Plant economics spectrum governs leaf nitrogen and phosphorus resorption in subtropical transitional forests

作者：Boyu Ma, Jielin Ge, Changming Zhao, Wenting Xu, Kai Xu, Zongqiang Xie · 发表于：BMC Plant Biology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12870-024-05484-9 · 被引用次数：12 · 研究领域：Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics、Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

BACKGROUND: Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) resorption is a fundamental adaptation strategy for plant nutrient conservation. However, the relative roles that environmental factors and plant functional traits play in regulating N and P resorption remain largely unclear, and little is known about the underlying mechanism of plant functional traits affecting nutrient resorption. Here, we measured leaf N and P resorption and 13 plant functional traits of leaf, petiole, and twig for 101 representative broad-leaved tree species in our target subtropical transitional forests. We integrated these multiple functional traits into the plant economics spectrum (PES). We further explored whether and how elevation-related environmental factors and these functional traits collectively control leaf N and P resorption. RESULTS: We found that deciduous and evergreen trees exhibited highly diversified PES strategies, tending to be acquisitive and conservative, respectively. The effects of PES, rather than of environmental factors, dominated leaf N and P resorption patterns along the elevational gradient. Specifically, the photosynthesis and nutrient recourse utilization axis positively affected N and P resorption for both deciduous and evergreen trees, whereas the structural and functional investment axis positively affected leaf N and P resorption for evergreen species only. Specific leaf area and green leaf nutrient concentrations were the most influential traits driving leaf N and P res...