Plant adaptability in karst regions

Liu, Chunni; Huang, Yang; Wu, Feng; Liu, Wenjing; Ning, Yiqiu; Huang, Zhenhua; Tang, Shaoqing; Yu, Liang

doi:10.1007/s10265-021-01330-3

Cited by 52 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 167 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2D and 2E ). This phenomenon was probably attributed to the alkaline soil with the enrichment of high Ca and Mg content in the Karst region ( Li et al, 2019 ; Liu et al, 2021 ), which limited the growth of plants ( Carrière et al, 2020 ). As shown in Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Woody plants are likely to have deep roots and rely on water from deep soil layers, while herbaceous plants rely on water from shallow soil layers ( Nie et al, 2014 ; Nie et al, 2011 ; Rose, Graham & Parker, 2003 ; West et al, 2008 ). Therefore, under the condition of high soil permeability and water shortage in the Karst region ( Liu et al, 2021 ), woody plants should have more steady water-use strategies under drought conditions ( Fig. 2F ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drought stress on plants can greatly affect their growth, yield, and grain quality ( Seleiman et al, 2021a ). Though the precipitation of 1,400 mm is in the study area, water resources in Karst regions are still limited due to shallow soil and high permeability of carbonate rocks, resulting in plants facing drought stress when growing ( Liu et al, 2021 ). The leaf δ 13 C (from −25.3‰ to −30.41‰) of all plants is higher than typical subtropical species with leaf δ 13 C from −31.1‰ to 30.5‰ ( Qu et al, 2001 ), showing plants suffer more drought effect in this area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Southwest China possesses one of the largest continuous Karst regions (~550,000 km 2 ) in the world ( Han et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2019 ). Karst ecosystems are characterized by low soil formation, shallow soil layer, high permeability, and water shortage ( Green et al, 2019 ; Liu et al, 2021 ); thus, plants in Karst regions always suffer from drought stress ( Geekiyanage et al, 2019 ). Water use efficiency (WUE), defined by the quantity of water utilized per carbon gain, reflects the plant water strategy under various water circumstances, which is vital for their survival and productivity ( Nie et al, 2014 ; Yan et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effects of high Ca and Mg stress on plants water use efficiency in a Karst ecosystem

Qu¹,

Han²

2022

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Karst ecosystems are widely distributed in the world, with one of the largest continuous Karst landforms in Southwest China. Karst regions are characterized by water shortage, high soil calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) content, and soil nutrient leaching, resulting in drought stress and growth limitation of plants. Methods This study compared nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), Ca, and Mg of herbaceous and woody plants in a small Karst ecosystem in Southwest China. The indexes of water use efficiency (WUE) were calculated to identify the drought stress of plants in this Karst ecosystem. Meanwhile, the relationship between Ca and Mg accumulation and WUE was evaluated in herbaceous and woody plants. Results Herbaceous plants showed a higher content of leaf N (13.4 to 40.1 g·kg−1), leaf P (2.2 to 4.8 g·kg−1) and leaf K (14.6 to 35.5 g·kg−1) than woody plants (N: 10.4 g to 22.4 g·kg−1; P: 0.4 to 2.3 g·kg−1; K: 5.7 to 15.5 g·kg−1). Herbaceous plants showed a significantly positive correlation between WUE and K:Ca ratio (R = 0.79), while WUE has a strongly positive correlation with K:Mg ratio in woody plants (R = 0.63). Conclusion Herbaceous plants suffered from nitrogen (N) limitation, and woody plants were constrained by P or N+P content. Herbaceous plants had higher leaf N, P, and K than woody plants, while Ca and Mg showed no significant differences, probably resulting from the Karst environment of high Ca and Mg contents. Under high Karst Ca and Mg stress, herbaceous and woody plants responded differently to Ca and Mg stress, respectively. WUE of herbaceous plants is more sensitive to Ca stress, while that of woody plants is more sensitive to Mg stress. These findings establish a link between plant nutrients and hydraulic processes in a unique Karst ecosystem, further facilitating studies of the nutrient-water cycling system in the ecosystem.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effects of high Ca and Mg stress on plants water use efficiency in a Karst ecosystem

Qu¹,

Han²

2022

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…High soil Ca is a predictor of vegetation degradation in RD and is associated with soil bacterial network [4,5], Ca hyperaccumulation in plant roots [1], and arrests of soil organic carbon [6]. As a result, local plant populations are naturally selected by their adaptability to high Ca conditions [1,7]. More information on the response of belowground karst plant parts to high soil Ca is needed to guide rehabilitation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Foraging Behavior of Two Agronomical Herbs Subjected to Heterogeneous P Pattern and High Ca Stress

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecosystems are vulnerable to large areas of rocky desertification, which results in patchy soils and stone-inlaid soils. Karst landforms are typically characterized by heterogeneous phosphorus (P) distributions in soils at high calcium (Ca), but root foraging behavior has not been fully documented in agronomical plants. In this study, Bidens pilosa L. and Plantago asiatica L. were raised in pots in a simulated soil environment with sands at high Ca (2 g kg−1) and low Ca (0.63 g kg−1) levels. Inner spaces were divided into four sections to receive P in homogeneous (Homo.) (four quarters: 2 mg P kg−1) or heterogenous (Hete.) (one quarter: 8 mg P kg−1; three quarters: no-P input) patterns. Both species had longer roots in high P sections compared to no P sections. Foraging scale (highest length or surface-area(SA)) was higher in P. asiatica plants subjected to the Hete. pattern than to the Homo. pattern in low Ca pots. Foraging precision (length or SA differences between P patches as a proportion of the total) was also higher for P. asiatica subjected to the Hete. pattern but did not change in response to Ca level or P placement pattern. Overall, P. asiatica has a higher foraging ability than B. pilosa because of higher levels of foraging scale and precision from high-P (8 mg kg−1) patches in soils subjected to low Ca (0.63 g kg−1).

show abstract

Differentiation characteristics of karst vegetation resilience and its response to climate and ecological restoration projects

Chen

Wang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In light of the recent pressure from global warming, extreme drought events, and deleterious human activity, the strength and long‐term change trends of vegetation in karst regions—in terms of their resistance to external disturbances—have not been studied systematically. Therefore, herein, we quantified the vegetation resilience and its nonlinear change trends in south China karst under different environmental gradients by measuring the lag‐1 autocorrelation to time‐series Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (1990–2018), clarifying the driving forces of vegetation resilience changes. It was shown that the vegetation resilience change in south China karst was not monotonous. In the first stage (pre‐2002), precipitation and warming promoted the increase of regional vegetation resilience (slope = −0.045, p < 0.0001). In the second stage (during 2002–2010), the increasing trend of vegetation resilience was not obvious and vegetation resilience was difficult to keep up with vegetation productivity, indicating the time‐lagged effect of ecological restoration projects to vegetation resilience. In the third stage (post‐2010), due to the continuous advancement of ecological restoration projects, vegetation resilience increased significantly and had the largest amplitude (slope = −0.128, p < 0.0001). Simultaneously, under different environmental gradients, vegetation resilience showed significant differentiation characteristics. In comparison to non‐karst regions, increases in the vegetation resilience were more obvious in karst regions especially in the post‐2010. With increases in the soil depth, the vegetation resilience exhibited an increasing trend, indicating its dependence on soil. At slopes >25°, the vegetation resilience increased most obviously and the resilience of meadows was the largest, which can be the preferred vegetation type for ecological restoration projects. This research provides another perspective to understand karst vegetation ecosystem and the results will facilitate the protection of karst ecosystems.

show abstract

Plant adaptability in karst regions

Cited by 52 publications

References 167 publications

Effects of high Ca and Mg stress on plants water use efficiency in a Karst ecosystem

Effects of high Ca and Mg stress on plants water use efficiency in a Karst ecosystem

Root Foraging Behavior of Two Agronomical Herbs Subjected to Heterogeneous P Pattern and High Ca Stress

Differentiation characteristics of karst vegetation resilience and its response to climate and ecological restoration projects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About