Life Form Plant Research Articles

Landscape, Human Disturbance, and Climate Factors Drive the Species Richness of Alien Invasive Plants on Subtropical Islands.

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) pose a significant threat to island biodiversity and severely impact ecosystems. Understanding the species-area relationship and environmental determinants of growth forms for IAP species on subtropical islands is crucial for establishing an IAP's early warning mechanism, enhancing island ecological management, and protecting the ecosystems of Fujian and other subtropical islands. The study identified significant species-area relationships for IAPs and different life-form plants (trees, shrubs, and herbs), with slopes of 0.27, 0.16, 0.15, and 0.24, respectively. The small island effect does not apply to all species. Isolation has little effect on species richness, and the IAPs on Fujian islands do not conform to the isolation effect in island biogeography. Landscape factors are the main determinants of IAPs and different life-form species richness, with area, shape index, and perimeter-area ratio being the three primary landscape factors. These environmental factors are closely related to habitat heterogeneity. Besides landscape factors, different life forms respond differently to environmental factors. Climate drives the species richness distribution of shrubs and herbs, while trees are mainly influenced by human activities. Overall, landscape, human disturbance, and climate jointly drive the distribution of IAPs, with landscape factors being the most significant.

Stable carbon isotope composition and intrinsic water use efficiency in plants along an altitudinal gradient on the eastern slope of Yulong Snow Mountain, China

BackgroundStable carbon isotope composition (δ13Cp) can be used to estimate the changes in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) in plants, which helps us to better understand plants’ response strategies to climate change. This study focused on the variations in δ13Cp and iWUE for the different life-form plants (i.e., herbs, shrubs, and trees) along an altitudinal gradient (3300, 3600, 3900, 4100, 4300, and 4500 m) on the eastern slope of Yulong Snow Mountain, southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The response mechanisms of δ13Cp and iWUE for different life-form plants to altitude were thoroughly analyzed in this mountain ecosystem.ResultsThe δ13Cp values of plants on the eastern slopes of Yulong Snow Mountain ranged from − 30.4‰ to − 26.55‰, with a mean of − 28.02‰, indicating a dominance of C3 plants. The δ13Cp and iWUE values varied among different life-form plants in the order of herbs > shrubs > trees, particularly in 3600, 3900, and 4300 m. The δ13Cp and iWUE values for herbs and shrubs increased with altitude and were mainly controlled by air temperature. The two parameters for trees exhibited a trend of initial decrease followed by an increase with altitude. Below 3900 m, the δ13Cp and iWUE values decreased with altitude, influenced by soil moisture. However, above 3900 m, the two parameters increased with altitude, mainly regulated by air temperature. In addition, iWUE was positively correlated with leaf P content but negatively correlated with leaf N:P ratio, especially for herbs and trees, suggesting that P plays a key role in modulating iWUE in this region.ConclusionsThe differentiated responses of water availability for different life-form plants to a higher altitudinal gradient are regulated by air temperature, soil moisture, and leaf P content in the Yulong Snow Mountain. These results provide valuable insights into understanding the water–carbon relationships in high-altitude ecosystems.

Comparing water use patterns of sand‐binding species in an alpine semi‐arid desert

AbstractThe processes of species obtaining water resources are crucial to evaluate the adaptability of plantations, which can affect the establishment and survival of restored ecosystems and functions of water‐limited ecosystems. However, there are still limitations in understanding water use patterns of different four plantations (Populus sylvestris, Salix cheliophe, Hippophae rhamnoides and Artemisia ordosica) in the Qinghai Lake basin. Stable isotopes of xylem water of four individual species were analysed at different dunes located at the eastern shore of Qinghai Lake in 2018 and 2019. The purpose of this study was to explore potential water sources used by different life form plants, to identify whether the soil moisture content and root distribution determined the plants water use patterns. Results from the Bayesian mixing model MixSIAR showed that all species mainly uses three levels of soil water, but they extracted soil water from different layers in different growing seasons among species. All species primarily depended on water from upper soil layers at the early growing stage, but P. sylvestris and S. cheliophe also absorbed much proportion middle and deep soil layers' water in dry year of 2019. All four species shift to use middle or deep soil layer water rather than shallow water in July with the most rainfall and soil water content (SWC). However, it was only used by P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides in 2018. In all, seasonal water use pattern of different species was affected by SWC, soil texture and root distribution. Compared with moratorium plantations such as S. cheliophe, mixed afforestation of P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides maximized of soil water sources absorbed by the plants. The study can shed light on plant–water relationships to facilitate the woody species for afforestation and desertification restoration management in the semi‐arid desert ecosystem.

Effects of clonal integration on characteristics of free-floating and submerged plant communities under different nutrient conditions

Individual-level effects of clonal integration have been extensively studied, but community-level effects remain poorly understood. We grew the free-floating or submerged plant communities with three speices dominated by free-floating Salvinia natans or submerged Vallisneria natans, respectively. The stolons of S. natans and V. natans were periodically severed, with not severed plant communities as control. The effects of clonal integration on the characteristics of different life-form plant communities under low versus high nutrient levels were examined. Results showed that clonal integration significantly increased the number of ramets in submerged plant communities but not in free-floating plant communities under two nutrient conditions. Clonal integration greatly decreased the growth of free-floating plant communities, changed their species composition, and increased their species diversity and evenness under high nutrient conditions but not under low nutrient conditions. In submerged plant communities, clonal integration and nutrient affected species composition independently but did not affect species diversity. The growth of submerged plant communities was only affected by nutrient. Our findings highlight the importance of nutrient and plant life form in the effects of clonal integration on aquatic plant community characteristics. Studies on the effects of clonal integration at the community level could provide references for the effective management of aquatic plant communities with different life forms and contribute to a better understanding of the importance of clonal integration in the field.

Different life-form plants exert different rhizosphere effects on phosphorus biogeochemistry in subtropical mountainous soils with low and high phosphorus content

Soil phosphorus (P) is among the most important but least understood nutrients supporting the productivity and function of terrestrial ecosystems. To understand soil P cycling, it is essential to quantify the effects of plants on soil P fractions (labile inorganic P [Pi], intermediately available Pi, organic P, and occluded P). The study aimed to compare how the rhizosphere effect of different life-form plants influences P fractions in P-depleted and P-enriched soils in southwest China’s subtropical mountainous region. For all three selected species (native conifer, Pinus yunnanensis; native shrub, Myrsine africana; invasive herb: Eupatorium adenophorum), total P and P-fraction concentrations were much higher in the high-P site than in the low-P site. Occluded and organic P were the dominant fractions at the low-P site, while occluded and intermediate P were the dominant P fractions at the high-P site. Species identity significantly affected all five soil P fractions in both sites, except organic P at the high-P site. Total P, labile P, and intermediate P changed significantly with time. Additionally, plants were able to increase the rhizosphere effect on labile and intermediate P at the low-P site, as well as organic P at the high-P site. Eupatorium adenophorum exerted a significantly positive rhizosphere effect on labile and intermediate P at the low-P site, as well on labile P and organic P in the high-P site. Thus, compared with native M. africana and P. yunnanensis, the invasive E. adenophorum can more effectively alter rhizosphere soil P fractions in response to different soil P levels. Linear regression showed that the rhizosphere effect on labile P was correlated with the rhizosphere effect on pH, and the rhizosphere effect on organic P was related to the rhizosphere effect on soil organic matter and exchangeable Feox and Alox. In conclusion, different life-form plants generally exert a different rhizosphere effect through geochemical and biological processes, thus influencing P biogeochemical cycling in different soil P contents.

Flora and geographic pattern of mountain forests at community level in Taihang Mountains: Results based on plant community survey

Taihang Mountains is located on the eastern edge of the second step of Chinese topography, which is the natural boundary between Loess Plateau and North China Plain and is considered as one of the important priority areas for biodiversity conservation in China. We took 108 counties involved in the generalized Taihang Mountains as the research area to systematically analyze the characteristics of family and genus characters, floristic composition, geographical pattern of plant diversity and species richness hotspots at community level of mountain forests in Taihang Mountains. A total of 963 species of seed plants belonging to 447 genera and 100 families were recorded in 778 forest plots in Taihang Mountains. Within all the species, 12 species of gymnosperms belonging to 7 genera of 3 families, 951 species of angiosperms belonging to 440 genera of 97 families. Herbaceous plants (71.1%) was the dominant life form. The distribution types of families were mainly tropical (38%) and temperate (24%), and the distribution types of genera were mainly temperate (68.7%). The horizontal distribution pattern of plant diversity showed a trend of increasing from southwest to northeast. Species richness was positively correlated with the latitude and longitude. However, the richness patterns of different life-form plants were different, in that herbaceous richness was positively correlated with the longitude and latitude but that of woody plants was not. In the vertical gradient, plant richness of Taihang Mountains presented a single-peak distribution, which was concentrated in the low and middle elevations of 400-1800 m and peaked at 1000-1200 m. Based on the community inventory data, we mapped plant richness of Taihang Mountain forest community. The mountain areas such as Xiaowutai Mountain, Yuntai Mountain, Taiyue Mountain, Wangwu Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain were identified as hotspots of plant richness, which should be included in the key planning and management areas of the Taihang Mountains priority protection.

Foliar nutrient resorption responses of three life-form plants to water and nitrogen additions in a temperate desert

How nitrogen deposition and increasing precipitation would affect leaf nutrient concentration and internal nutrient cycling of desert plants is still unclear. The aim of our study was to test the responses of leaf nutrient resorption to increasing precipitation and N enrichment in a temperate desert. Green and senesced leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and nitrogen (NRE) and phosphorus (PRE) resorption efficiency of three life-form plants (5 spring annuals, 2 summer annuals and 2 shrubs) were investigated. Both NRE and PRE showed remarkable variations among plant life-forms, being lowest in shrubs and highest in spring annuals, suggesting that plants may have different nutrient requiring strategies. Nitrogen addition promoted green and senesced leaf nitrogen concentrations in summer annuals and shrubs, while having no impacts on leaf phosphorus concentration, NRE and PRE. Water addition had no impacts on leaf nutrient concentration and resorption efficiency; combined nitrogen and water addition had no interactive effects. Our results suggest that spring annuals and shrubs exhibit conservative nutrient adaptation through increasing nutrient uptake but not changing nutrient internal cycle to increasing nitrogen and water.

克里雅河流域荒漠-绿洲交错带3种不同生活型植物的光合特性

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 克里雅河流域荒漠-绿洲交错带3种不同生活型植物的光合特性 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201310302623 作者: 作者单位: 中国科学院新疆生态与地理研究所,新疆大学资源与环境科学学院,中国科学院新疆生态与地理研究所,新疆大学资源与环境科学学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然基金新疆联合项目(U1138303); 国家自然科学基金项目 (31000166, 31260112) Photosynthetic characteristics of three different life-form plants in the desert-oasis ecotone of Keriya River Basin Author: Affiliation: Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences,College of Resources and Environment Science, Xinjiang University,,College of Resources and Environment Science, Xinjiang University Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:利用LI-6400光合仪测定新疆克里雅河流域荒漠-绿洲交错带自然生长的芦苇、柽柳、胡杨叶片的气体交换参数及环境影响因子,通过对比3种植物光合特性的差异及其与环境因子间的关系,探讨3种植物对荒漠环境的适应特性和机制。结果表明:(1) 3种植物叶片Pn日变化均呈不对称的双峰曲线,"午休"现象明显,Pn日均值的大小依次为胡杨> 芦苇> 柽柳,种间差异不显著。(2) Tr、PAR和Gs与3种植物Pn的日变化存在极显著或显著的相关关系,其中影响芦苇Pn的主要因子是Tr、PAR和Gs,作用效应为Tr > Gs > PAR;影响柽柳Pn的主要因子是Tr、Gs,作用效应为Tr > Gs;影响胡杨Pn的主要因子是Tr。(3) 3种植物的光合作用对光强和CO2的响应特征可用二次方程描述;光补偿点和饱和点均为柽柳> 胡杨> 芦苇;CO2补偿点为胡杨> 柽柳> 芦苇,饱和点为胡杨> 芦苇> 柽柳。(4) 3种植物的表观量子效率在0.0341-0.0411 mol/mol之间,羧化效率在0.0480-0.0546 mol m-2 s-1之间。综合比较表明,3种干旱区植物在自然条件下日均净光合速率、光能利用率和CO2同化能力差异不显著,气孔限制是光合"午休"现象产生的主要原因;影响3种植物光合作用的主导因子各不相同,但Tr与Pn间的关系较其它因子更为密切。 Abstract:Vegetation plays an important role in preventing wind erosion, sand fixation, water conservation and ecosystem restoration in oasis ecosystem. For the photosynthetic characteristics could fairly reflect the adaptation of plants to their habitat, gas exchange parameters and environmental factors of three different life-form plants which grown in the desert-oasis ecotone of Keriya River Basin were measured. By comparing the photosynthetic characteristics of Phragmites australis, Tamarix ramosissima, Populus euphratica and their relationship with environmental factors, adaptive capacities and mechanisms of the three different life-form plants were discussed. The results were as follow: The diurnal variation in net photosynthetic (Pn) rate of the three plants showed two peaks, which displayed remarked photosynthetic "midday depression". The order of the average values of Pn was: P. euphratica > P. australis > T. ramosissima. However, there was no significant difference among them. The analysis of partial correlation and path on Pn and environmental factors showed that the diurnal variation of Pn had significant correlation with transpiration rate (Tr), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and stomatal conductance (Gs), respectively. Tr, PAR and Gs were the main factors which affected Pn of P. australis and the order of effecting ability was Tr > Gs > PAR. Tr, and Gs were the main factors which affected Pn of T. ramosissima and the order of effecting ability was Tr> Gs. Tr was the only main factor which affected Pn of P. euphratica. For the three kinds of plants, the Pn-PAR response curves and Pn-CO2 response curves had the same changing tendency, which could be quantitatively described by quadratic equation, respectively. The order of light compensation points and light saturation points were both T. ramosissima > P. euphratica > P. australis. The order of carbon dioxide compensation points was P. euphratica > T. ramosissima > P. australis and the order of saturation points were P. euphratica > P. australis> T. ramosissima. The apparent quantum yield and carboxylation efficiency of these three plants were varied from 0.0341 to 0.0411 mol/mol and 0.0480 to 0.0546 mol m-2 s-1 on daily basis, respectively. The results indicated that the average net photosynthetic rate, energy efficiency and CO2 assimilation capacity were not significantly different among the three kinds of plants, and the photosynthetic "midday depressions" was mainly resulted from stomatal limitation. The main factors which affected physiological process of photosynthesis are different among the three different life-form plants, but the relationship between Tr and Pn is closer than other factors. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

The response of different plant life forms to the natural environment changes

26 This paper contains test results revealing norm and stress reactions of various life-form plants: trees — Betula pendula Roth, Tilia platyphyllos Scop., Pinus sylvetris L; water-plant -Galium palustre L.; grass — Solidago Canadensis; cereal — Secale cereale L. Collection and processing of the material was made in the area of Berlin/Brandenburg, Germany. Clark sensor-based method made it possible to determine the amount and rate of the oxygen evolution by plants in the dark and light phase. Under the reaction norm the average amount of the oxygen evolved and the average rate of metabolism processes during dark and light phases are changing simultaneously. Parabolic and periodic dependences of these changes during the vegetation period has been found. Under the stress reaction (drought, illness) the rate of metabolism dark reactions is increased by 2—3 times as compared with light reactions. The obtained results may be use for bioindication of the climate change in the Baltic Region.

Composite Structure of Plant Components on the Aits in the Kunes River, Ili, Xinjiang

In this paper,the composite structure of plant components in 54 sample plots on 3 aits in the Kunes River,Ili,Xinjiang is researched.The results show that there are 62 plant species in 28 families,in which there are 6 plant-growth forms,3 root-growth forms,5 life forms,5 aquatic ecotypes,and 5 forage-value forms.Among the 62 species,Gramineae and Compositae species are dominant,their proportions are all 14%,and the proportion of Leguminosae species is 12.9%.In the plant-growth forms,the proportion of erect species is the highest and for 50%.In the root-growth forms,the proportion of erect species is also the highest and for 56.5%.Among the life form plants,the proportion of geophytes is the highest and for 41.9%.The mesophytes make up 59.7% of the total aquatic ecotype plants.In the forage-value forms,the fine-quality species account for 23.7%.These conclusions reveal that the plant communities growing on the aits in Kunes River are characterized by:(1) Structure of the plant-growth forms and life forms shows that the plant communities have the mid-temperate herbaceous community plants and the root systems,and also the typical climatic characteristics of underground-bud plants.(2) The statistical and analysis results of the aquatic ecotype and forage-value species reveal that the plant communities growing on the aits in the Kunes River have the mesophytic habitat conditions and the high forage value.

Effects of sheep urine on growth characteristics of different life form plants in a Chinese steppe grassland

The effects of sheep urine deposition volume (0, 1, 2 or 4 L/m 2) and deposition stage of plant growth (vegetative or reproductive) on the number and size of tillers/branches and the biomass of Stipa bungeana, Artemisia capillaries and Lespedeza davurica in a Chinese steppe grassland were determined. The results indicate that the response of the three plant species to sheep urine deposition differs, and is influenced by both urine deposition volume and deposition stage of plant growth. Urine deposition had a short-term scorch effect on grassland plants, which mainly occurred in the inner zone of urine patches. Urine application had a long-term positive effect on S. bungeana and a long-term negative effect on A. capillaries and L. davurica, which lasted at least two years and decreased with decrease in urine deposition volume. All species growing in the inner zone of urine patches were scorched by sheep urine deposition, some species in the marginal zone of patches were also scorched, while no species were scorched in the outer zones. The reproductive and vegetative stages of A. capillaries and the reproductive stages of S. bungeana and L. davurica were sensitive to sheep urine deposition.

Rainfall infiltration on hilly slopes under various lithology and its effect on tree growth in the dry-hot valley

Revegetation is very difficult in dry-hot valleys in China. Rainfall infiltration capability on hilly slopes is one of the key factors determining soil moisture conditions and tree growth in the dry-hot valley. Low rainfall infiltration often results in soil drought on slopes under the dry-hot valleys climate. Rainfall infiltration capability varies greatly with the difference of slope lithologic porosity. The infiltration rates of five lithologic slope-types, Schist Slope, Grit Slope, Gravel Slope, the slightly eroded Mudstone Slope and the intensively eroded Mudstone Slope, are 1.40-8.67, 6.33, 0.69-2.20, 0.6-1.3 and 0.03-0.63 mm/min, respectively. With its viscid compact soil body and low infiltration capability which causes little infiltrating rainfall, mudstone slope can afford little effective supply to soil water and leads to serious drought of soil in dry seasons, resulting in cessation of growth or even wide-spread death of trees due to physiological damage for the excessive deficit of water in dry season and also the low productivity of stands. Hence, it is extremely difficult to restore vegetation on this type of slope. The other four lithologic slope-types, however, with well-developed soil crevice, high infiltration capability and thus more infiltrating rainfall, can afford more available soil water supply and the trees on them can obtain better growth and relatively higher productivity, compared with those on Mudstone Slope. Revegetation in dry-hot valleys is controlled by the soil moisture conditions of different slope-types, and it can be implemented by relying on the dominative life-form plant species, the suitable spatial arrangement of different life-forms of arbor-shrub-herb species, and the establishment of ecological community relationship between vegetation and soil moisture in habits. On the other hand, ground making measures for forestation and the runoff-collecting engineering measures to increase the rainfall infiltration are the major keys of revegetation techniques in dry-hot valleys.