Physiology and transcriptome analysis of the response mechanism of Solidago canadensis to the nitrogen addition environment

Abstract

Solidago canadensis is an invasive plant that can adapt to variable environmental conditions. To explore the molecular mechanism of the response to nitrogen (N) addition conditions in S. canadensis, physiology and transcriptome analysis were performed with samples that cultured by natural and three N level conditions. Comparative analysis detected many differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including the function of plant growth and development, photosynthesis, antioxidant, sugar metabolism and secondary metabolism pathways. Most genes encoding proteins involved in plant growth, circadian rhythm and photosynthesis were upregulated. Furthermore, secondary metabolism-related genes were specifically expressed among the different groups; for example, most DEGs related to phenol and flavonoid synthesis were downregulated in the N-level environment. Most DEGs related to diterpenoid and monoterpenoid biosynthesis were upregulated. In addition, many physiological responses, such as antioxidant enzyme activities and chlorophyll and soluble sugar contents, were elevated by the N environment, which was consistent with the gene expression levels in each group. Collectively, our observations indicated that S. canadensis may be promoted by N deposition conditions with the alteration of plant growth, secondary metabolism and physiological accumulation.

Nitrogen enrichment alters the resistance of a noninvasive alien plant species to Alternanthera philoxeroides invasion

“…In this study, we also found that nitrogen addition significantly increased the Anth of O. articulata, indicating that this alien species could synthesize a large amount of anthocyanins in an N-enriched environment to increase its environmental tolerance, thereby effectively responding to the interspecific competition caused by A. philoxeroides invasion (Zhang et al, 2017). In addition, nitrogen addition caused a significant trade-off between the Flav and Anth of O. articulata, indicating that soil nitrogen enrichment can enhance the physiological plasticity of alien plants and thus increase their competitiveness (Wu et al, 2023). However, nitrogen addition did not have a significant effect on the Flav and Anth of A. philoxeroides in our study, which might be due to its high internal ecostoichiometric stability (Sun et al, 2019), and this may help A. philoxeroides rapidly evolve suitable growth strategies in environments with different nutrient levels (Geng et al, 2023).…”