show that the proportion of belowground biomass in the total biomass (BGBP) or root-to-shoot ratio (R/S) in the northwest region of China is significantly higher than that in the southeast region. Significant differences (<i>p</i> < 0.05) were found in BGBP or R/S among different types of plants (trees, shrubs, and herbs plants), with values for herb plants being significantly higher than shrubs and tree species. On macro scales, precipitation and soil nutrient factors (i.e., soil nitrogen and phosphorus content) are positively correlated with BGBP or R/S, while temperature and functional traits are negatively correlated. Climate factors contribute more to driving plant biomass allocation strategies than soil and functional trait factors. Climate factors determine BGBP by changing other functional traits of plants. However, climate factors influence R/S mainly by affecting the availability of soil nutrients. The results quantify the productivity and carbon sequestration capacity of terrestrial ecosystems and provide important theoretical guidance for the management of forests, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/15/2843global changebiomass allocationfunctional traitssoil nutrientstype of plants |
| spellingShingle | Xianxian Wang Xiaohong Chen Jiali Xu Yuhui Ji Xiaoxuan Du Jie Gao Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales Plants global change biomass allocation functional traits soil nutrients type of plants |
| title | Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales |
| title_full | Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales |
| title_fullStr | Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales |
| title_full_unstemmed | Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales |
| title_short | Precipitation Dominates the Allocation Strategy of Above- and Belowground Biomass in Plants on Macro Scales |
| title_sort | precipitation dominates the allocation strategy of above and belowground biomass in plants on macro scales |
| topic | global change biomass allocation functional traits soil nutrients type of plants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/15/2843 |
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