The ecosystems within agro-pastoral transition zones exhibit inherent fragility and heightened susceptibility to climate variability, exacerbated by profound degradation resulting from anthropogenic activities. Subsequent vegetation degradation in these areas precipitates severe soil erosion, presenting formidable challenges for ecological restoration efforts. The utilization of microtopographic structures to mitigate soil erosion and facilitate vegetation recovery stands as a prominent strategy for vegetation restoration within agro-pastoral transition zones. Despite the acknowledgment in current restoration practices that the efficacy of microtopography-based restoration is contingent upon slope, aspect, and elevation, there remains a notable absence of precise observed information on this correlation. This study, conducted in the Bashang Grassland, a typical agro-pastoral transition zone in northern China, aims to fill the information gap concerning the correspondence between microtopographic structures and restoration outcomes. Our findings revealed that microtopography has a significant impact on vegetation characteristics, with outcomes varying by location. Shaded slopes displayed higher biomass and density compared to sunny slopes and valleys. While microtopography affected community structure, it did not substantially alter species richness, highlighting the critical role of location and pit construction in successful restoration endeavors. This study aims to provide insights for the selection, design, and assessment of microtopography-based restoration in vulnerable ecosystems.
{"title":"Manipulated Microtopography Alters Plant Community Development in Fragile Farm-Pastoral Transition Zone","authors":"Minxuan Gao, Yining Wang, Yongning Ren, Jinyan Zhan, Tian Xie","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae070","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The ecosystems within agro-pastoral transition zones exhibit inherent fragility and heightened susceptibility to climate variability, exacerbated by profound degradation resulting from anthropogenic activities. Subsequent vegetation degradation in these areas precipitates severe soil erosion, presenting formidable challenges for ecological restoration efforts. The utilization of microtopographic structures to mitigate soil erosion and facilitate vegetation recovery stands as a prominent strategy for vegetation restoration within agro-pastoral transition zones. Despite the acknowledgment in current restoration practices that the efficacy of microtopography-based restoration is contingent upon slope, aspect, and elevation, there remains a notable absence of precise observed information on this correlation. This study, conducted in the Bashang Grassland, a typical agro-pastoral transition zone in northern China, aims to fill the information gap concerning the correspondence between microtopographic structures and restoration outcomes. Our findings revealed that microtopography has a significant impact on vegetation characteristics, with outcomes varying by location. Shaded slopes displayed higher biomass and density compared to sunny slopes and valleys. While microtopography affected community structure, it did not substantially alter species richness, highlighting the critical role of location and pit construction in successful restoration endeavors. This study aims to provide insights for the selection, design, and assessment of microtopography-based restoration in vulnerable ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141923528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hao-Ming Yuan, Wei Xue, S. Roiloa, Jun Yao, Fei-Hai Yu
Biochar is a promising material for soil remediation. However, most studies testing roles of biochar in soil remediation have considered the use of single types of biochar, and the role of biochar diversity, as well as its interaction with species diversity of plant communities, has rarely been considered. We hypothesize that biochar diversity can influence impacts of plant diversity on soil remediation. We grew grassland communities consisting of three or six plant species in a Cd-contaminated soil mixed with one, two or four types of biochar, with no grassland community and no biochar addition as the controls. Without plant communities or with communities consisting of three species, total Cd was significantly lower in the soil mixed with four types of biochar than in the soil without biochar or mixed with one or two types of biochar. With communities consisting of six species, total Cd decreased with increasing number of biochar types. Without biochar addition, soil total Cd was not influenced by species richness, but with biochar addition, it was lower in the presence of communities with six species than in the absence of plant communities irrespective of how many types of biochar were added. Also, soil total Cd was lower in the presence of communities with six than with three plant species when two or four types of biochar were added. Our study indicates that increasing biochar diversity can promote the impact of plant diversity on remediating soil contaminated by heavy metals such as cadmium.
{"title":"Increasing biochar diversity promotes impacts of plant diversity on remediating cadmium in the soil","authors":"Hao-Ming Yuan, Wei Xue, S. Roiloa, Jun Yao, Fei-Hai Yu","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae068","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Biochar is a promising material for soil remediation. However, most studies testing roles of biochar in soil remediation have considered the use of single types of biochar, and the role of biochar diversity, as well as its interaction with species diversity of plant communities, has rarely been considered. We hypothesize that biochar diversity can influence impacts of plant diversity on soil remediation. We grew grassland communities consisting of three or six plant species in a Cd-contaminated soil mixed with one, two or four types of biochar, with no grassland community and no biochar addition as the controls. Without plant communities or with communities consisting of three species, total Cd was significantly lower in the soil mixed with four types of biochar than in the soil without biochar or mixed with one or two types of biochar. With communities consisting of six species, total Cd decreased with increasing number of biochar types. Without biochar addition, soil total Cd was not influenced by species richness, but with biochar addition, it was lower in the presence of communities with six species than in the absence of plant communities irrespective of how many types of biochar were added. Also, soil total Cd was lower in the presence of communities with six than with three plant species when two or four types of biochar were added. Our study indicates that increasing biochar diversity can promote the impact of plant diversity on remediating soil contaminated by heavy metals such as cadmium.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141928151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meixia Liu, Zonghao Hu, Yi Fan, Bin Hua, Wei Yang, Shuang Pang, Rong Mao, Yang Zhang, Keyu Bai, Carlo Fadda, Paola De Santis, Nadia Bergamini, Aziza Usmankulova, Buriyev Salimjan Samedjanovich, Ximei Zhang
As a crucial strategy for sustainable agricultural production, green manure-crop rotation can regulate soil nutrient cycling and decrease the reliance on nitrogen fertilizers. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the changes in soil eco-enzyme activities, microbial metabolism, and nutrient limitations caused by leguminous green manure crop rotation. Here, we conducted field experiments of leguminous green manure-crop rotation across China to analyze soil extracellular enzyme activities, specifically β-glucosidase (BG), N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), and acid phosphatase (AP). The study revealed that long-term green manure-crop rotation increased carbon and nitrogen accumulation in farmland, with a significant average increase of 20.1% and 36.4% in BG, AP enzyme activities in topsoil, while showing a decrease in ln(NAG+LAP):ln(AP) ratios. The ratios of ln(BG):ln(NAG+LAP) and ln(NAG+LAP):ln(AP) in soil across various regions were typically below 1:1, indicating that soil microbial activity is more constrained by nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients rather than by carbon. Precipitation, temperature, soil total carbon, and total nitrogen were identified as key environmental factors for extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometric ratios. Our study highlights that the green manure-crop rotation alleviates nitrogen limitation while enhancing phosphorus limitation, and is closely related to the accumulation of total carbon and nitrogen in the soil.
{"title":"Effects of leguminous green manure-crop rotation on soil enzyme activities and stoichiometry","authors":"Meixia Liu, Zonghao Hu, Yi Fan, Bin Hua, Wei Yang, Shuang Pang, Rong Mao, Yang Zhang, Keyu Bai, Carlo Fadda, Paola De Santis, Nadia Bergamini, Aziza Usmankulova, Buriyev Salimjan Samedjanovich, Ximei Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae065","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 As a crucial strategy for sustainable agricultural production, green manure-crop rotation can regulate soil nutrient cycling and decrease the reliance on nitrogen fertilizers. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the changes in soil eco-enzyme activities, microbial metabolism, and nutrient limitations caused by leguminous green manure crop rotation. Here, we conducted field experiments of leguminous green manure-crop rotation across China to analyze soil extracellular enzyme activities, specifically β-glucosidase (BG), N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), and acid phosphatase (AP). The study revealed that long-term green manure-crop rotation increased carbon and nitrogen accumulation in farmland, with a significant average increase of 20.1% and 36.4% in BG, AP enzyme activities in topsoil, while showing a decrease in ln(NAG+LAP):ln(AP) ratios. The ratios of ln(BG):ln(NAG+LAP) and ln(NAG+LAP):ln(AP) in soil across various regions were typically below 1:1, indicating that soil microbial activity is more constrained by nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients rather than by carbon. Precipitation, temperature, soil total carbon, and total nitrogen were identified as key environmental factors for extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometric ratios. Our study highlights that the green manure-crop rotation alleviates nitrogen limitation while enhancing phosphorus limitation, and is closely related to the accumulation of total carbon and nitrogen in the soil.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"45 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141800142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vegetation green-up is occurring earlier due to climate warming across the Northern Hemisphere, with substantial influences on ecosystems. However, it is unclear whether temperature responses differ among various green-up stages. Using high-temporal-resolution satellite data of vegetation greenness and averaging over northern vegetation (30–75° N), we found the negative interannual partial correlation between the middle green-up stage timing (50% greenness increase in spring-summer) and temperature (RP = −0.73) was stronger than those for the onset (15% increase, RP = −0.65) and end (90% increase, RP = −0.52) of green-up during 2000–2022. Spatially, at high latitudes, the middle green-up stage showed stronger temperature responses than the onset, associated with greater low-temperature constraints and stronger control of snowmelt on green-up onset as well as greater spring frost risk. At middle latitudes, correlations with temperature were similar between the onset and middle stages of green-up, except for grasslands of the Mongolian Plateau and interior western United States, where correlations with temperature were weaker for the middle stage due to water limitation. In contrast, the end of green-up showed weaker temperature responses than the middle due to insufficient water and high climatic temperature during the end of green-up in most of the study region, except for cold regions in the interior western United States, western Russia, and the Tibetan Plateau, where temperature was still a main driver during end of green-up. Our findings underscore the differences in temperature responses among green-up stages, which alters the temporal alignment between plants and environmental resources.
{"title":"Differential phenological responses to temperature among different stages of spring vegetation green-up","authors":"Nan Jiang, Miaogen Shen, Zhiyong Yang","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae063","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Vegetation green-up is occurring earlier due to climate warming across the Northern Hemisphere, with substantial influences on ecosystems. However, it is unclear whether temperature responses differ among various green-up stages. Using high-temporal-resolution satellite data of vegetation greenness and averaging over northern vegetation (30–75° N), we found the negative interannual partial correlation between the middle green-up stage timing (50% greenness increase in spring-summer) and temperature (RP = −0.73) was stronger than those for the onset (15% increase, RP = −0.65) and end (90% increase, RP = −0.52) of green-up during 2000–2022. Spatially, at high latitudes, the middle green-up stage showed stronger temperature responses than the onset, associated with greater low-temperature constraints and stronger control of snowmelt on green-up onset as well as greater spring frost risk. At middle latitudes, correlations with temperature were similar between the onset and middle stages of green-up, except for grasslands of the Mongolian Plateau and interior western United States, where correlations with temperature were weaker for the middle stage due to water limitation. In contrast, the end of green-up showed weaker temperature responses than the middle due to insufficient water and high climatic temperature during the end of green-up in most of the study region, except for cold regions in the interior western United States, western Russia, and the Tibetan Plateau, where temperature was still a main driver during end of green-up. Our findings underscore the differences in temperature responses among green-up stages, which alters the temporal alignment between plants and environmental resources.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":" 40","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141826687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dioecious plants show sexual dimorphism in their phosphorus (P) availability responses. However, the understanding of sex-specific strategies for P utilization and acquisition under varying soil moisture levels remains unclear. Here, we assessed a range of root functional traits, soil P properties, total foliar P concentration ([P]), and leaf chemical P fractions – inorganic P ([Pi]), metabolite P ([PM]), lipid P ([PL]), nucleic acid P ([PN]), and residual P ([PR]) – as well as other leaf functional traits in female and male trees under different soil moisture levels (25% for high and 7% for low). Our results showed that females had larger specific root length (SRL) under well-watered conditions, resulting in greater root foraging capacity. This led to a 36.33% decrease in soil active inorganic P in the rhizosphere and a 66.86% increase in total foliar [P], along with all five foliar chemical P fractions ([Pi], [PM], [PL], [PN], and [PR]) compared to males. However, males exhibited significantly higher photosynthetic P utilization efficiency (PPUE) than females. Especially under low soil moisture levels, males exhibited a significant reduction in soil active organic P, coupled with a large increase in the exudation of soil phosphatases and carboxylates. Furthermore, the proportion of metabolite P in total foliar [P] was 41.96% higher in males than in females. Mantel and Spearman correlation analyses revealed distinct coordination and trade-offs between foliar P fraction allocation and below-ground P acquisition strategies between the two sexes. Leveraging these sex-specific strategies could enhance the resilience of dioecious populations in forest plantations facing climate-induced variability.
雌雄异株植物对磷（P）的可用性反应表现出性别二态性。然而，人们对不同土壤湿度条件下磷的利用和获取的性别特异性策略仍不清楚。在此，我们评估了不同土壤湿度（25% 为高湿度，7% 为低湿度）下雌性和雄性树木的一系列根系功能特征、土壤磷特性、叶片总磷浓度（[P]）和叶片化学磷组分--无机磷（[Pi]）、代谢磷（[PM]）、脂质磷（[PL]）、核酸磷（[PN]）和残余磷（[PR]）--以及其他叶片功能特征。我们的结果表明，在水分充足的条件下，雌树的比根长度（SRL）更大，因此根的觅食能力更强。与雄性相比，这导致根圈土壤活性无机钾减少了 36.33%，叶面总[P]以及所有五种叶面化学钾组分（[Pi]、[PM]、[PL]、[PN]和[PR]）增加了 66.86%。然而，雄性的光合 P 利用效率（PPUE）明显高于雌性。特别是在土壤湿度较低的情况下，雄株表现出土壤有机钾含量显著减少，同时土壤磷酸酶和羧酸盐的渗出量大幅增加。此外，叶片总[P]中代谢物 P 的比例雄性比雌性高 41.96%。曼特尔（Mantel）和斯皮尔曼（Spearman）相关分析表明，两种性别在叶面钾组分分配和地下钾获取策略之间存在明显的协调和权衡。利用这些性别特异性策略可以提高人工林中雌雄异株种群面对气候变异的恢复能力。
{"title":"Sex-specific phosphorus (P)-use and -acquisition in dioecious Populus euphratica as affected by soil moisture levels","authors":"Shengwei Si, Yue He, Zongpei Li, Zhichao Xia","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae064","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Dioecious plants show sexual dimorphism in their phosphorus (P) availability responses. However, the understanding of sex-specific strategies for P utilization and acquisition under varying soil moisture levels remains unclear. Here, we assessed a range of root functional traits, soil P properties, total foliar P concentration ([P]), and leaf chemical P fractions – inorganic P ([Pi]), metabolite P ([PM]), lipid P ([PL]), nucleic acid P ([PN]), and residual P ([PR]) – as well as other leaf functional traits in female and male trees under different soil moisture levels (25% for high and 7% for low). Our results showed that females had larger specific root length (SRL) under well-watered conditions, resulting in greater root foraging capacity. This led to a 36.33% decrease in soil active inorganic P in the rhizosphere and a 66.86% increase in total foliar [P], along with all five foliar chemical P fractions ([Pi], [PM], [PL], [PN], and [PR]) compared to males. However, males exhibited significantly higher photosynthetic P utilization efficiency (PPUE) than females. Especially under low soil moisture levels, males exhibited a significant reduction in soil active organic P, coupled with a large increase in the exudation of soil phosphatases and carboxylates. Furthermore, the proportion of metabolite P in total foliar [P] was 41.96% higher in males than in females. Mantel and Spearman correlation analyses revealed distinct coordination and trade-offs between foliar P fraction allocation and below-ground P acquisition strategies between the two sexes. Leveraging these sex-specific strategies could enhance the resilience of dioecious populations in forest plantations facing climate-induced variability.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":" 21","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141825859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li Xiao, Wei Huang, Juli Carrillo, Jianqing Ding, Evan Siemann
Plants produce secondary chemicals that may vary along with latitude due to changing abiotic and biotic stress gradients and local environmental conditions. Teasing apart the individual and combined effects of these different abiotic, such as soil nutrients, and biotic factors, such as soil biota and herbivores, on secondary chemicals is critical for understanding of plant responses to changing environments. We conducted an experiment at different latitudes in China, using tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) seedlings sourced from a population at 31 °N. These seedlings were cultivated in gardens located at low, middle, and high latitudes, with either local soil or soil from the original seed collection site (“origin soil”). The seedlings were exposed to natural levels of aboveground herbivores or had them excluded. Plant secondary chemicals (both foliar and root), aboveground herbivores, and soil characteristics were measured. Results showed that most leaf and root secondary metabolites depended on the interaction of experimental site and soil type. Leaf and root phenolic and tannin concentrations were higher at the middle latitude site, especially in origin soil. Root and foliar flavonoid concentrations increased when aboveground herbivores were excluded. Microbial communities depended strongly on soil treatment. The different responses of tannins versus flavonoids suggest that these two chemical classes differ in their responses to the varying abiotic and biotic factors in these sites along latitudes. Together our results emphasize the importance of considering the interactive effects of local environmental conditions, soil properties and herbivory in regulating plant chemical defenses.
{"title":"Interactive effects of soils, local environmental conditions and herbivores on secondary chemicals in tallow tree","authors":"Li Xiao, Wei Huang, Juli Carrillo, Jianqing Ding, Evan Siemann","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae062","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Plants produce secondary chemicals that may vary along with latitude due to changing abiotic and biotic stress gradients and local environmental conditions. Teasing apart the individual and combined effects of these different abiotic, such as soil nutrients, and biotic factors, such as soil biota and herbivores, on secondary chemicals is critical for understanding of plant responses to changing environments. We conducted an experiment at different latitudes in China, using tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) seedlings sourced from a population at 31 °N. These seedlings were cultivated in gardens located at low, middle, and high latitudes, with either local soil or soil from the original seed collection site (“origin soil”). The seedlings were exposed to natural levels of aboveground herbivores or had them excluded. Plant secondary chemicals (both foliar and root), aboveground herbivores, and soil characteristics were measured. Results showed that most leaf and root secondary metabolites depended on the interaction of experimental site and soil type. Leaf and root phenolic and tannin concentrations were higher at the middle latitude site, especially in origin soil. Root and foliar flavonoid concentrations increased when aboveground herbivores were excluded. Microbial communities depended strongly on soil treatment. The different responses of tannins versus flavonoids suggest that these two chemical classes differ in their responses to the varying abiotic and biotic factors in these sites along latitudes. Together our results emphasize the importance of considering the interactive effects of local environmental conditions, soil properties and herbivory in regulating plant chemical defenses.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":" 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141676777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lin-Feng Qiu, Jiu‐Dong Zhang, Ying Li, Xiao-Ying Liu, Dan Zhang, Long Huang, Ya-Peng Yang, Shi-Yu Wang, Yue-Yi Li, Zi-Wei Ma, Jie Sui, Lin Wang, Xiao-fen Che, Xian-Hua Tian, Yi Ren, Jian-Qiang Zhang
Examining the pollination biology of plant species is not only crucial for enhancing our understanding of their reproductive biology, but also essential for elucidating their adaptation and evolutionary history. Here, we investigated the breeding system and pollination biology of two closely related species in Actaea. The flower of A. purpurea is unique in the genus with purple and chartaceous (paper-like) sepals, fewer stamens with yellow anthers and purple filaments. Through three seasons of field observation and exclusion experiments, we determined that A. purpurea was primarily pollinated by a hornet species, Vespa bicolor, which also served as the most efficient pollinator. In contrast, A. japonica was primarily pollinated by large flies. A. purpurea exhibited a significantly higher cumulative nectar volume than A. japonica, which could be a crucial factor attracting V. bicolor. A control experiment further demonstrated that removing the nectar leaf (petal) significantly decreased the visiting frequency of V. bicolor. Breeding system studies revealed that both species were self-compatible, yet they primarily underwent outcrossing in natural habitats. Our study presents a compelling case of possible pollinator shift in A. purpurea accompanied by morphological divergence. A more in-depth investigation of this system would offer crucial insights into the extent to which pollinators are involved in the plant speciation process and whether they contribute to reproductive isolation between closely related species.
研究植物物种的授粉生物学不仅对加深我们对其生殖生物学的了解至关重要，而且对阐明其适应性和进化史也至关重要。在这里，我们研究了两种关系密切的猕猴桃属植物的繁殖系统和授粉生物学。紫花地丁（A. purpurea）的花在该属中是独一无二的，它的萼片呈紫色和纸质（纸样），雄蕊较少，花药呈黄色，花丝呈紫色。通过三个季节的实地观察和排除实验，我们确定紫花地丁主要由一种大黄蜂（Vespa bicolor）授粉，它也是最有效的授粉者。相比之下，A. japonica 主要由大苍蝇授粉。A. purpurea 的累积花蜜量明显高于 A. japonica，这可能是吸引 V. bicolor 的关键因素。对照实验进一步证明，摘除蜜叶（花瓣）会显著降低双色蝇的拜访频率。繁殖系统研究表明，这两个物种都是自交不亲和的，但它们在自然栖息地主要进行外交。我们的研究提供了一个令人信服的案例，说明紫花地丁属植物的授粉者可能发生了转变，同时伴随着形态上的分化。对这一系统进行更深入的研究将有助于深入了解传粉昆虫在多大程度上参与了植物物种的演化过程，以及它们是否导致了近缘物种之间的生殖隔离。
{"title":"The only purple-flower species in Actaea L. is pollinated by a hornet","authors":"Lin-Feng Qiu, Jiu‐Dong Zhang, Ying Li, Xiao-Ying Liu, Dan Zhang, Long Huang, Ya-Peng Yang, Shi-Yu Wang, Yue-Yi Li, Zi-Wei Ma, Jie Sui, Lin Wang, Xiao-fen Che, Xian-Hua Tian, Yi Ren, Jian-Qiang Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae061","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Examining the pollination biology of plant species is not only crucial for enhancing our understanding of their reproductive biology, but also essential for elucidating their adaptation and evolutionary history. Here, we investigated the breeding system and pollination biology of two closely related species in Actaea. The flower of A. purpurea is unique in the genus with purple and chartaceous (paper-like) sepals, fewer stamens with yellow anthers and purple filaments. Through three seasons of field observation and exclusion experiments, we determined that A. purpurea was primarily pollinated by a hornet species, Vespa bicolor, which also served as the most efficient pollinator. In contrast, A. japonica was primarily pollinated by large flies. A. purpurea exhibited a significantly higher cumulative nectar volume than A. japonica, which could be a crucial factor attracting V. bicolor. A control experiment further demonstrated that removing the nectar leaf (petal) significantly decreased the visiting frequency of V. bicolor. Breeding system studies revealed that both species were self-compatible, yet they primarily underwent outcrossing in natural habitats. Our study presents a compelling case of possible pollinator shift in A. purpurea accompanied by morphological divergence. A more in-depth investigation of this system would offer crucial insights into the extent to which pollinators are involved in the plant speciation process and whether they contribute to reproductive isolation between closely related species.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":" 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141678345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yongjie Liu, Chunyan Ma, Shiting Liu, Mingrui Liu, Hui Li, Mingxia Wang, Guoe Li, Hans J De Boeck, Fujiang Hou, Zhanhui Tang, Zhenxin Li
Focal plants are considerably affected by their neighbouring plants, especially when growing in heterogeneous soils. A previous study on grasses demonstrated that soil heterogeneity and species composition affected plant biomass and above- and belowground allocation patterns. We now tested whether these findings were similar for forbs. Three forb species (i.e. Spartina anglica, Limonium bicolor and Suaeda glauca) were grown in pots with three levels of soil heterogeneity, created by alternatively filling resource-rich and resource-poor substrates using small, medium or large patch sizes. Species compositions were created by growing these forbs either in monocultures or in mixtures. Results showed that patch size × species composition significantly impacted shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass of forbs at different scales. Specifically, at the pot scale, shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass increased with increasing patch size. At the substrate scale, shoot biomass and total biomass was higher at the large patch size than at the medium patch size, both in resource-rich and resource-poor substrates. Finally, at the community scale, monocultures had more shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass than those in the two-species mixtures or three-species mixture. These results differ from earlier findings on the responses of grasses, where shoot biomass and total biomass decreased with patch size, and more shoot biomass and total biomass were found in resource-rich than resource-poor substrate. To further elucidate effects of soil heterogeneity on the interactions between neighbour plants, we advise to conduct longer-term experiments featuring a variety of functional groups.
{"title":"Neighbour effects on plant biomass and its allocation for forbs growing in heterogeneous soils","authors":"Yongjie Liu, Chunyan Ma, Shiting Liu, Mingrui Liu, Hui Li, Mingxia Wang, Guoe Li, Hans J De Boeck, Fujiang Hou, Zhanhui Tang, Zhenxin Li","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae056","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Focal plants are considerably affected by their neighbouring plants, especially when growing in heterogeneous soils. A previous study on grasses demonstrated that soil heterogeneity and species composition affected plant biomass and above- and belowground allocation patterns. We now tested whether these findings were similar for forbs. Three forb species (i.e. Spartina anglica, Limonium bicolor and Suaeda glauca) were grown in pots with three levels of soil heterogeneity, created by alternatively filling resource-rich and resource-poor substrates using small, medium or large patch sizes. Species compositions were created by growing these forbs either in monocultures or in mixtures. Results showed that patch size × species composition significantly impacted shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass of forbs at different scales. Specifically, at the pot scale, shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass increased with increasing patch size. At the substrate scale, shoot biomass and total biomass was higher at the large patch size than at the medium patch size, both in resource-rich and resource-poor substrates. Finally, at the community scale, monocultures had more shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass than those in the two-species mixtures or three-species mixture. These results differ from earlier findings on the responses of grasses, where shoot biomass and total biomass decreased with patch size, and more shoot biomass and total biomass were found in resource-rich than resource-poor substrate. To further elucidate effects of soil heterogeneity on the interactions between neighbour plants, we advise to conduct longer-term experiments featuring a variety of functional groups.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"2 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141336432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Biological invasions by alien and range-expanding native plant species can suppress native plants through allelopathy. However, the homeland security hypothesis suggests that some native plants can resist invasion by producing allelopathic compounds that inhibit the growth of invasive plants. Most research has focused on allelopathic interactions between individual native and invasive plant species, with less emphasis on how allelopathy helps entire native communities resist invasions. Additionally, limited knowledge exists about allelopathic interactions between range-expanding native species and recipient native communities, and their influence on invasion success. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted two greenhouse competition experiments to test reciprocal allelopathic effects between a native woody range-expanding species, Betula fruticosa, and a community of four native herbaceous species (Sanguisorba officinalis, Gentiana manshurica, Sium suave, and Deyeuxia angustifolia) in China. We assessed whether B. fruticosa and the native community differed in their competitive effects and responses, and whether these were influenced by activated carbon, which neutralizes allelochemicals in the soil. Activated carbon reduced the suppressive effects of the native community on the above-ground biomass of B. fruticosa, which indicates that the native community exerted a strong allelopathic effect on B. fruticosa. In contrast, activated carbon only marginally enhanced the suppressive effects of B. fruticosa on the native community, which indicates that allelopathy is not the primary mechanism by which B. fruticosa exerts its suppression. Overall, these findings support the homeland security hypothesis and suggest that biotic resistance from the native herbaceous community may limit the invasion success of the woody range-expander B. fruticosa.
外来植物和范围不断扩大的本地植物物种的生物入侵会通过等位反应抑制本地植物。不过，"国土安全假说 "认为，一些本地植物可以通过产生抑制入侵植物生长的等效化合物来抵御入侵。大多数研究都集中在单个本地植物物种与入侵植物物种之间的等位病理相互作用上，而较少关注等位病理如何帮助整个本地群落抵御入侵。此外，关于扩大范围的本地物种与受援本地群落之间的等位效应相互作用及其对入侵成功与否的影响的知识也很有限。为了弥补这一知识空白，我们在中国进行了两次温室竞争实验，以测试一种扩大范围的本地木本物种桦树（Betula fruticosa）与由四种本地草本植物（三七、龙胆草、皂荚和大叶女贞）组成的群落之间的互惠等位病理效应。我们评估了B. fruticosa和本地群落在竞争效应和反应方面是否存在差异，以及这些差异是否受活性碳的影响，活性碳能中和土壤中的等位化学物质。活性碳降低了原生群落对 B. fruticosa 地面生物量的抑制作用，这表明原生群落对 B. fruticosa 产生了强烈的等位效应。与此相反，活性碳只能稍微增强 B. fruticosa 对原生群落的抑制作用，这表明等位效应不是 B. fruticosa 发挥抑制作用的主要机制。总之，这些研究结果支持国土安全假说，并表明来自本地草本群落的生物抵抗力可能会限制木质拓荒者 B. fruticosa 的入侵成功率。
{"title":"A native herbaceous community exerts a strong allelopathic effect on the woody range-expander Betula fruticosa","authors":"Lichao Wang, Ayub M. O. Oduor, Yanjie Liu","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae055","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Biological invasions by alien and range-expanding native plant species can suppress native plants through allelopathy. However, the homeland security hypothesis suggests that some native plants can resist invasion by producing allelopathic compounds that inhibit the growth of invasive plants. Most research has focused on allelopathic interactions between individual native and invasive plant species, with less emphasis on how allelopathy helps entire native communities resist invasions. Additionally, limited knowledge exists about allelopathic interactions between range-expanding native species and recipient native communities, and their influence on invasion success. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted two greenhouse competition experiments to test reciprocal allelopathic effects between a native woody range-expanding species, Betula fruticosa, and a community of four native herbaceous species (Sanguisorba officinalis, Gentiana manshurica, Sium suave, and Deyeuxia angustifolia) in China. We assessed whether B. fruticosa and the native community differed in their competitive effects and responses, and whether these were influenced by activated carbon, which neutralizes allelochemicals in the soil. Activated carbon reduced the suppressive effects of the native community on the above-ground biomass of B. fruticosa, which indicates that the native community exerted a strong allelopathic effect on B. fruticosa. In contrast, activated carbon only marginally enhanced the suppressive effects of B. fruticosa on the native community, which indicates that allelopathy is not the primary mechanism by which B. fruticosa exerts its suppression. Overall, these findings support the homeland security hypothesis and suggest that biotic resistance from the native herbaceous community may limit the invasion success of the woody range-expander B. fruticosa.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141335985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The dioecious plant, Hippophae rhamnoides, is a pioneer species in community succession on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), plays great roles in various ecosystem services. However, the males and females of the species differ both in their morphology and physiology, resulting in a change in the ratio of male to female plants depending on the environment. To further explore the functional traits critical to this sex-based distinctive response in the alpine grassland, we have surveyed the sex ratios, measured their photosynthetic parameters, height, LA and biomass allocation. The results showed that (i) The males had higher Pn, LSP, AQE, Amax and lower WUE, which exhibited higher utilization efficiency or tolerance to strong light, while the females indicated higher utilization efficiency for low light and water. And it showed sex-specific biomass allocation patterns. (ii) H. rhamnoides populations across the successional stages all showed a male-biased sexual allocation, which was closely related to sex-specific WUE, Pn, RB/TB and R/S. (ⅲ) The leaf traits of H. rhamnoides changed from higher Narea, Parea and LMA in the early and late to lower in the middle, which meant they moved their growth strategy from resource rapid acquisition to conservation as the succession progressed. (iv) The increasing STP mostly contributed in regulating the sex bias of populations and variations of traits during the succession. The results are vital for the management of grassland degradation and restoration due to shrub encroachment on the QTP.
{"title":"Sex‑specific strategies of resource utilization and determining mechanisms of Hippophae rhamnoides in response to community succession","authors":"Baoli Fan, Pengfei Gao, Tingting Tian, Nana Ding, Yongkuan Wan, Xianhui Zhou","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae053","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The dioecious plant, Hippophae rhamnoides, is a pioneer species in community succession on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), plays great roles in various ecosystem services. However, the males and females of the species differ both in their morphology and physiology, resulting in a change in the ratio of male to female plants depending on the environment. To further explore the functional traits critical to this sex-based distinctive response in the alpine grassland, we have surveyed the sex ratios, measured their photosynthetic parameters, height, LA and biomass allocation. The results showed that (i) The males had higher Pn, LSP, AQE, Amax and lower WUE, which exhibited higher utilization efficiency or tolerance to strong light, while the females indicated higher utilization efficiency for low light and water. And it showed sex-specific biomass allocation patterns. (ii) H. rhamnoides populations across the successional stages all showed a male-biased sexual allocation, which was closely related to sex-specific WUE, Pn, RB/TB and R/S. (ⅲ) The leaf traits of H. rhamnoides changed from higher Narea, Parea and LMA in the early and late to lower in the middle, which meant they moved their growth strategy from resource rapid acquisition to conservation as the succession progressed. (iv) The increasing STP mostly contributed in regulating the sex bias of populations and variations of traits during the succession. The results are vital for the management of grassland degradation and restoration due to shrub encroachment on the QTP.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"3 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141336373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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