Plant and Soil最新文献

{"title":"The effect of a climatic compound drought and heatwave event on the dune-building grass Elytrigia juncea","authors":"Paul M. J. Berghuis, Carlijn Lammers, Max Rietkerk, Johan van de Koppel, Valérie C. Reijers, Tjisse van der Heide, Angeles G. Mayor","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07370-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07370-1","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>Coastal dunes provide vital ecosystem services, including flood protection and freshwater storage. These ecosystems are shaped by clonally-growing dune grasses that trap sediment as patch size increases, enabling the grasses to avoid stress from seawater flooding and freshwater scarcity. However, it remains poorly understood how increasing climate extremes will impact the establishment and survival dynamics of this vegetation. This study investigated the effects of an experimental climatic compound drought and heatwave (CDHW) on <i>Elytrigia juncea</i> in an embryonic dune field.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>Over a four-week field experiment, we examined two plant-patch sizes (0.014 m² vs. 1.953 m²) and two climatic treatments (ambient vs. CDHW), monitoring plant response and soil moisture. We hypothesized that larger patches would better resist the CDHW due to their enhanced freshwater storage within larger dune bodies.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Contrary to our expectations, <i>E. juncea</i> exhibited a positive response to CDHW, with longer shoots in both patch sizes. Initial soil moisture profiles remained similar across patch sizes throughout the experiment. Moreover, soil moisture profiles indicated a substantial freshwater source within reach of roots in all plots, explaining the absence of drought stress.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusion</h3><p>Our findings suggest that pioneer dune grasses can be highly resistant to climatic CDHW when roots can reach fresh groundwater, a condition which can occur when a thin freshwater lens is present in proximity to larger dune complexes. For establishing dune grasses, it is not merely dune formation on a local scale but rather on a landscape scale that is crucial for coping with extreme climatic events.\u0000</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"93 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143677662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Volatile organic compounds produced after exposure of tomato roots to the soil yeast Solicoccozyma terrea modulate root nitrate transporters in tomato","authors":"Francisco Albornoz, Mariajosé Carvajal, Daniela Catrileo, Marlene Gebauer, Liliana Godoy","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07393-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07393-8","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background</h3><p>Beneficial microorganisms modify root architecture through different mechanisms mostly related to plant hormones synthesis. Less information is available regarding the emission of microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their effects on root architecture. Numerous studies describe the release of VOCs by bacteria and filamentous fungi, but little information is available regarding soil yeasts.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>The VOCs released by the soil yeast <i>Solicoccozyma terrea</i> were evaluated in an experiment with tomato seedlings. Four treatments (tomato seedlings, T; <i>S. terrea</i> inoculum without tomato seedlings, St; tomato seedlings exposed to the volatiles of <i>S. terrea</i> inoculum, TSt; and a control without tomato seedlings or yeast inoculum, C) were assessed in terms of root morphology. VOCs were analyzed by GC–MS, and in a second experiment, the response of tomato seedlings and root nitrate uptake transporters to specific compounds identified in the first experiment was evaluated under low and high N supply.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>A mixture with 57 VOCs was identified which promoted lateral roots formation in tomato plants. Three compounds (isopropyl alcohol, 2-pentylfuran and trans-1,3-pentadiene) were exclusively present in the TSt treatment. All three compounds stimulated lateral roots formation and increased root volume. These compounds showed a stimulatory effect on the expression of <i>NRT1.2</i>, <i>NRT2.1</i> and <i>NRT2.3</i> nitrate transporters under N deficiency conditions.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>This study provides, for the first time, information on a soil yeast capable of promoting lateral roots formation in tomato through VOCs and that isopropyl alcohol, 2-pentylfuran and trans-1,3-pentadiene modulate root nitrate transporters expression under N deficiency conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"123 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143677663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant nitrogen-acquisition in response to waterfowl grazing along a hydrological gradient","authors":"Xinyue Li, Chaohe Huangfu","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07388-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07388-5","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>Both waterfowl grazing and water table fluctuation can alter plant and edaphic conditions and may affect plant nutrient acquisition strategies interactively in wetland ecosystems. However, our understanding of their combined effect on nitrogen (N) acquisition and associated functional traits remains limited.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>We conducted an in situ study by measuring the responses of a set of traits of roots (i.e. specific root length [SRL], root diameter [RD], specific root area [SRA], root tissue density [RTD]) and leaves (i.e. specific leaf area [SLA], leaf dry matter content [LDMC]) of <i>Carex thunbergii</i> from paired waterfowl grazed and ungrazed plots. Plots were arranged along a hydrological gradient in a subtropical riparian wetland, and we measured plant N uptake rates using ¹⁵N isotope tracer technology to assess impacts of these treatments.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Waterfowl grazing increased plant N uptake rates by inducing acquisitive strategies (e.g. higher SLA, SRA, and SRL) at deep water table. However, under shallower water tables (wetter soils), <i>C. thunbergii</i> shifted to more conservative N-uptake strategy with low N-absorption capacity under grazing. At sites with deep water tables, grazing separated N acquisition traits into acquisitive and conservative strategies in grazed and ungrazed plots, respectively. The usual coordination of above- and belowground traits was decoupled at shallower water tables, likely due to the combined stress of grazing and waterlogging. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the plant’s N uptake pattern was most strongly affected by soil properties (especially the soil NH₄⁺/NO₃⁻ ratio) at sites with shallower water tables compared with sites with deep water table by RD.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>The functional trait-mediated plant N acquisition strategy that we observed under waterfowl grazing might be mitigated by altered edaphic conditions in wetland systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143672801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response characteristics of bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root endophytic microbiota in desert ephemeral plants to increased precipitation","authors":"Yuting Lu, Huiliang Liu, Xiaobing Zhou, Lingwei Zhang, Xinyu Zhou, Lan Zhang, Tao Sha, Yuanming Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07374-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07374-x","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>While the impact of precipitation changes on plant communities has been extensively studied, its effects on desert soil and plant endophytic microbial communities remain unclear. This study conducted a simulated precipitation experiment to investigate how microbiomes in bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root endophytes of ephemeral plants respond to increased precipitation, aiming to provide new insights into microbial responses to climate change in desert ecosystems.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>Three precipitation gradients were established: natural precipitation (CK), 30% increased precipitation (W1), and 50% increased precipitation (W2). High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze bacterial and fungal communities across different habitats of <i>Erodium oxyrhinchum</i>, identifying key factors driving these changes.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Increased precipitation significantly boosted microbial richness, especially in the rhizosphere and endo-rhizosphere, with a more pronounced effect on fungal than bacterial. It altered bacterial community structure in bulk soil and endo-rhizosphere, and fungi in bulk soil. Furthermore, increased precipitation strengthened interspecies interactions, forming more intricate microbial networks, with bacterial networks being more intricate and more resilient to precipitation variations. Bulk soil and rhizosphere networks were larger and more stable than those in the endo-rhizosphere. These changes in microbial diversity and community structure were primarily driven by soil water content, pH, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>Increased precipitation significantly impacts the microbial communities in different habitats of desert ephemeral plants. Overall, fungal diversity was more sensitive to precipitation changes, while bacterial communities were more adaptable. Microbial networks in soil were more complex and stable than those in endophytes.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143672802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arbor‒shrub mixed vegetation restoration strategies enhanced soil organic carbon storage and stability via fine root and fungal characteristics in limestone hills","authors":"Longyan Shi, Yutian Zhang, Linjing Zhang, Tiandong Xu, Jiahao Zhao, Junjie Li, Chenyi Yu, Qingwei Guan","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07372-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07372-z","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Backgound and aims</h3><p>Afforestation and reforestation are essential for bolstering soil carbon stocks. Traditionally, vegetation restoration has relied on monoculture planting. However, mixed forests, with their relatively complex stand structures, are increasingly recognized as a more promising strategy. Owing to the resource limitations of limestone hills, the effects of arbor-shrub mixed vegetation restoration on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and stability, as well as the mechanisms driving these effects, remain underexplored compared to monocultures.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>We quantified biomass and chemical traits of litterfall and fine roots, soil physiochemical properties, SOC and its fractions, microbial necromass carbon (MNC), microbial traits, and enzyme activity. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to explore the mechanisms influencing SOC storage and stability across vegetation restoration strategies.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Arbor-shrub mixed vegetation restoration forests significantly enhanced SOC content, storage, and stability, primarily through a greater contribution of mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) to SOC and increased MNC content, compared to monoculture stands. These improvements were strongly associated with higher fine root biomass, reduced C/N and lignin/N ratios, enhanced fungal diversity, shifts in fungal phyla abundance, and elevated activities of peroxidase (POD) and sucrase (SC) enzymes. The quality of fine roots and fungal community dynamics accounted for most variations in SOC storage and stability, surpassing the influences of soil physicochemical properties, litterfall, or bacterial community dynamics.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>Our findings highlight the effectiveness of arbor-shrub vegetation restoration strategies in enhancing soil carbon stocks in limestone hills, which contribute to optimizing afforestation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"105 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143672804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Succession processes from new coastal bare land along a century’s chronosequence in the Yellow River Delta","authors":"Guanqun Hou, Ruixing Hou, Yuanbo Wang, Zhu Ouyang","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07368-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07368-9","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>The succession process of new coastal bare land in river deltas into mature terrestrial ecosystems remains unclear. Quantitatively describing succession trajectories over long timescales helps understand biodiversity maintenance, restoration, and soil carbon storage in estuarine deltas.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>In the Yellow River Delta (prograding since 1855), we traced historical river course shifts (P1: 1976–2020; P2: 1953–1964; P3: 1929–1934; P4: 1904–1929) and sampled four alluvial sectors. By controlling for the sea-land distance gradient of 0, 10, 20, and 30 km, we constructed a continuous time series to analyze the dynamics of ecological properties.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>The new coastal bare land soils exhibit high organic matter storage at a depth of 1 m but underwent degradation during stage P1, accompanied by reduced microbial species richness. Inland regions exhibited lower salinity and faster vegetation development compared to nearshore zones, with these differences becoming more pronounced over a century. From stage P2 to P4, 0–20 cm soil organic matter accumulated significantly over time (<i>R</i>² &gt; 0.5) except for the 0 km gradient, following the recovery of microbial species richness. Microbial community dissimilarity linearly accumulated with succession age (<i>R</i>² &gt; 0.4). Structural equation models indicated that the recovery of soil organic matter and microbial species richness over time is driven by vegetation development.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>Vegetation drives the recovery of soil organic matter and microbial species richness after river flow diversion but is inhibited by salinity. Succession age accounts for 4.65% and 4.28% of the unique variation in bacterial and fungal communities, respectively.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143672803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought type determines the pattern of ecological response to drought in trees with different sensitivities","authors":"Xuge Wang, Liang Jiao, Ruhong Xue, Peng Zhang, Qian Li, Xin Yuan","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07365-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07365-y","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Aims</h3><p>The increase in the frequency, magnitude and duration of drought events resulting from climate warming is modifying global tree growth distribution patterns and ecological functions, while also impairing trees' capacity to withstand water stress. However, the underlying ecological response mechanisms of trees to various types of droughts remain unclear.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>We delineated the spatial distribution of tree drought sensitivity. Additionally, we examined the response characteristics towards atmospheric drought, soil drought, and compound drought for tree growth with different sensitivities, along with identifying key drivers influencing changes in tree resilience.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>The findings revealed that: 1) Drought suppression trees showed greater vulnerability and the highest growth reduction, while drought promoting trees had better resistance and the shortest recovery period. 2) Variations were observed in the response patterns of trees towards different types of droughts, showing that soil and compound drought exerted more constraints on tree growth with the greater variability in resilience compared to atmospheric drought. 3) The resilience indices change had latitude pattern and was controlled by humidity condition before and after drought. With the improvement of water conditions before and after drought, drought resistance and recovery of drought suppression trees became worse and stronger respectively. The resilience indices change pattern of drought promoting type was quite the opposite. The study enhances our understanding of the tree ecological responses mechanisms to diverse forms of drought based on their varying levels of sensitivity, which is helpful for targeted measures to severe drought events for maintaining forest health and sustainable development under climate warming.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143666249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of natural soil biotin promoted the growth, quality and yield of pepper plants","authors":"Hongfei Fu, Zhixing Nie, Yijie Wang, Saisai Guo, Jirong Zheng","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07375-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07375-w","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>Pepper (<i>Capsicum</i> ssp.) is a widely planted vegetable crop, but persistent planting results in soil continuous cropping obstacles, negatively affecting pepper plant development and productivity. To address this issue, natural soil biotin (NSB), a novel compound microbial fertilizer, was introduced as a base fertilizer during the colonization of pepper 'Hang Jiao Zao Xiu'. We explored the effects of NSB on soil and pepper growth in this study.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>Studies were conducted to investigate the impact of NSB on pepper growth by comparing several agronomic traits of pepper plants between the NSB treatment group and the control group. Metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the effects of NSB on rhizosphere soil microorganisms. And the relationship among rhizosphere soil microorganisms, soil pH, and pepper plant traits was also analysed.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>The findings revealed that NSB treatment significantly increased pepper plant height, breadth, stem diameter, dry matter content, yield per plant, and the amounts of crude fiber and capsaicin in fruits. Additionally, NSB application slowed the soil pH drop, altered the microbial dominant population structure, and reduced the number of harmful microorganisms in the rhizosphere soil of pepper plants. Correlation analysis indicated that some important agronomic traits such as yield, capsaicin content, and total root surface area were correlated with the relative abundance of some microbial dominant populations.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>Therefore, using NSB may improve the soil environment, regulate soil pH and microbial community structure, promote pepper plant root growth, and ultimately enhance pepper plant growth, fruit yield, and quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143666248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrogen acquisition in Central European tree species is driven by counteracting species interactions and available soil N","authors":"Robert Reuter, Judy Simon","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07351-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07351-4","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>The interactions between trees and their species-specific properties (e.g. growth rate, nutrient demand) drive the acquisition of growth-limiting nitrogen (N). In tree communities, the outcome of multiple potentially counteracting interactions can mask the underlying effects between species.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>Using two-species approaches we investigated the interactions among seven common temperate Central European tree species differing in their morphological and physiological properties. Seedlings were grown under controlled conditions with no, intra-, or interspecific interactions at limited or excess soil N. We measured inorganic and organic net N uptake capacity and biomass and growth traits.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>Among species, inorganic and organic N acquisition was unrelated to general physiological and morphological plant properties (i.e. more N with fast growth) but was species-specific. Species interactions affected N acquisition and growth positively, negatively, and/or not depending on the species and available soil N. Which N sources were preferred changed with neighbour and soil N: With limited N, amino acids and nitrate were taken up most whereas with excess N, N acquisition was generally increased and ammonium preferred.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>The interactions with different neighbouring tree species can affect inorganic and organic N acquisition of a species positively, negatively, or not at all highlighting its plasticity in response to different neighbours. This outcome strongly depends on soil N availability as seen in the strict preferences with limited vs. excess soil N. Overall, the abiotic conditions appear to provide the framework within which the biotic interactions of a species´ lead to plasticity in its N acquisition.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143661159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary history shapes plant elementome and biogeochemical niches in a forest-steppe ecotone","authors":"Peng He, Yanyan Ni, Jordi Sardans, Chengcang Ma, Heyong Liu, Ruzhen Wang, Josep Peñuelas, Xingguo Han, Yong Jiang, Mai-He Li","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07353-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07353-2","url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Background and aims</h3><p>The biogeochemical niche framework, which estimates plant species niches based on their elemental composition (elementome), offers valuable insights into plant nutritional strategies, community assembly, and elemental cycling within ecosystems. Although the biogeochemical niche hypothesis has been validated in various terrestrial ecosystems, its application in transitional zones between contrasting biomes, such as in Eurasian forest-steppe ecotones, remains underexplored.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>This study investigates the biogeochemical niche framework in seven sites along a gradient from closed-canopy forests to forest-steppe ecotones and meadow steppes in northeastern China, which constituents a critical component of the Eurasian biome. We analyzed the concentrations of ten essential elements—both macro- and micro-elements—in leaves of the dominant plant species, and assessed the elemental compositions and physicochemical properties of the soil at each site.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>We found substantial differences in leaf elementomes among species across the three habitats, primarily attributed to phylogenetic legacy and species taxonomy. Woody plants in the ecotone exhibited higher leaf elemental homeostasis compared to herbaceous plants; the latter displayed notable elemental plasticity.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>Results from this study highlight the applicability of leaf elementome as a universal metric for comparing species niches across different life forms. Moreover, our findings offer empirical support for the biogeochemical niche conservatism assumption, suggesting that species-specific elemental utilization is a critical niche differentiation process in driving species coexistence within Eurasian forest-steppe ecotones.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143661167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}