Soil and climatic conditions are known to have close associations with plant morphological and stoichiometric traits at a regional scale along latitudinal gradients;however,how latitude drives biotic and abiotic facto...Soil and climatic conditions are known to have close associations with plant morphological and stoichiometric traits at a regional scale along latitudinal gradients;however,how latitude drives biotic and abiotic factors affecting plant nutrient acquisition to accommodate environmental nutrient deficiency remains unclear.We quantified soil,root,leaf,and leaf litter nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations to determine the potentially limiting nutrient and the simultaneous responses of root capture and leaf resorption to nutrient deficiency in seven Quercus acutissima forests across the North–South Transect of Eastern China.The results showed that the mean leaf and root N:P ratios in Q.acutissima were 21.58 and 20.23,respectively,which markedly exceeded the P limitation threshold of 16 for terrestrial plants.The mean leaf litter N and P were 10.63 mg/g and 0.51 mg/g,respectively,indicating that P resorption proficiency was relatively higher than N resorption proficiency.N displayed higher stoichiometric homeostasis than P in the leaf.The leaf and root N:P ratios showed a quadratic variation that first decreased and then increased as latitude increased,whereas the phosphorus resorption efficiency and root-soil accumulation factor of P displayed the opposite trend.Partial least square path modeling(PLS-PM)analysis demonstrated that root nutrient capture and leaf nutrient resorption were regulated by different influential factors.Overall,these findings provide new insights into plant strategies to adapt to environmental nutrient deficiency,as well as the scientific basis for predicting the spatial and temporal patterns of nutrient acquisition in the context of climate change.展开更多
Background:Solar radiation(SR)plays critical roles in plant physiological processes and ecosystems functions.However,the exploration of SR influences on the biogeochemical cycles of forest ecosystems is still in a slo...Background:Solar radiation(SR)plays critical roles in plant physiological processes and ecosystems functions.However,the exploration of SR influences on the biogeochemical cycles of forest ecosystems is still in a slow progress,and has important implications for the understanding of plant adaption strategy under future environmental changes.Herein,this research was aimed to explore the influences of SR on plant nutrient characteristics,and provided theoretical basis for introducing SR into the establishment of biochemical models of forest ecosystems in the future researches.Methods:We measured leaf nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)stoichiometry in 19 Chinese fir plantations across subtropical China by a field investigation.The direct and indirect effects of SR,including global radiation(Global R),direct radiation(Direct R)and diffuse radiation(Diffuse R)on the leaf N and P stoichiometry were investigated.Results:The linear regression analysis showed that leaf N concentration had no association with SR,while leaf P concentration and N:P ratio were negatively and positively related to SR,respectively.Partial least squares path model(PLS-PM)demonstrated that SR(e.g.Direct R and Diffuse R),as a latent variable,exhibited direct correlations with leaf N and P stoichiometry as well as the indirect correlation mediated by soil P content.The direct associations(path coefficient=−0.518)were markedly greater than indirect associations(path coefficient=−0.087).The covariance-based structural equation modeling(CB-SEM)indicated that SR had direct effects on leaf P concentration(path coefficient=−0.481),and weak effects on leaf N concentration.The high SR level elevated two temperature indexes(mean annual temperature,MAT;≥10°C annual accumulated temperature,≥10℃ AAT)and one hydrological index(mean annual evapotranspiration,MAE),but lowered the soil P content.MAT,MAE and soil P content could affect the leaf P concentration,which cause the indirect effect of SR on leaf P concentration(path coefficient=0.004).Soil N content had positive effect on the leaf N concentration,which was positively and negatively regulated by MAP and≥10℃ AAT,respectively.Conclusions:These results confirmed that SR had negatively direct and indirect impacts on plant nutrient status of Chinese fir based on a regional investigation,and the direct associations were greater than the indirect associations.Such findings shed light on the guideline of taking SR into account for the establishment of global biogeochemical models of forest ecosystems in the future studies.展开更多
Recent advances in spectral sensing techniques and machine learning(ML)methods have enabled the estimation of plant physiochemical traits.Nitrogen(N)is a primary limiting factor for terrestrial forest growth,but tradi...Recent advances in spectral sensing techniques and machine learning(ML)methods have enabled the estimation of plant physiochemical traits.Nitrogen(N)is a primary limiting factor for terrestrial forest growth,but traditional methods for N determination are labor-intensive,time-consuming,and destructive.In this study,we present a rapid,non-destructive method to predict leaf N concentration(LNC)in Metasequoia glyptostroboides plantations under N and phosphorus(P)fertilization using ML techniques and unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)-based RGB(red,green,blue)images.Nine spectral vegetation indices(VIs)were extracted from the RGB images.The spectral reflectance and VIs were used as input features to construct models for estimating LNC based on support vector machine,ran-dom forest(RF),and multiple linear regression,gradient boosting regression and classification and regression trees(CART).The results show that RF is the best fitting model for estimating LNC with a coefficient of determination(R2)of 0.73.Using this model,we evaluated the effects of N and P treatments on LNC and found a significant increase with N and a decrease with P.Height,diameter at breast height(DBH),and crown width of all M.glyptostroboides were analyzed by Pearson correlation with the predicted LNC.DBH was significantly correlated with LNC under N treat-ment.Our results highlight the potential of combining UAV RGB images with an ML algorithm as an efficient,scalable,and cost-effective method for LNC quantification.Future research can extend this approach to different tree species and different plant traits,paving the way for large-scale,time-efficient plant growth monitoring.展开更多
Functional traits of trees are significantly associated with their adaptation strategies and productivity.However,the effects of species composition and mixing proportion on the functional traits of trees grown in mix...Functional traits of trees are significantly associated with their adaptation strategies and productivity.However,the effects of species composition and mixing proportion on the functional traits of trees grown in mixed plantations have not been studied extensively.In this study,planting experiments(duration about seven months)were used to study variations in functional traits and biomass allocation of C unninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.)Hook and Phoebe bournei(Hemsley)Yang seedlings in five different mixes(0C:4P,1C:3P,1C:1P,3C:1P,and 4C:0P).Total leaf area per seedling increased in each species as its respective proportion in the mixture decreased.However,the specific leaf area decreased for P.bournei under low percent composition,and the specific leaf area for C.lanceolata differed only marginally among the plantings.The net photosynthetic rates of the two species were higher in the mixed plantings than in their corresponding monocultures,whereas the transpiration rate,stomatal conductance,and instantaneous water use efficiency were not different among the plantings.The average root length and root surface area of C.lanceolata and P.bournei were higher in the mixed plantings than in their monocultures.Specifically,root surface area of C.lanceolate and both root length and surface area of P.bournei increased significantly in the 1C:3P and 2C:2P mixed plantings.Leaf,stem,root,and total dry mass per seedling for C.lanceolata decreased with its increasing percent composition in the mixed plantings,while these variables varied less for P.bournei.The plasticity of biomass allocation was relatively low for both species.Total biomass per planting was higher in the mixed plantings than in the monocultures.Our study indicates that species composition and mixing proportion can considerably affect the functional traits of C.lanceolata and P.bournei.The increase in productivity in the mixed plantings may be partially attributed to low rates of competition between the two species,and future studies should examine the different interspecies relationships.The results of this study can be used to improve plantation productivity and ultimately increase the sustainability of tree products and help to better understand the adaptation strategies of plant coexistence.展开更多
Forest productivity and carbon(C) sequestration largely depend on soil N and P availability.To date,however,the temporal variation of nutrient limitation along forest succession is still under debate.Leaf stoichiometr...Forest productivity and carbon(C) sequestration largely depend on soil N and P availability.To date,however,the temporal variation of nutrient limitation along forest succession is still under debate.Leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption are important indicators for predicting nutrient limitation of plant growth.Here,we measured nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations in green leaves and leaf liter for all woody species at four stages of temperate forest succession,and analyzed how abiotic and biotic factors affect leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption along forest succession.At the individual scale,leaf N and P concentrations had a significant increase at the end of the succession,while no change in leaf N:P ratio was detected.Nitrogen resorption efficiency(NRE)increased significantly with succession,but P resorption efficiency(PRE)first increased and then decreased.Significant increases in NRE:PRE ratios only occurred at the end of the succession.Moreover,plant N cycling was less responsive to soil nutrient than P cycling.At the community scale,we found that leaf N and P concentrations first decreased and then increased along forest succession,which were mainly affected by Shannon-Wiener index and species richness.Leaf N:P ratio significantly varied with succession and was mainly determined by community-weighted mean diameter at breast height(DBH).NRE increased and was significantly influenced by species richness and DBH,while PRE was relatively stable along forest succession.Thus,the NRE:PRE ratios significantly increased,indicating that N limitation is exacerbated with the temperate forest succession.These results might reflect the intense interspecific competition for limiting resource in a higher biodiversity community.In conclusion,our findings highlight the importance of biotic factors in driving forest ecosystem nutrient cycling and provide valuable information for sustainable fertilizer management practices in China's temperate and boreal forests.展开更多
文摘Soil and climatic conditions are known to have close associations with plant morphological and stoichiometric traits at a regional scale along latitudinal gradients;however,how latitude drives biotic and abiotic factors affecting plant nutrient acquisition to accommodate environmental nutrient deficiency remains unclear.We quantified soil,root,leaf,and leaf litter nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations to determine the potentially limiting nutrient and the simultaneous responses of root capture and leaf resorption to nutrient deficiency in seven Quercus acutissima forests across the North–South Transect of Eastern China.The results showed that the mean leaf and root N:P ratios in Q.acutissima were 21.58 and 20.23,respectively,which markedly exceeded the P limitation threshold of 16 for terrestrial plants.The mean leaf litter N and P were 10.63 mg/g and 0.51 mg/g,respectively,indicating that P resorption proficiency was relatively higher than N resorption proficiency.N displayed higher stoichiometric homeostasis than P in the leaf.The leaf and root N:P ratios showed a quadratic variation that first decreased and then increased as latitude increased,whereas the phosphorus resorption efficiency and root-soil accumulation factor of P displayed the opposite trend.Partial least square path modeling(PLS-PM)analysis demonstrated that root nutrient capture and leaf nutrient resorption were regulated by different influential factors.Overall,these findings provide new insights into plant strategies to adapt to environmental nutrient deficiency,as well as the scientific basis for predicting the spatial and temporal patterns of nutrient acquisition in the context of climate change.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2016YFD0600202-4)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Non-profit Research Institution of Chinese fir Academy of Forestry(Nos.CAFYBB2017ZX002-2 and CAFYBB2020ZE001).
文摘Background:Solar radiation(SR)plays critical roles in plant physiological processes and ecosystems functions.However,the exploration of SR influences on the biogeochemical cycles of forest ecosystems is still in a slow progress,and has important implications for the understanding of plant adaption strategy under future environmental changes.Herein,this research was aimed to explore the influences of SR on plant nutrient characteristics,and provided theoretical basis for introducing SR into the establishment of biochemical models of forest ecosystems in the future researches.Methods:We measured leaf nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)stoichiometry in 19 Chinese fir plantations across subtropical China by a field investigation.The direct and indirect effects of SR,including global radiation(Global R),direct radiation(Direct R)and diffuse radiation(Diffuse R)on the leaf N and P stoichiometry were investigated.Results:The linear regression analysis showed that leaf N concentration had no association with SR,while leaf P concentration and N:P ratio were negatively and positively related to SR,respectively.Partial least squares path model(PLS-PM)demonstrated that SR(e.g.Direct R and Diffuse R),as a latent variable,exhibited direct correlations with leaf N and P stoichiometry as well as the indirect correlation mediated by soil P content.The direct associations(path coefficient=−0.518)were markedly greater than indirect associations(path coefficient=−0.087).The covariance-based structural equation modeling(CB-SEM)indicated that SR had direct effects on leaf P concentration(path coefficient=−0.481),and weak effects on leaf N concentration.The high SR level elevated two temperature indexes(mean annual temperature,MAT;≥10°C annual accumulated temperature,≥10℃ AAT)and one hydrological index(mean annual evapotranspiration,MAE),but lowered the soil P content.MAT,MAE and soil P content could affect the leaf P concentration,which cause the indirect effect of SR on leaf P concentration(path coefficient=0.004).Soil N content had positive effect on the leaf N concentration,which was positively and negatively regulated by MAP and≥10℃ AAT,respectively.Conclusions:These results confirmed that SR had negatively direct and indirect impacts on plant nutrient status of Chinese fir based on a regional investigation,and the direct associations were greater than the indirect associations.Such findings shed light on the guideline of taking SR into account for the establishment of global biogeochemical models of forest ecosystems in the future studies.
基金supported by the“Pioneer”and“Leading Goose”R&D Program of Zhejiang(2022C02053)National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(32201632).
文摘Recent advances in spectral sensing techniques and machine learning(ML)methods have enabled the estimation of plant physiochemical traits.Nitrogen(N)is a primary limiting factor for terrestrial forest growth,but traditional methods for N determination are labor-intensive,time-consuming,and destructive.In this study,we present a rapid,non-destructive method to predict leaf N concentration(LNC)in Metasequoia glyptostroboides plantations under N and phosphorus(P)fertilization using ML techniques and unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)-based RGB(red,green,blue)images.Nine spectral vegetation indices(VIs)were extracted from the RGB images.The spectral reflectance and VIs were used as input features to construct models for estimating LNC based on support vector machine,ran-dom forest(RF),and multiple linear regression,gradient boosting regression and classification and regression trees(CART).The results show that RF is the best fitting model for estimating LNC with a coefficient of determination(R2)of 0.73.Using this model,we evaluated the effects of N and P treatments on LNC and found a significant increase with N and a decrease with P.Height,diameter at breast height(DBH),and crown width of all M.glyptostroboides were analyzed by Pearson correlation with the predicted LNC.DBH was significantly correlated with LNC under N treat-ment.Our results highlight the potential of combining UAV RGB images with an ML algorithm as an efficient,scalable,and cost-effective method for LNC quantification.Future research can extend this approach to different tree species and different plant traits,paving the way for large-scale,time-efficient plant growth monitoring.
基金supported by the Project of Public Welfare Technology Research in Zhejiang Province(LGN21C160010)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2017YF C0505502)。
文摘Functional traits of trees are significantly associated with their adaptation strategies and productivity.However,the effects of species composition and mixing proportion on the functional traits of trees grown in mixed plantations have not been studied extensively.In this study,planting experiments(duration about seven months)were used to study variations in functional traits and biomass allocation of C unninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.)Hook and Phoebe bournei(Hemsley)Yang seedlings in five different mixes(0C:4P,1C:3P,1C:1P,3C:1P,and 4C:0P).Total leaf area per seedling increased in each species as its respective proportion in the mixture decreased.However,the specific leaf area decreased for P.bournei under low percent composition,and the specific leaf area for C.lanceolata differed only marginally among the plantings.The net photosynthetic rates of the two species were higher in the mixed plantings than in their corresponding monocultures,whereas the transpiration rate,stomatal conductance,and instantaneous water use efficiency were not different among the plantings.The average root length and root surface area of C.lanceolata and P.bournei were higher in the mixed plantings than in their monocultures.Specifically,root surface area of C.lanceolate and both root length and surface area of P.bournei increased significantly in the 1C:3P and 2C:2P mixed plantings.Leaf,stem,root,and total dry mass per seedling for C.lanceolata decreased with its increasing percent composition in the mixed plantings,while these variables varied less for P.bournei.The plasticity of biomass allocation was relatively low for both species.Total biomass per planting was higher in the mixed plantings than in the monocultures.Our study indicates that species composition and mixing proportion can considerably affect the functional traits of C.lanceolata and P.bournei.The increase in productivity in the mixed plantings may be partially attributed to low rates of competition between the two species,and future studies should examine the different interspecies relationships.The results of this study can be used to improve plantation productivity and ultimately increase the sustainability of tree products and help to better understand the adaptation strategies of plant coexistence.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31870399,32071533)the Strategic Priority Research Program ofthe(Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB31030000).
文摘Forest productivity and carbon(C) sequestration largely depend on soil N and P availability.To date,however,the temporal variation of nutrient limitation along forest succession is still under debate.Leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption are important indicators for predicting nutrient limitation of plant growth.Here,we measured nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations in green leaves and leaf liter for all woody species at four stages of temperate forest succession,and analyzed how abiotic and biotic factors affect leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption along forest succession.At the individual scale,leaf N and P concentrations had a significant increase at the end of the succession,while no change in leaf N:P ratio was detected.Nitrogen resorption efficiency(NRE)increased significantly with succession,but P resorption efficiency(PRE)first increased and then decreased.Significant increases in NRE:PRE ratios only occurred at the end of the succession.Moreover,plant N cycling was less responsive to soil nutrient than P cycling.At the community scale,we found that leaf N and P concentrations first decreased and then increased along forest succession,which were mainly affected by Shannon-Wiener index and species richness.Leaf N:P ratio significantly varied with succession and was mainly determined by community-weighted mean diameter at breast height(DBH).NRE increased and was significantly influenced by species richness and DBH,while PRE was relatively stable along forest succession.Thus,the NRE:PRE ratios significantly increased,indicating that N limitation is exacerbated with the temperate forest succession.These results might reflect the intense interspecific competition for limiting resource in a higher biodiversity community.In conclusion,our findings highlight the importance of biotic factors in driving forest ecosystem nutrient cycling and provide valuable information for sustainable fertilizer management practices in China's temperate and boreal forests.
