Different shifts in growth-defense tradeoff for above- and belowground of Miscanthus floridulus enhance tolerance to cadmium

The growth-defense tradeoff is a central mechanism for plants to cope with environmental challenges. Soil contamination with heavy metals, especially cadmium (Cd), can strongly influence the adaptive capacity of plants by modulating both growth and defense. However, how the growth-defense tradeoff adaptive to Cd stress and its dynamic patterns are not yet known. To elucidate these patterns, we conducted an experiment with the pioneer plant Miscanthus floridulus by subjecting it to a gradient of exogenous Cd concentrations, and calculated root mean square deviation based on 12 traits to decipher the direction and intensity of the growth-defense tradeoff. We observed that growth traits such as photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, above- and belowground biomass, root surface area and root diameter decreased under Cd stress, while the antioxidative compounds increased. Notably, both above- and belowground parts showed a preference for growth in the absence of Cd stress (tradeoff intensity= 0.013 and 0.013, respectively, unitless). However, under the high Cd stress (40 mg/kg), the aboveground tradeoff remained towards growth (tradeoff intensity= 0.024), while the belowground tradeoff shifted towards defense (tradeoff intensity= −0.046). Under 10 and 20 mg/kg Cd stress, the shifts were uncertain towards either growth or defense for above and belowground parts, suggesting a complex above-belowground interplay. The belowground tradeoff was mainly influenced by plant Cd accumulation, soil fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (S.FDA), and soil available potassium. In contrast, the aboveground tradeoff was primarily driven by plant hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) accumulation, S.FDA, and soil alkaline phosphomonoesterase. Overall, Cd in soil altered physicochemical properties and Cd accumulation, which in turn had a significant impact on belowground defense mechanisms. We revealed that the shifts in growth-defense tradeoff differed between aboveground and belowground under Cd stress. Our results provided a new insight into the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying plant adaptation to Cd stress from the perspective of the growth-defense tradeoff.