AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-12-09DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad085
Latifa Chaouachi, Miriam Marín-Sanz, Francisco Barro, Chahine Karmous
{"title":"Study of the genetic variability of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) in the face of combined stress: water and heat","authors":"Latifa Chaouachi, Miriam Marín-Sanz, Francisco Barro, Chahine Karmous","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad085","url":null,"abstract":"The devastating effects and extent of abiotic stress on cereal production continue to increase globally, affecting food security in several countries including Tunisia. Heat waves and the scarcity of rainfall strongly affect durum wheat yields. The present study aims to screen for tolerance to combined water and heat stresses in durum wheat at the juvenile stage. Three combined treatments were tested, namely: T0 (100% field capacity (FC) at 24°C), T1 (50% FC at 30°C), and T2 (25% FC at 35°C). The screening was carried out based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical criteria. The results showed that the combined stress significantly affects all the measured parameters. The relative water content (RWC) decreased by 37.6% under T1 compared to T0. Quantum yield (Fv/m) and photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/0) decreased under severe combined stress (T2) by 37.15% and 37.22%, respectively. Under T2 stress, leaf temperature increased by 63.7%. A significant increase in osmo-protective solutes was also observed, including proline, which increased by 154.6% under T2. Correlation analyses of the combination of water and heat stress confirm that the traits RWC, chlorophyll b content (Chlb), Fv/m, proline content (PC), Fv/0, and leaf temperature (LT), can be used as reliable screening criteria for the two stresses combined. The principal component analysis highlighted that Aouija tolerates the two levels of stresses studied, while the genotypes Karim and Hmira are the most sensitive. The results show that the tolerance of durum wheat to combined water and heat stress involves several adaptation mechanisms proportional to the stress intensity.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138561511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-12-08eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad086
Dan Li, Yu Liu, Guoliang Chen, Yan Yan, Zhenqing Bai
{"title":"The <i>SmERF1b-like</i> regulates tanshinone biosynthesis in <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i> hairy root.","authors":"Dan Li, Yu Liu, Guoliang Chen, Yan Yan, Zhenqing Bai","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad086","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aobpla/plad086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ethylene response factor family genes are involved in the regulation of secondary metabolism in <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i>, but the mechanism underlying this regulation remains elusive. In the present study, based on the cDNA library of <i>S. miltiorrhiza</i>, an <i>AP2/ERF</i> gene was cloned and named <i>SmERF1b-like</i>. This gene exhibited a significant response to exogenous ethylene supply, such that ethylene remarkably upregulated <i>SmERF1b-like</i> expression levels in the leaves of <i>S. miltiorrhiza</i>. Subcellular localization showed that <i>SmERF1b-like</i> is located in the nucleus. Furthermore, <i>SmERF1b-like</i> showed a binding affinity with a GCC-box motif in the promoter region of genes associated with tanshinone biosynthesis in <i>S. miltiorrhiza</i>. Overexpression of <i>SmERF1b-like</i> in hairy roots of <i>S. miltiorrhiza</i> substantially upregulated <i>SmCPS1</i> and <i>SmKSL1</i> expression levels, resulting in increased biosynthesis of tanshinone I and cryptotanshinone contents. This finding provides valuable theoretical support for the utilization of a plant genetic engineering strategy to enhance <i>S. miltiorrhiza</i> resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10799320/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139514497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-12-01DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad079
Tiedong Liu, Xiwen Zhang, Shengqun Liu
{"title":"Transcriptome-based network analysis of cell cycle-related genes in response to blue and red light in maize","authors":"Tiedong Liu, Xiwen Zhang, Shengqun Liu","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad079","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In maize, blue and red light are key environmental factors regulating cell-cycle progression. We used transcriptomics to investigate and compare differential gene expression under the four light conditions: red light, blue light, red converted to blue and blue converted to red. A total of 23 differentially expressed genes were identified. The gene–gene interaction analysis indicated a significant interaction between four unidentified genes, 100191551, pco143873, 100284747 and pco060490, and cell-cycle-related genes. Using multiple sequence alignment analysis and protein structure comparisons, we show here that these four unidentified genes were characterized as ALP1-like, ALP1, cyclin P1-1 and AEBP2, respectively. By constructing a protein–protein interaction network, we inferred that 100191551 and pco143873 are potentially regulated to avoid DNA damage by abiotic stress response factors in the cell cycle. The gene 100284747 regulates the cell cycle in response to phosphate starvation signalling. The gene pco060490 potentially negatively regulates the cell cycle through the mediation of Histone H3 and CYCD6 in response to red light. In conclusion, the cell-cycle-related genes are sensitive to blue and red light, and four novel functional genes may be involved in the cell cycle.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138618250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-11-28DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad084
Sabrina S Gavini
{"title":"Sexual dimorphism and female advantage hypothesis in the gynomonoecious-gynodioecious Dianthus plumarius (Caryophyllaceae)","authors":"Sabrina S Gavini","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad084","url":null,"abstract":"To explain the co-existence and maintenance of females along with hermaphrodite plants, the female-advantage hypothesis has been proposed where females should show greater fecundity compared to their conspecific hermaphrodites. On the other hand, greater attraction would be selected in the hermaphrodites to increase their male function, potentially leading to larger showier flowers, with more rewards. Here, I tested the sexual dimorphism trade-off hypothesis with the gynomonoecious-gynodioecious Dianthus plumarius (Caryophyllaceae), in the gardens of Bariloche (Patagonia, Argentina). I measured in female and hermaphrodite plants: flower size, nectar volume and concentration, flower lifespan, ovule production, seed number, seed set, and seed weight. Additionally, bagging and pollen supplementation experiments were carried out to evaluate pollen limitation, probability of apomixis, if spontaneous autogamy is possible, and to examine the importance of pollen origin. I found that hermaphrodite flowers are more attractive, with larger-sized flowers and higher nectar volume, whereas female flowers compensate with longer lifespan of stigmatic receptivity and more concentrated nectar. Despite ovule number was lower in female flowers, these showed higher seed-set, and produced more and heavier seeds than hermaphrodites under open pollination. No evidence of apomixis was found in females, but spontaneous autogamy may occur in hermaphrodites. Hand-pollination experiments showed first that both flower-types suffered pollen-limitation, but it was higher on hermaphrodite flowers. Finally, despite self-compatibility, pollen origin is important because hand self-pollination decreased seed weight. These findings provide strong evidence in support to the mechanisms and underlying conditions that would allow the co-existence and maintenance of female and hermaphrodite individuals within populations.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138516024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-11-24DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad083
Damodar Poudyal, Bal Krishna Joshi, Rong Zhou, Carl-Otto Ottosen, Kishor Chandra Dahal
{"title":"Evaluating the physiological responses and identifying stress-tolerance of Akabare chili landraces to individual and combined drought and heat stresses","authors":"Damodar Poudyal, Bal Krishna Joshi, Rong Zhou, Carl-Otto Ottosen, Kishor Chandra Dahal","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad083","url":null,"abstract":"Akabare chili (Capsicum annuum L.) contributes to Nepalese rural livelihoods but suffers from low productivity due to various abiotic stresses including drought and heat. This study aimed to assess the physiological responses of Akabare chili landraces to heat and drought stress, individually and together, and to identify stress-tolerant genotypes in the early vegetative stage. Selected eight Akabare chili landraces and chili variety ‘Jwala’ were subjected to control (30/22°C day/night) and heat stress (40/32°C) conditions with irrigation, and drought stress (30/22°C) and combined drought-heat stress conditions without irrigation for seven days, followed by a five-day recovery under control condition. Stress-tolerant landraces showed better performance compared to sensitive ones in terms of efficacy of PS II (Fv/Fm), transpiration rate (E), net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), leaf temperature depression (LTD), water use efficiency (WUE), and the ratio of stomata pore area to stomata area (PASA) under stress conditions, resulting in improved biomass. Although all genotypes performed statistically similar under control conditions, their responses Fv/Fm, PN, E, gs, and WUE were significantly reduced under thermal stress, further reduced under drought stress, and severely declined under the combination of both. Total biomass exhibited a 57.48% reduction due to combined stress, followed by drought (37.8%) and heat (21.4%) compared to the control. Among the landraces, C44 showed the most significant gain in biomass (35%), followed by DKT77 (33.48%), while the lowest gain percentage was observed for C64C and PPR77 during the recovery phase (29%). The tolerant landraces also showed a higher percentage of leaf cooling, chlorophyll content, and leaf relative water content with fewer stomata but broader openings of pores. The study identifies potential stress-tolerant Akabare chili landraces and discusses the stress-tolerant physiological mechanisms to develop resilient crop varieties in changing climates.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138516043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-11-22DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad081
Li Zhang, Ruizong Jia, Laipan Liu, Wenjing Shen, Zhixiang Fang, Bin Zhou, Biao Liu
{"title":"Seed coat color and structure are related to the seed dormancy and overwintering ability of crop-to-wild hybrid soybean","authors":"Li Zhang, Ruizong Jia, Laipan Liu, Wenjing Shen, Zhixiang Fang, Bin Zhou, Biao Liu","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad081","url":null,"abstract":"The possible persistence of genetically modified (GM) crop-to-wild hybrid seeds in the soil seed bank is a major concern in risk assessment and is closely related to seed characteristics such as dormancy. In the present study, we generated F3 hybrids via crosses between GM soybean accessions and wild soybean and evaluated the dormancy, overwintering ability and inheritance of foreign genes in different-colored hybrid seeds (yellow, green, brown, and black). The results revealed that the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) transgene may have no influence on crop wild hybrid seed dormancy and overwintering ability, and the dormancy of the hybrid seeds was closely related to seed coat color. F3 hybrid seeds with light colors (yellow and green) were relatively nondormant, while seeds that were dark (brown and black) in color were relatively dormant. Moreover, the hybrid seeds that were dark in color had a much stronger overwintering ability than the lighter-colored seeds, with 21.33% of the black seeds and 33.33% of the brown seeds remaining viable after 240 days of soil burial. In contrast, almost all the F3 yellow and green seeds were no longer viable during winter. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the lighter-colored seeds had a thin palisade layer and very few surface deposits, while the darker-colored seeds had a thicker palisade layer and a large area of honeycomb-like surface deposits similar to those of wild soybean seeds. Thus, the physical dormancy and overwintering ability of the darker-colored seeds may be related to the seed coat. Our results suggest that transgenes of GM soybean might disperse into wild populations and persist in seed banks.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138515965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-11-22DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad082
Eun-Soo Kim, Joon-Hee Han, Kenneth J Olejar, Sang-Hyuck Park
{"title":"Degeneration of oil bodies by rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER)-associated protein during seed germination in Cannabis sativa L","authors":"Eun-Soo Kim, Joon-Hee Han, Kenneth J Olejar, Sang-Hyuck Park","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad082","url":null,"abstract":"Oil bodies serve as a vital energy source of embryos during germination and contribute to sustaining the initial growth of seedlings until photosynthesis initiation. Despite high stability in chemical properties, how oil bodies break down and go into the degradation process during germination is still unknown. This study provides a morphological understanding of the mobilisation of stored compounds in the seed germination of Cannabis. The achenes of fibrous hemp cultivar (Cannabis sativa cv. ‘Chungsam’) were examined in this study using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Oil bodies in Cannabis seeds appeared spherical and sporadically distributed in the cotyledonary cells. Protein bodies contained electron-dense globoid and heterogeneous protein matrices. During seed germination, rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and high electron-dense substances were present adjacent to the oil bodies. The border of the oil bodies became a dense cluster region and appeared as a sinuous outline. Later, irregular hyaline areas were distributed throughout oil bodies, showing the destabilised emulsification of oil bodies. Finally, the oil bodies lost their morphology and fused with each other. The storage proteins were concentrated in the center of the protein body as a dense homogenous circular mass surrounded by a light heterogeneous area. Some storage proteins are considered emulsifying agents on the surface region of oil bodies, enabling them to remain stable and distinct within and outside cotyledon cells. At the early germination stage, rER appeared and dense substances aggregated adjacent to the oil bodies. Certain proteins were synthesised within the rER and then translocated into the oil bodies by crossing the half membrane of oil bodies. Our data suggests that rER-associated proteins function as enzymes to lyse the emulsifying proteins, thereby weakening the emulsifying agent on the surface of the oil bodies. This process plays a key role in the degeneration of oil bodies and induces coalescence during seed germination.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138515970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-11-16eCollection Date: 2023-12-01DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad077
Jonathan Locqueville, Cyrille Violle, Doyle McKey, Sophie Caillon, Sylvain Coq
{"title":"A feedback loop between management, intraspecific trait variation and harvesting practices.","authors":"Jonathan Locqueville, Cyrille Violle, Doyle McKey, Sophie Caillon, Sylvain Coq","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad077","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aobpla/plad077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intraspecific variation in plants is a major ecological mechanism whose local determinants are still poorly understood. In particular, the relationship between this variation and human practices may be key to understanding human-nature relationships. We argue that it is necessary to consider how human practices both influence and depend on the phenotypic variability of species of interest. <i>Arnica montana</i> (arnica) is a good model to study the complex interactions between human actions and plant phenotype, as (i) its ecological niche is shaped by human management actions and (ii) its variability has consequences for harvesters. Using a functional trait approach, we examined feedback loops linking management actions, plant phenotype and harvesting practices. In 27 sites in southeastern France, we measured vegetative and reproductive functional traits of arnica of interest for harvesters, and recorded management actions (grazing; mowing) and ecological variables (including height of surrounding vegetation and tree cover). We examined their effects on plant traits with linear mixed models and used path analysis to test if the effects of human management on traits are mediated by the height of surrounding vegetation. Management actions affected functional traits of arnica. Biomass removal practices (grazing, mowing) were associated with smaller plants producing smaller leaves with reduced specific leaf area. We uncovered the core role of the height of surrounding vegetation in determining this phenotype. Tree cover was associated with reduced flowering. The observed intraspecific variation in response to management actions differentially impacts the two main harvesting practices. Flower-head harvesting depends on reproductive traits that are not impacted by mowing (which is done in winter) but adversely affected by tree cover. In contrast, traits associated with large biomass under tree cover or with high surrounding vegetation are favourable for whole-plant harvesters. Our trait-based approach unveiled clear links between management actions and plant phenotype, with impacts on both vegetative and reproductive traits. These changes induced by management also affect the practices of harvesters. We thus demonstrated a feedback loop between human actions and plant phenotype and provided a novel perspective on human-related causes and consequences of plant intraspecific variability.</p>","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10691405/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138479034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AoB PlantsPub Date : 2023-11-13DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad078
Lydia V Jahn, Sarah R Carrino-Kyker, David J Burke
{"title":"Interannual variation in spring weather conditions as a driver of spring wildflower coverage: A 15-year perspective from an old growth temperate forest","authors":"Lydia V Jahn, Sarah R Carrino-Kyker, David J Burke","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad078","url":null,"abstract":"Spring ephemerals are wildflowers found in temperate deciduous forests that typically display aboveground shoots for a period of two months or less. Early spring, before canopy leaf-out, marks the beginning of the aboveground growth period where ephemerals acquire nutrients and resources via aboveground tissues. Several studies have shown that spring ephemeral reproduction is affected by spring temperature, but few have looked at how weather conditions of the current and previous season, including precipitation and temperature, influence aboveground growth. Here we examine the response of a spring ephemeral community in a temperate hardwood forest to weather conditions during their current and previous growing seasons. For 15 years we estimated percent cover of each species within our community. We highlighted five dominant spring ephemerals within this community: wild leek (Allium tricoccum), cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), spring beauty (Claytonia virginica), squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis), and trout lily (Erythronium americanum). We compared changes in cover on both a community and species level from one year to the next with average precipitation and temperature of the year of measurement as well as the year prior. We found precipitation and temperature influence a change in cover at the community and species level, but the strength of that influence varies by species. There were few significant correlations between plant cover in the current year and temperature and precipitation in the 30 days preceding measurement. However, we found significant correlations between plant cover and precipitation and temperature during the previous spring; precipitation and cover change were positively correlated, while temperature and cover change were negatively correlated. Overall, cooler, wetter springs lead to an increase in aboveground cover the next year. Learning how individual species within a forest plant community respond to weather conditions is a crucial part of understanding how plant communities will respond to climate change.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138516000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Responses of a common tropical epiphyte, <i>Asplenium nidus</i>, to changes in water and nutrient availability","authors":"Xiao-Zhen Chen, J Aaron Hogan, Chiao-Ping Wang, Pei-Ling Wang, Teng-Chiu Lin","doi":"10.1093/aobpla/plad076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plad076","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Epiphytes are highly dependent on atmospheric inputs of water and nutrients. Reductions in water availability associated with warming and climate change and continual atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can affect plant growth but few studies have evaluated the effects of changes in both water and nutrient availabilities on epiphytes. We experimentally tested whether epiphyte growth is more water- or nutrient-limited, if nutrient limitation was stronger for nitrogen or phosphorus, and whether nutrient limitation interacts with water availability. We applied watering (high and low) and nutrient addition (control, +N, +P, +N+P) treatments to greenhouse-grown Asplenium nidus, a common epiphytic fern found in many tropical and subtropical wet forests. We measured leaf area production and leaf elemental concentrations to assess how A. nidus growth and physiology respond to changes in water and nutrient availabilities. We found that leaf growth of A. nidus was more affected by water availability than nutrient addition and the effect of adding nutrients was not fully realized under low water availability. Among the different nutrient treatments, +N+P had the greatest effects on A. nidus growth and physiology in both watering treatments. Watering treatment changed leaf elemental concentrations but not their ratios (i.e., C:N and N:P). Nutrient addition altered C:N and N:P ratios and increased the concentration of the added elements in leaves, with more pronounced increases in the high-watering treatment. We conclude that the growth of A. nidus is more water- than nutrient-limited. When nutrient limitation occurs (i.e., under high water availability), nutrient co-limitation is stronger than limitation by N or P alone. This result taken together with studies of other epiphytes suggests greater water than nutrient limitation is likely widespread among epiphytic plants. The limited effects of nutrient addition in the low-water treatment suggest that the effect of atmospheric N deposition on epiphyte growth will be limited when water availability is low.","PeriodicalId":48955,"journal":{"name":"AoB Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135291800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}