Growth and physiological metabolic regulation mechanisms of the dominant plant Leymus secalinus in alpine meadow under nitrogen deposition

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) deposition is an important pathway that affects the growth and development of alpine grassland plants. Under N deposition, Leymus secalinus has become the most dominant species in the alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, its adaptive mechanisms to N deposition are still unknown. Therefore, we analyzed the physiological indices of Leymus secalinus under different N deposition levels (CK, 0 kg N ha-1 yr-1; N1, 8 kg N ha-1 yr-1; N3, 40 kg N ha-1 yr-1; N5, 72 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and focused on its growth and metabolism. The results indicated that the leaf carbon (C), N, amino acid (AA), and photosynthetic pigment contents in Leymus secalinus were significantly increased under N deposition, its endogenous hormone levels were regulated and the activities of N metabolism-related enzymes were enhanced. Metabolomics analysis further showed that the metabolites changed significantly and were mostly enriched in the amino acid metabolic pathway. Among them, glutamine and aspartic acid played key roles in N deposition for dominant growth of Leymus secalinus by regulating N and amino acid metabolism. These analyses unveiled the physiological and biochemical changes of dominant species in response to N deposition, identifying critical metabolites involved in this process. Furthermore, these findings provide substantial evidence explaining the ecological phenomenon of Leymus secalinus emerging as a dominant species under N deposition, serving as a data reference for understanding the physiological response and adaptation to N deposition in alpine grassland plants.