Abstract
Habitat variation in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) reflects the resource allocation trade-offs for clonal plants, and its driving force analysis embodies the ecological adaptation strategy of clonal plants to heterogeneous environments. In this paper, the reed (Phragmites australis) in the northwestern inland wetlands of China, as a typical example of clonal plants, was used as the research object. The content and distribution of NSC in reeds and their response characteristics to soil environmental factors were compared under three different environmental gradients with wet, salt marsh and desert habitats. The results showed: (1) the content of NSC and starch gradually increased and the content of soluble sugar gradually decreased from wetland to desert habitats, and the ratio of soluble sugar to starch increased significantly (p < 0.05), which demonstrated that reeds converted more NSC into starch to adapt to harsh environments as the environment changed. (2) Reeds tended to invest more NSC in underground architectures to achieve survival and growth with the increase in environmental stress, providing the evidence that NSC were transferred from leaf to rhizome, and root, stem and rhizome received more soluble sugar investment. The ratio of soluble sugar to starch of reed stem and rhizome increased significantly with the increasing content of soluble sugar and the decreasing content of starch, and more starch was converted into soluble sugar to resist the harsh environment. (3) Soil water, soil bulk density and salinity were the main driving forces for the NSC content and the distribution characteristics of reeds using the relative importance analysis. The study results clarified the habitat variation law, and the main environmental driving forces of NSC for reeds in inland river wetlands, which provided the significant references for enriching the ecology research theory of clonal plants and protection measures in the fragile and sensitive wetlands in arid regions.
Highlights
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), synthesized by plant photosynthesis, are an essential energy supply for plant growth and metabolism, and a major contributor to plant structure construction [1]
The study results clarified the habitat variation law, and the main environmental driving forces of NSC for reeds in inland river wetlands, which provided the significant references for enriching the ecology research theory of clonal plants and protection measures in the fragile and sensitive wetlands in arid regions
NSC can be divided into soluble sugars used to maintain the osmotic pressure of cells and starch used for material storage according to their functions [2]
Summary
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), synthesized by plant photosynthesis, are an essential energy supply for plant growth and metabolism, and a major contributor to plant structure construction [1]. NSC can be divided into soluble sugars used to maintain the osmotic pressure of cells and starch used for material storage according to their functions [2]. There is a mutual conversion relationship between soluble sugar and starch under certain conditions. NSC is an indicator for evaluating the level of plant-available substances and the balance between carbon source and carbon sink [3]. The allocation principle of its composition is an important index to evaluate. Water 2020, 12, 1700 the ecological adaptation strategies of plants to heterogeneous environments. NSC research can reveal the plant’s stress resistance mechanism and provide strategies for the protection of inland river wetlands
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