Plant Ecology Research Articles

Response and Adaptive Mechanism of Flavonoids in Pigmented Potatoes to Different Altitudes.

Altitude is an important ecological factor affecting plant physiology and ecology, material metabolism and gene expression. Tuber color changes were observed in purple and red potatoes growing at four different elevations ranging from 1800±50 to 3300±50 meters in the Tiger Leaping Gorge area of Yunnan Province. The results showed that the TPC, TFC, TAC and biological yield of anthocyanin increased with increasing altitude until 2800 ± 50 m, and the highest anthocyanin contents were detected in the purple potato Huaxinyangyu and the red potato Jianchuanhong at the flowering stage and budding stage, respectively. Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that the content and diversity of flavonoids are associated with gene expression via the promotion of propane metabolism to improve potato adaptation to different altitudes. These results provide a foundation for understanding the coloring mechanism and creating new potato germplasms with high resistance and good quality via genetic manipulation.

Different phenological behaviour of native and exotic grasses extends the period of pollen exposure with clinical implications in the Madrid Region, Spain

AbstractExotic allergenic species constitute an important element of global change and are an emergent health issue in Europe due to their potential allergenicity. The grass pollen season is of great importance from the allergic point of view because it includes pollen from ubiquitous species which are responsible for high sensitization rates. In this study, we used flowering phenology data for dominant grass species in the city of Madrid (Spain) and airborne pollen data to explore differences between native and exotic species and their potential contribution to the observed peaks of pollen exposure. We found that exotic grasses flowered later than Mediterranean native grasses, and that ornamental grass species (such as Cortaderia selloana and Pennisetum villosum) cause an unusual second pollen season in autumn with implications for public health. These results support the need to coordinate the efforts of plant ecologists and aerobiologists to protect the population by identifying sources of allergenic pollen and sustain the appropriate urban plans.

Root and shoot phenology, architecture, and organ properties: an integrated trait network among 44 herbaceous wetland species.

Integrating traits across above- and belowground organs offers comprehensive insights into plant ecology, but their various functions also increase model complexity. This study aimed to illuminate the interspecific pattern of whole-plant trait correlations through a network lens, including a detailed analysis of the root system. Using a network algorithm that allows individual traits to belong to multiple modules, we characterize interrelations among 19 traits, spanning both shoot and root phenology, architecture, morphology, and tissue properties of 44 species, mostly herbaceous monocots from Northern Ontario wetlands, grown in a common garden. The resulting trait network shows three distinct yet partially overlapping modules. Two major trait modules indicate constraints of plant size and form, and resource economics, respectively. These modules highlight the interdependence between shoot size, root architecture and porosity, and a shoot-root coordination in phenology and dry-matter content. A third module depicts leaf biomechanical adaptations specific to wetland graminoids. All three modules overlap on shoot height, suggesting multifaceted constraints of plant stature. In the network, individual-level traits showed significantly higher centrality than tissue-level traits do, demonstrating a hierarchical trait integration. The presented whole-plant, integrated network suggests that trait covariation is essentially function-driven rather than organ-specific.

Plants and river morphodynamics: The emergence of fluvial biogeomorphology

AbstractIn this article, we track the evolution of fluvial biogeomorphology from the middle of the 20th century to the present. We consider the emergence of fluvial biogeomorphology as an interdisciplinary research area that integrates knowledge drawn primarily from fluvial geomorphology and plant ecology, but with inputs from hydrology and landscape ecology. We start by assembling evidence for the emergence of the field of fluvial biogeomorphology with a keyword search of the Web of Science and a detailed analysis of papers published in two scientific journals: a geomorphology journal—Earth Surface Processes and Landforms; a multidisciplinary river science journal—River Research and Applications. Based on this evidence, we identify three distinct time periods in the development of fluvial biogeomorphology: the ‘early years’ before 1990; the transitional decade of the 1990s; and the period of rapid expansion and diversification in themes, methods and investigation scales since 2000. Because the literature is vast, we can only summarize developments in each of these time periods, but we refer to recent in‐depth reviews and conceptual perspectives on relevant topics. Thus, rather than a full and deep review, we present an annotated bibliographic overview of the development of fluvial biogeomorphology, whereby the text describes broad trends but is supported by tables of citations that can deliver greater detail. We end with a brief consideration of likely future developments.

Chemical diversity in angiosperms - monoterpene synthases control complex reactions that provide the precursors for ecologically and commercially important monoterpenoids.

Monoterpene synthases (MTSs) catalyze the first committed step in the biosynthesis of monoterpenoids, a class of specialized metabolites with particularly high chemical diversity in angiosperms. In addition to accomplishing a rate enhancement, these enzymes manage the formation and turnover of highly reactive carbocation intermediates formed from a prenyl diphosphate substrate. At each step along the reaction path, a cationic intermediate can be subject to cyclization, migration of a proton, hydride, or alkyl group, or quenching to terminate the sequence. However, enzymatic control of ligand folding, stabilization of specific intermediates, and defined quenching chemistry can maintain the specificity for forming a signature product. This review article will discuss our current understanding of how angiosperm MTSs control the reaction environment. Such knowledge allows inferences about the origin and regulation of chemical diversity, which is pertinent for appreciating the role of monoterpenoids in plant ecology but also for aiding commercial efforts that harness the accumulation of these specialized metabolites for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.

Towards a unified medical microbiome ecology of the OMU for metagenomes and the OTU for microbes

BackgroundMetagenomic sequencing technologies offered unprecedented opportunities and also challenges to microbiology and microbial ecology particularly. The technology has revolutionized the studies of microbes and enabled the high-profile human microbiome and earth microbiome projects. The terminology-change from microbes to microbiomes signals that our capability to count and classify microbes (microbiomes) has achieved the same or similar level as we can for the biomes (macrobiomes) of plants and animals (macrobes). While the traditional investigations of macrobiomes have usually been conducted through naturalists’ (Linnaeus & Darwin) naked eyes, and aerial and satellite images (remote-sensing), the large-scale investigations of microbiomes have been made possible by DNA-sequencing-based metagenomic technologies. Two major types of metagenomic sequencing technologies—amplicon sequencing and whole-genome (shotgun sequencing)—respectively generate two contrastingly different categories of metagenomic reads (data)—OTU (operational taxonomic unit) tables representing microorganisms and OMU (operational metagenomic unit), a new term coined in this article to represent various cluster units of metagenomic genes.ResultsThe ecological science of microbiomes based on the OTU representing microbes has been unified with the classic ecology of macrobes (macrobiomes), but the unification based on OMU representing metagenomes has been rather limited. In a previous series of studies, we have demonstrated the applications of several classic ecological theories (diversity, composition, heterogeneity, and biogeography) to the studies of metagenomes. Here I push the envelope for the unification of OTU and OMU again by demonstrating the applications of metacommunity assembly and ecological networks to the metagenomes of human gut microbiomes. Specifically, the neutral theory of biodiversity (Sloan’s near neutral model), Ning et al.stochasticity framework, core-periphery network, high-salience skeleton network, special trio-motif, and positive-to-negative ratio are applied to analyze the OMU tables from whole-genome sequencing technologies, and demonstrated with seven human gut metagenome datasets from the human microbiome project.ConclusionsAll of the ecological theories demonstrated previously and in this article, including diversity, composition, heterogeneity, stochasticity, and complex network analyses, are equally applicable to OMU metagenomic analyses, just as to OTU analyses. Consequently, I strongly advocate the unification of OTU/OMU (microbiomes) with classic ecology of plants and animals (macrobiomes) in the context of medical ecology.

Publication-level analysis of Journal of Plant Ecology during 2018–2022

Publication-level analysis of <i>Journal of Plant Ecology</i> during 2018–2022

Eurasian aspen (Populus tremula L.): Central Europe's keystone species 'hiding in plain sight'.

Knowledge of Eurasian aspen's (Populus tremula L.) ecological and growth characteristics is of high importance to plant and wildlife community ecology, and noncommercial forest ecosystem services. This research assessed these characteristics, identified aspen's habitat optimum, and examined causality of its current scarce distribution in central Europe. We analyzed a robust database of field measurements (4,656,130 stands) for forest management planning over 78,000 km2 of the Czech territory. Our analysis we used GIS techniques, with basic and multivariate statistics such as general linear models, ordination, and classification. Results describe a species of broad ecological amplitude that has heretofore attracted little research attention. Spatial analysis showed significant differences between aspen and other forest non-forest cover types. Additionally, we found significant association between the proportion of aspen in a stand, the size of forest property, and the forest category. The results demonstrate historic reasons for aspen's widespread presence, though contemporary occurrence is limited. This study advances the concept of a quantitatively based aspen ecological optimum (niche), which we believe may be beneficial for numerous aspen associates in the context of anticipated warming. Irrespective of local ecology (i.e., the realized aspen niche), the study confirms that profit-driven policy in forestry is chiefly responsible for historic aspen denudation in central Europe. Even so, we demonstrate that ample habitat is present. Further solutions for improving aspen resilience are provided to support these keystone systems so vital to myriad dependent flora and fauna.

Shipwrecked on the Rock, or Not Quite: Gypsophytes and Edaphic Islands.

Species-area relationships (SAR) constitute a key aspect of ecological theory and are integral to other scientific disciplines, such as biogeography, which have played a crucial role in advancing biology. The theory of insular biogeography provides a clear example. This theory initially expanded from true islands to other types of systems characterized by their insularity. One such approach was linked to geoedaphic islands, as seen in gypsum outcrops. While these continental areas have been considered insular systems, only limited and mostly indirect evidence thereof has been provided. This study utilized SAR to advance the understanding of gypsum outcrops as insular continental territories. It is hereby hypothesized that gypsum outcrops are edaphic islands, although their insular nature depends on the different functional or ecological plant types, and this nature will be reflected in the potential Arrhenius model z values. The results obtained support both hypotheses and provide insight into the ecological factors that help interpret the insularity of these areas. This interpretation goes beyond their mere extent and the distance among outcrops, emphasizing the importance of environmental filters. Said filters vary in permeability depending on the degree of gypsophily, or preference for gypsum, exhibited by different species.

Does Ecological Planting–Breeding Mix Pattern Improve Farmers’ Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

The Chinese government is making vigorous efforts to control agricultural pollution. The promotion of an ecological planting–breeding mix pattern is one of them. Farmers’ mode of production will affect their subjective well-being. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the impact of adopting the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern on farmers’ subjective well-being based on 895 pieces of survey data from the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Using the endogenous switching regression model, we find that the adoption of the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern has a significant positive effect on farmers’ subjective well-being. Based on this counterfactual hypothesis, if the farmers who actually adopted the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern did not adopt it, their subjective well-being would decrease from 4.006 to 3.669. Further examination indicates that self-worth identification, income increase, and neighborhood communication could be potential mechanisms. Additionally, the effect of the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern on subjective well-being is stronger in the group with low financial support. The technical support provided by the government does not have a significant regulatory effect on the adoption of the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern on subjective well-being. Our results suggest that farmers’ ecological production behavior can affect their subjective well-being. This may be relevant to many developing countries today that are attempting to adopt ecological agriculture patterns.

Research on Chinese medicinal materials cultivation: A bibliometric and visual analysis

Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) are important strategic resource in China. The cultivation process of medicinal plants is the key link which directly affect the quality and efficacy. The literatures of CMMs cultivation were acquired from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database and State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) patent database for the years between 2001 and 2021. All the articles found were subjected to bibliometric analysis. The development trends and key topics were analyzed and visualized by VOSviewer and CiteSpace software. The results indicate that ecological planting, under-forest economy, intercropping patterns and industrialization production are the research hotspots in this field; cultivation technology and nutritional fertilization technology are the main areas addressed in recent years. Therefore, the high-quality and sustainable development of CMMs cultivation should be examined in terms of theoretical approaches, technical innovation, multi-cooperation, and intellectual property protection.

Behaviour, body mass and sex: How intraspecific variation influences seed dispersal by a scatter‐hoarding rodent

Abstract Intraspecific variation plays a pivotal role in shaping ecological dynamics. As the dispersal of seeds of most woody plants is mediated by animals, individual variation within the animal dispersers holds considerable implications for plant population and ecology. We explored how individual traits (such as sex, body mass and exploration levels) of yellow‐necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) impact the dispersal of common oak (Quercus robur) acorns. Over 3 years, we collected data on seed fate and the specific mice responsible for their dispersal. The relationship between individual traits and seed dispersal was not static, but influenced by yearly environmental conditions. Heavier individuals tended to carry seeds farther, yet contrary to our expectations, sex had no effect on the distance of seed dispersal. Moreover, the exploration rate showed an inconsistent association with seed consumption and dispersal distance, while it positively impacted the distance of dispersal from the nearest tree. Synthesis. Our findings suggest a more nuanced role of individual traits in seed dispersal than often assumed, with noticeable annual variation significantly influencing these impacts. Consequently, it appears there is no single, universally beneficial individual type to ensure maximal benefits to plants. Rather, the traits conferring advantages in seed dispersal are dynamic, subject to change over time in response to environmental context. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Mosaic of local adaptation between white clover and rhizobia along an urbanization gradient

Abstract Urbanization frequently alters the biotic and abiotic environmental context. Variation in both the biotic and abiotic environment can result in selection mosaics that lead to locally adapted phenotypes. Ecological changes to urban environments can result in evolutionary responses across a diverse array of plants and animals, but the effects of urbanization on local adaptation and coevolution between species remain largely unstudied. Using a common garden experiment of 30 populations and 1080 plants, we tested for local adaptation in the mutualism between white clover (Trifolium repens) and rhizobia (Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar trifolii) along an urbanization gradient. We asked: (Q1) are white clover and rhizobia locally adapted? (Q2) Does nitrogen (N) addition mediate the strength of local adaptation? (Q3) Is the strength of local adaptation in host plants related to the strength of local adaptation in rhizobia, as expected if white clover and rhizobia are coadapting? And (Q4) how does the degree of local adaptation vary with urbanization? We found evidence for local adaptation for both white clover and rhizobia, with stronger signatures of local adaptation for rhizobia than white clover (Q1). While N addition positively affected plant biomass and negatively affected nodule density, N addition did not consistently mediate patterns of local adaptation (Q2). The strength of local adaptation was positively related between white clover and rhizobia under N addition, suggesting that soil N mediates coadaptation between white clover and rhizobia (Q3). We did not find a consistent relationship between measures of urbanization and local adaptation (Q4). Additionally, fitness responses for white clover and rhizobia were unrelated to Rhizobium abundance and local adaptation was unrelated to the broader bacterial microbiome in the soil inoculants or root endosphere. Synthesis. Our results show a spatial mosaic in local adaptation, with stronger local adaptation for rhizobia than white clover. While urbanization does influence the ecology of plant–microbe interactions, our study suggests urbanization does not disrupt local adaptation and coevolution among mutualists.

Improvement of Panax notoginseng saponin accumulation triggered by methyl jasmonate under arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Panax notoginseng is a highly valued perennial medicinal herb plant in Yunnan Province, China, and the taproots are the main medicinal parts that are rich in active substances of P. notoginseng saponins. The main purpose of this study is to uncover the physiological and molecular mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponin accumulation triggered by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) under arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) by determining physiological indices, high-throughput sequencing and correlation analysis. Physiological results showed that the biomass and saponin contents of P. notoginseng, the concentrations of jasmonic acids (JAs) and the key enzyme activities involved in notoginsenoside biosynthesis significantly increased under AMF or MeJA, but the interactive treatment of AMF and MeJA weakened the effect of AMF, suggesting that a high concentration of endogenous JA have inhibitory effect. Transcriptome sequencing results indicated that differential expressed genes (DEGs) involved in notoginsenoside and JA biosynthesis were significantly enriched in response to AMF induction, e.g., upregulated genes of diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methyl-d-erythritol kinases (ISPEs), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP450s)_and glycosyltransferases (GTs), while treatments AMF-MeJA and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) decreased the abundance of these DEGs. Interestingly, a high correlation presented between any two of saponin contents, key enzyme activities and expression levels of DEGs. Taken together, the inoculation of AMF can improve the growth and saponin accumulation of P. notoginseng by strengthening the activities of key enzymes and the expression levels of encoding genes, in which the JA regulatory pathway is a key link. This study provides references for implementing ecological planting of P. notoginseng, improving saponin accumulation and illustrating the biosynthesis mechanism.

Step-point sampling for broadleaved species’ ground cover estimation in pastures – an evaluation of Cockayne’s point on a boot toecap method

ABSTRACT Step-point sampling, conceived by plant ecologist Dr Leonard Cockayne in ca. 1925 as a method for measuring the ground cover of species in New Zealand’s modified tussock grasslands utilises a point marked on the observer’s boot toecap. It is resource-efficient compared to other vegetation sampling methods and here we report on a unique evaluation of its accuracy and precision. The estimated cover of Taraxacum officinale in a grassy field (11%) was not significantly different from that obtained using line-point sampling (13%), but higher than that from line-intercept sampling (5.7%). It was unaffected across an order-of-magnitude range of sampling intensity (1600 to 160 observations/ha) and was acceptably precise with ≥ 400 observations/ha, although increased linearly with observation point size. These empirical results were supported by computer simulations enabling both accuracy and precision to be evaluated along with plant architecture. The simulations indicated that step-point sampling with ca. 400 observations per ha and an observation point diameter ≤ 1.1 cm (1.0 cm2), can provide ground cover estimates for a wide range of broadleaved species in pastures that are sufficiently accurate and precise for common pasture management applications. The method is deployed in the phone application, ‘Grassland Cover Estimator’ available at https://www.agresearch.co.nz/search?q = Grassland + cover + estimator.

Disentangling the effect of growth from development in size-related trait scaling relationships.

In plant ecology, the terms growth and development are often used interchangeably. Yet these constitute two distinct processes. Plant architectural traits (e.g. number of successive forks) can estimate development stages. Here, we show the importance of including the effect of development stages to better understand size-related trait scaling relationships (i.e. between height and stem diameter). We focused on one common savanna woody species (Senegalia nigrescens) from the Greater Kruger Area, South Africa. We sampled 406 individuals that experience different exposure to herbivory, from which we collected four traits: plant height, basal stem diameter, number of successive forks (proxy for development stage), and resprouting. We analysed trait relationships (using standardized major axis regression) between height and stem diameter, accounting for the effect of ontogeny, exposure to herbivory, and resprouting. The number of successive forks affects the scaling relationship between height and stem diameter, with the slope and strength of the relationship declining in more developed individuals. Herbivory exposure and resprouting do not affect the overall height-diameter relationship. However, when height and stem diameter were regressed separately against number of successive forks, herbivory exposure and resprouting had an effect. For example, resprouting individuals allocate more biomass to both primary and secondary growth than non-resprouting plants in more disturbed conditions. We stress the need to include traits related to ontogeny so as to disentangle the effect of biomass allocation to primary and secondary growth from that of development in plant functional relationships.

Physiological Responses and Ecological Benefits of Water Uptake by Populus euphratica Leaves in Arid Areas

The absorption of atmospheric water by plants through their leaves, known as leaf water uptake, plays a crucial role in sustaining plant growth and survival in arid regions. Condensate is one of the important sources of water for plants in arid zones and plays an important role in alleviating the physiological state of plant water. In order to clarify the ecological role of the leaf absorption of condensation water, we took the dominant species of the desert Dugay forest plant, Populus euphratica, as the research object, and based on in situ leaf humidification field experiments, we comprehensively analyzed the effect of condensation water on the physiological state of P. euphratica and the ecological benefit of leaf water absorption on the arid zone by determining the parameters of the physiological indexes of the leaf, the leaf wettability, and the water-absorbing capacity of the leaf. The results showed that P. euphratica leaves have a water-absorbing ability on both sides, and under the condensation water treatment, the water potential of dawn leaves in the TR group (−1.75 ± 0.12 MPa) was significantly higher than that in the CK group (−1.41 ± 0.13 Mpa); the net photosynthetic rate of leaves in the TR group (13.08 ± 0.68 μmol·m−2·s−1) was significantly higher than that in the CK group (10.42 ± 0.57 μmol·m−2·s−1); the proline content of the TR group (22.82 ± 0.8 μg·g−1) was significantly lower than that of the CK group (68.67 ± 6.14 μg·g−1); and the leaf photosynthetic capacity, leaf osmotic adjustment, and stress tolerance affected by condensation water were significantly different (p &lt; 0.05). A leaf’s water-absorbing ability is mainly affected by leaf wettability, the proline content, and other influencing factors. The mean FWU rate was positively correlated with the mean transpiration rate. Within the Ebinur Lake watershed, the water absorption rate of P. euphratica leaves accounts for 10.92% of the maximum transpiration rate (Tr); in 2022, the total summer leaf surface water uptake by P. euphratica was about 220.5 mol, a value that represents about 0.25% of the average annual evapotranspiration from Ebinur Lake. This study helps to improve the understanding of the impact of condensation water on the physiological ecology of the desert plant P. euphratica and provides a scientific basis for the ecological benefits of leaf water absorption in arid regions.

Artificial Intelligence: A Promising Tool for Application in Phytopathology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing approaches in plant disease management and phytopathological research. This review analyzes current applications and future directions of AI in addressing evolving agricultural challenges. Plant diseases annually cause 10–16% yield losses in major crops, prompting urgent innovations. Artificial intelligence (AI) shows an aptitude for automated disease detection and diagnosis utilizing image recognition techniques, with reported accuracies exceeding 95% and surpassing human visual assessment. Forecasting models integrating weather, soil, and crop data enable preemptive interventions by predicting spatial-temporal outbreak risks weeks in advance at 81–95% precision, minimizing pesticide usage. Precision agriculture powered by AI optimizes data-driven, tailored crop protection strategies boosting resilience. Real-time monitoring leveraging AI discerns pre-symptomatic anomalies from plant and environmental data for early alerts. These applications highlight AI’s proficiency in illuminating opaque disease patterns within increasingly complex agricultural data. Machine learning techniques overcome human cognitive constraints by discovering multivariate correlations unnoticed before. AI is poised to transform in-field decision-making around disease prevention and precision management. Overall, AI constitutes a strategic innovation pathway to strengthen ecological plant health management amidst climate change, globalization, and agricultural intensification pressures. With prudent and ethical implementation, AI-enabled tools promise to enable next-generation phytopathology, enhancing crop resilience worldwide.

Agroecological genetics of biomass allocation in wheat uncovers genotype interactions with canopy shade and plant size.

How plants distribute biomass among organs influences resource acquisition, reproduction and plant-plant interactions, and is essential in understanding plant ecology, evolution, and yield production in agriculture. However, the genetic mechanisms regulating allocation responses to the environment are largely unknown. We studied recombinant lines of wheat (Triticum spp.) grown as single plants under sunlight and simulated canopy shade to investigate genotype-by-environment interactions in biomass allocation to the leaves, stems, spikes, and grains. Size-corrected mass fractions and allometric slopes were employed to dissect allocation responses to light limitation and plant size. Size adjustments revealed light-responsive alleles associated with adaptation to the crop environment. Combined with an allometric approach, we demonstrated that polymorphism in the DELLA protein is associated with the response to shade and size. While a gibberellin-sensitive allelic effect on stem allocation was amplified when plants were shaded, size-dependent effects of this allele drive allocation to reproduction, suggesting that the ontogenetic trajectory of the plant affects the consequences of shade responses for allocation. Our approach provides a basis for exploring the genetic determinants underlying investment strategies in the face of different resource constraints and will be useful in predicting social behaviours of individuals in a crop community.

Nutrients from spawning salmon influence leaf area, tissue density, and nitrogen-15 in riparian plant leaves.

Nutrient subsidies have significant impacts on ecosystems by connecting disjunct habitats, often through long-distance animal migrations. Salmon migrations on the North Pacific coasts provide these kinds of nutrient subsidies from senescent fish at the end of their life cycle, which can have significant ecological effects on terrestrial species. This can include impacts on individuals, populations, and communities, where shifts in community composition towards plant species that indicate nitrogen-rich soils have been documented. We investigated the effects of variation in salmon spawning density on the leaf traits of four common riparian plant species on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. We found that all plant species had higher foliar salmon-derived nitrogen on streams with a higher spawning density. Three of the four species had larger leaves, and one species also had higher leaf mass per area on streams with more salmon. However, we found no differences in leaf greenness or foliar percent nitrogen among our study streams. These results demonstrate that nutrient subsidies from spawning salmon can have significant impacts on the ecology, morphology, and physiology of riparian plants, which lends support to a mechanism by which certain plants are more common on productive salmon streams.