NDLI: Leaf ecological stoichiometry and anatomical structural adaptation mechanisms of Quercus sect. Heterobalanus in southeastern Qinghai

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Zhou, Aiting Ge, Bairuixue Chen, Shi Kang, Dingxu Wu, Jianrong Zheng, Yanling Ma, Huancheng
Abstract	Background With the dramatic uplift of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) and the increase in altitude in the Pliocene, the environment became dry and cold, thermophilous plants that originally inhabited ancient subtropical forest essentially disappeared. However, Quercus sect. Heterobalanus (QSH) have gradually become dominant or constructive species distributed on harsh sites in the Hengduan Mountains range in southeastern QTP, Southwest China. Ecological stoichiometry reveals the survival strategies plants adopt to adapt to changing environment by quantifying the proportions and relationships of elements in plants. Simultaneously, as the most sensitive organs of plants to their environment, the structure of leaves reflects of the long-term adaptability of plants to their surrounding environments. Therefore, ecological adaptation mechanisms related to ecological stoichiometry and leaf anatomical structure of QSH were explored. In this study, stoichiometric characteristics were determined by measuring leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents, and morphological adaptations were determined by examining leaf anatomical traits with microscopy. Results Different QSH life forms and species had different nutrient allocation strategies. Leaves of QSH plants had higher C and P and lower N contents and higher N and lower P utilization efficiencies. According to an N: P ratio threshold, the growth of QSH species was limited by N, except that of Q. aquifolioides and Q. longispica, which was limited by both N and P. Although stoichiometric homeostasis of C, N, and P and C: N, C: P, and N: P ratios differed slightly across life forms and species, the overall degree of homeostasis was strong, with strictly homeostatic, homeostatic, and weakly homeostatic regulation. In addition, QSH leaves had compound epidermis, thick cuticle, developed palisade tissue and spongy tissue. However, leaves were relatively thin overall, possibly due to leaf leathering and lignification, which is strategy to resist stress from UV radiation, drought, and frost. Furthermore, contents of C, N, and P and stoichiometric ratios were significantly correlated with leaf anatomical traits. Conclusions QSH adapt to the plateau environment by adjusting the content and utilization efficiencies of C, N, and P elements. Strong stoichiometric homeostasis of QSH was likely a strategy to mitigate nutrient limitation. The unique leaf structure of the compound epidermis, thick cuticle, well-developed palisade tissue and spongy tissue is another adaptive mechanism for QSH to survive in the plateau environment. The anatomical adaptations and nutrient utilization strategies of QSH may have coevolved during long-term succession over millions of years.
Related Links	https://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12870-024-05010-x.pdf
Ending Page	15
Page Count	15
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	14712229
DOI	10.1186/s12870-024-05010-x
Journal	BMC Plant Biology
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	24
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2024-04-24
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Plant Sciences Agriculture Tree Biology Quercus sect. Heterobalanus Ecological stoichiometry Leaf anatomical traits Adaptation mechanisms Pliocene uplift Hengduan Mountains Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Plant Science
Journal Impact Factor	4.3/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	5.2/2023

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