Plant trait networks reveal adaptation strategies in the drylands of China

BMC Plant Biology

Research

Mingfei Ji¹  Abraham Allan Degen²  Jinzhi Ran³  Longwei Dong³  Xiaoting Wang³  Ying Sun³  Jianming Deng³  Weigang Hu³  Hailin Li³  Junlan Xiong³  Liang Zhang³  Yahui Zhang³  Muhammad Adnan Akram⁴ 

[1] Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Security for Water Source Region of Mid-Route Project of South-North Water Diversion of Henan Province, College of Water Resource and Environment Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, 473061, Nanyang, China;Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of Negev, 8410500, Beer Sheva, Israel;State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China;State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China;School of Economics, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China;

关键词: Plant functional traits;    Interdependence;    Plant traits networks;    Adaptation strategies;    Arid environment;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12870-023-04273-0

 received in 2022-09-01, accepted in 2023-05-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPlants accomplish multiple functions by the interrelationships between functional traits. Clarifying the complex relationships between plant traits would enable us to better understand how plants employ different strategies to adapt to the environment. Although increasing attention is being paid to plant traits, few studies focused on the adaptation to aridity through the relationship among multiple traits. We established plant trait networks (PTNs) to explore the interdependence of sixteen plant traits across drylands.ResultsOur results revealed significant differences in PTNs among different plant life-forms and different levels of aridity. Trait relationships for woody plants were weaker, but were more modularized than for herbs. Woody plants were more connected in economic traits, whereas herbs were more connected in structural traits to reduce damage caused by drought. Furthermore, the correlations between traits were tighter with higher edge density in semi-arid than in arid regions, suggesting that resource sharing and trait coordination are more advantageous under low drought conditions. Importantly, our results demonstrated that stem phosphorus concentration (SPC) was a hub trait correlated with other traits across drylands.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that plants exhibited adaptations to the arid environment by adjusting trait modules through alternative strategies. PTNs provide a new insight into understanding the adaptation strategies of plants to drought stress based on the interdependence among plant functional traits.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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