Plants adapted to nutrient limitation allocate less biomass into stems in an arid‐hot grassland

Yan, Bingpeng; Ji, Zhonghua; Fan, Bo; Wang, Xuemei; He, Guoqing; Shi, Lei; Liu, Gangcai

doi:10.1111/nph.13970

Cited by 66 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(73 reference statements)

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“…These allocations are consistent with those in other epiphytes and terrestrial plants (Zhang et al, ; Zotz, ). The increased allocation of nutrients to the leaves might be an adaptation to a nutrient‐limited environment (Yan et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between plant organs, the scaling relationship of N and P differs between primarily structural organs (stems and roots) and metabolically active leaves (Kerkhoff et al, 2006). In an arid and hot grassland, plants allocate more resources to leaves than to stems for adaptations to the nutrient-limited environment (Yan et al, 2016). The stoichiometry is different among different functional groups of terrestrial plants, including between herbaceous and woody plants (Kerkhoff et al, 2006;Tian et al, 2018), deciduous and evergreen plants (Aerts & Chapin, 1999;Güsewell, 2004), gymnosperms and angiosperms (Sardans et al, 2016), and among herbs, shrubs, and trees (Han, Fang, Guo, & Zhang, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecological stoichiometry of the epiphyte community in a subtropical forest canopy

Huang

Liu

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Epiphytes in tree canopies make a considerable contribution to the species diversity, aboveground biomass, and nutrient pools in forest ecosystems. However, the nutrient status of epiphytes and their possible adaptations to nutrient deficiencies in the forest canopy remain unclear. Therefore, we analyzed the stoichiometry of five macroelements (C, N, P, K, and Ca) in four taxonomic groups (lichens, bryophytes, ferns, and spermatophytes) to investigate this issue in a subtropical montane moist evergreen broad‐leaved forest in Southwest China. We found that the interspecific variations in element concentrations and mass ratios were generally greater than the intraspecific variations. And there were significant stoichiometric differences among functional groups. Allometric relationships between N and P across the epiphyte community indicated that P might be in greater demand than N with an increase in nutrients. Although canopy nutrients were deficient, most epiphytes could still maintain high N and P concentrations and low N:P ratios. Moreover, ferns and spermatophytes allocated more limited nutrients to leaves than to stems and roots. To alleviate frequent drought stress in the forest canopy, vascular epiphytes maintained several times higher K concentrations in their leaves than in the tissues of lichens and bryophytes. Our results suggest that epiphytes may have evolved specific nutrient characteristics and adaptations, so that they can distribute in heterogeneous canopy habitats and maintain the stability of nutrient metabolism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological stoichiometry of the epiphyte community in a subtropical forest canopy

Huang

Liu

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…According to the optimal partitioning theory, plants usually allocate relatively more biomass to shoots if the limiting factors for growth are above the ground (e.g., CO 2 and sunlight) and more biomass to roots if the limiting factors are below the ground (e.g., water and nutrients). Thus, in order to realize optimal growth, plants will allocate biomass preferentially to the organ that accesses the most growth-limiting resources (Yan et al, 2016). Several studies have reported that plants in desert ecosystems have a larger root/shoot ratio (R/S) than plants in other ecosystems, such as forest and steppe ecosystems (Scheck and Jackson, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological biomass allocation strategies in plant species with different life forms in a cold desert, China

Fan

Ding

et al. 2019

J. Arid Land

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Biomass allocation patterns among plant species are related to their adaptive ecological strategies. Ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plant life forms represent three typical growth strategies of plants that grow in autumn and early spring in the cold deserts of China. These plants play an important role in reducing wind velocity in the desert areas. However, despite numerous studies, the strategies of biomass allocation among plant species with these three life forms remain contentious. In this study, we conducted a preliminary quadrat study during 2014-2016 in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China, to investigate the allocation patterns of above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) at the individual level in 17 ephemeral, 3 ephemeroid and 4 annual plant species. Since ephemeral plants can germinate in autumn, we also compared biomass allocation patterns between plants that germinated in autumn 2015 and spring 2016 for 4 common ephemeral species. The healthy mature individual plants of each species were sampled and the AGB, BGB, total biomass (TB), leaf mass ratio (LMR) and root/shoot ratio (R/S) were calculated for 201 sample quadrats in the study area. We also studied the relationships between AGB and BGB of plants with the three different life forms (ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual). The mean AGB values of ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plants were 0.806, 3.759 and 1.546 g/plant, respectively, and the mean BGB values were 0.106, 4.996 and 0.166 g/plant, respectively. The mean R/S value was significantly higher in ephemeroid plants (1.675) than in ephemeral (0.154) and annual (0.147) plants. The mean LMR was the highest in annual plants, followed by ephemeroid plants and ephemeral plants, reflecting the fact that annual plants allocate more biomass to leaves, associated with their longer life span. Biomass of ephemeral plants that germinated in autumn was significantly higher than those of corresponding plants that germinated in spring in terms of AGB, BGB and TB. However, the R/S value was similar in plants that germinated in autumn and spring. The slope of regression relationship between AGB and BGB differed significantly among the three plant life forms. These results support different biomass allocation hypotheses. Specifically, at the individual level, the AGB and BGB partitioning supports the allometric hypothesis for ephemeroid and annual plants and the isometric hypothesis for ephemeral plants.

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“…Variation in nitrogen dilution curves for wheat has been reported that relates to phenological development, hence the attempts to model critical nitrogen against phenological stage ( Angus, 2007 ; Yue et al, 2012 ; Zhao et al, 2014 ; Ratjen and Kage, 2016 ). Variation in allometric relations, between organs as well as between structural and labile carbohydrates, partially underlies the effect of phenology on nitrogen dilution curves ( Gastal et al, 2015 ; Hoogmoed and Sadras, 2016 ; Yan et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Stress Scatters Nitrogen Dilution Curves in Wheat

Hoogmoed

Sadras

2018

Front. Plant Sci.

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Nitrogen dilution curves relate a crop’s critical nitrogen concentration (%Nc) to biomass (W) according to the allometric model %Nc = a W-b. This model has a strong theoretical foundation, and parameters a and b show little variation for well-watered crops. Here we explore the robustness of this model for water stressed crops. We established experiments to examine the combined effects of water stress, phenology, partitioning of biomass, and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), as driven by environment and variety, on the %Nc of wheat crops. We compared models where %Nc was plotted against biomass, growth stage and thermal time. The models were similarly scattered. Residuals of the %Nc - biomass model at anthesis were positively related to biomass, stem:biomass ratio, Δ13C and water supply, and negatively related to ear:biomass ratio and concentration of WSC. These are physiologically meaningful associations explaining the scatter of biomass-based dilution curves. Residuals of the thermal time model showed less consistent associations with these variables. The biomass dilution model developed for well-watered crops overestimates nitrogen deficiency of water-stressed crops, and a biomass-based model is conceptually more justified than developmental models. This has implications for diagnostic and modeling. As theory is lagging, a greater degree of empiricism might be useful to capture environmental, chiefly water, and genotype-dependent traits in the determination of critical nitrogen for diagnostic purposes. Sensitivity analysis would help to decide if scaling nitrogen dilution curves for crop water status, and genotype-dependent parameters are needed.

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Plants adapted to nutrient limitation allocate less biomass into stems in an arid‐hot grassland

Cited by 66 publications

References 59 publications

Ecological stoichiometry of the epiphyte community in a subtropical forest canopy

Ecological stoichiometry of the epiphyte community in a subtropical forest canopy

Ecological biomass allocation strategies in plant species with different life forms in a cold desert, China

Water Stress Scatters Nitrogen Dilution Curves in Wheat

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