Divergent responses of plant functional traits and biomass allocation to slope aspects in four perennial herbs of the alpine meadow ecosystem

Frontiers in Plant Science

Plant Science

Yan Wu¹  Tianyang Zhou¹  Binghui Tian²  Jinniu Wang³  Ning Shi³  Lihua Wang⁴  Lin Zhang⁵  Wentao Du⁶  Jing Gao⁷ 

[1] Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China;Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China;College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China;Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China;Mangkang Biodiversity and Ecological Station, Tibet Ecological Safety Monitor Network, Changdu, China;College of Resources and Environment, Aba Teachers University, Wenchuan, China;Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China;Yangtze Eco-Environment Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China;

关键词: specific leaf area;    isometric allocation;    slope aspect;    biotic and abiotic factors;    alpine ecosystem;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpls.2023.1092821

 received in 2022-11-08, accepted in 2023-02-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Slope aspect can cause environmental heterogeneity over relatively short distances, which in turn affects plant distribution, community structure, and ecosystem function. However, the response and adaptation strategies of plants to slope aspects via regulating their physiological and morphological properties still remain poorly understood, especially in alpine ecosystems. Here, we selected four common species, including Bistorta macrophylla, Bistorta vivipara, Cremanthodium discoideum, and Deschampsia littoralis, to test how biomass allocation and functional traits of height, individual leaf area, individual leaf mass, and specific leaf area (SLA) respond to variation in slope aspect in the Minshan Mountain, eastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that the slope aspect affected SLA and stem, flower mass fraction with higher values at southwest slope aspect, which is potentially related to light environment. The low-temperature environment caused by the slope aspect facilitates the accumulation of root biomass especially at the northeast slope aspect. Cremanthodium discoideum and D. littoralis invested more in belowground biomass in southeast and southwest slope aspects, although a large number of significant isometric allocations were found in B. macrophylla and B. vivipara. Finally, we found that both biotic and abiotic factors are responsible for the variation in total biomass with contrasting effects across different species. These results suggest that slope aspect, as an important topographic variable, strongly influences plant survival, growth, and propagation. Therefore, habitat heterogeneity stemming from topographic factors (slope aspect) can prevent biotic homogenization and thus contribute to the improvement of diverse ecosystem functioning.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Zhou, Du, Wang, Zhang, Gao, Shi, Wang, Wu and Tian