Abstract
Clonal plants play an important role in determining ecosystem properties such as community stability, species diversity and nutrient cycling. However, relatively little information is available about the stoichiometric characteristics of clonal plants and their drivers in inland riparian wetlands under strong environmental stress. In this manuscript, we studied the clonal plant Phragmites australis in an inland riparian wetland of Northwest China and compared its nutrient distribution and stoichiometry trade-offs as well as its responses to soil environmental factors in three different environments, namely, a wetland, a salt marsh, and a desert. We found that (1) P. australis could adapt to heterogeneous environments by changing its nutrient allocation strategies, as evidenced by the significant decrease in N and P concentrations, and significant increase in whole-plant C:P and N:P ratios from the wetland to the desert habitats. (2) P. australis adapted to stressful environments by changing its nutrient allocation patterns among different modules, showing a greater tendency to invest N and P in underground modules (rhizomes and roots) and an increase in the utilization efficiency of N and P in the leaves, and stems as environmental stress increased. (3) The C-N, C-P, and N:P-C in the whole plant and in each module showed significant anisotropic growth relationships in the three habitats (P < 0.05). (4) Soil water, pH and salt were the main factors limiting nutrient stoichiometry. The results of this study clarified the ecological adaptation mechanism of the clonal plant P. australis to heterogeneous environments and provided targeted protection strategies for inland riparian wetlands in Northwest China.
Highlights
Ecological stoichiometry is the study of the distribution characteristics of elements within plants and the mechanisms of their interactions, which reflect the dependence, and demands of plants on natural resources (Elser et al, 2000; Güsewell, 2010; Gong et al, 2020)
It is necessary to carry out studies on the distribution patterns of nutrient elements in different plant organs in order to reveal the mechanisms of the relationships among plant organs, nutrients and the environment
The harsher the environment was, the less N and P concentrations there was in leaves and stems, and the more N and P was received by roots and rhizomes
Summary
Ecological stoichiometry is the study of the distribution characteristics of elements within plants and the mechanisms of their interactions, which reflect the dependence, and demands of plants on natural resources (Elser et al, 2000; Güsewell, 2010; Gong et al, 2020). The biogeographic patterns of plant leaf N and P ratios differed at the global scale according to results from 1,280 plant species at 452 sample sites, and the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the leaves of terrestrial plants were related to latitude and the annual average temperature according to results from 753 species in China (Reich and Oleksyn, 2004; Han et al, 2005). These studies have shed some light on the distribution patterns of C, N, and P in plants and their relationships to the environment. It is necessary to carry out studies on the distribution patterns of nutrient elements in different plant organs in order to reveal the mechanisms of the relationships among plant organs, nutrients and the environment
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