Flora最新文献

{"title":"Comparative morpho-anatomical study of the native Fritillaria species from Romania and its taxonomic significance","authors":"Anca Sârbu ,&nbsp;Alina Georgiana Cîșlariu ,&nbsp;Adrian Oprea ,&nbsp;Culiță Sîrbu ,&nbsp;Anca-Monica Paraschiv ,&nbsp;Mioara Dumitrașcu","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the native <em>Fritillaria</em> species of Romania, <em>Fritillaria montana</em> Hoppe ex W.D.J. Koch (mesophilous), <em>Fritillaria meleagris</em> L. (meso‑hygrophilous), and <em>Fritillaria meleagroides</em> Schult. &amp; Schult. fil. (halo-hygrophilous). <em>Fritillaria montana</em> and <em>Fritillaria meleagris</em> are protected in Romania, whereas <em>Fritillaria meleagroides</em> is newly recorded in the national flora. Field identification of these taxa relied on morphological traits visible during the reproductive period.</div><div>The study examines the vegetative organs (roots, bulbs, stems, and leaves) to provide a detailed understanding of species morpho-anatomy and to aid taxonomic identification outside the flowering phase. Given their differing ecological requirements, particular focus was on structural variation related to soil moisture conditions. Morphological measurements were complemented by anatomical analyses of cross-sections and paradermal sections (leaf) examined under optical microscopy.</div><div>Morphological differences among taxa were minor, whereas anatomical analyses revealed distinct histological features in all vegetative organs. Key traits include the presence or absence of aeriferous cavities in the root cortex and bulb storage parenchyma; variation in aeriferous formations in the stem medullary parenchyma; dimensional variation in stem parenchyma; numerical and dimensional differences in conductive bundles; presence or absence of perifascicular sheaths in the lamina; and differences in lamina cross-section outline.</div><div>Anatomical traits linked to moisture preference, particularly the occurrence of aeriferous formations, proved most informative for distinguishing species outside the reproductive period. These features formed the basis of a dichotomous identification key, designed for use under optical microscopy. The key enables reliable identification of <em>Fritillaria</em> taxa during the vegetative stage or from vegetative fragments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152826"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heat-resistance response of Ceiba aesculifolia seedlings induced by thermopriming","authors":"Estela Corral-Castrejón ,&nbsp;Leslie Hinojosa-Barrera ,&nbsp;Ximena Gómez-Maqueo ,&nbsp;Eleazar Martínez-Barajas ,&nbsp;Noé Velázquez-Rosas ,&nbsp;Alicia Gamboa-deBuen","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152825","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152825","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ceiba aesculifolia</em> (ceiba) is a tropical plant species with high resistance to environmental stresses and assigns biomass and reserves to belowground tissues to cope with hydric stress. We determined if thermotolerance can be induced in ceiba seedlings by implementing a heat stress and heat priming protocol to germinating seeds. Assessment of seedling survival and development was done at two developmental stages, fully expanded cotyledon and three true leaves seedlings under controlled conditions, as well as saplings under field conditions. Heat stress was induced by subjecting germinated seeds to different supra-optimal temperatures for 45 min. A 100 % of seedlings subjected to heat below 42 °C survived. Seedling survival decreased at 48 °C and 50 °C, the latter also accumulated starch as a result of the treatment. The priming temperature was set at 37 °C since germinating seeds did not present any injury in the radicle and all seedlings survived. Thermopriming treatment at 37 °C for 90 min promoted 50 % of seedling survival to the lethal temperature (51 °C) and an increase in starch accumulation. No significant change on plant height and coverage in field conditions were detected in thermo-primed plants. Seedling survival and further development at 51 °C after thermopriming indicates the induction of thermotolerance mechanisms in ceiba by the presence of two or three tubers in 50 % of the treated seedlings and a 27 % increase in tuber starch content. These early developmental / functional responses in ceiba could allow them to develop and establish in heat-stressed soil environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152825"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anatomical and physiological adjustments reveal mechanisms of drought response in seedlings","authors":"Stefany Priscila Reis Figueiredo ,&nbsp;Beatriz Vitória Barbosa ,&nbsp;Renan Marques Siqueira ,&nbsp;Caroline Signori-Müller ,&nbsp;Grazielle Sales Teodoro","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152824","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152824","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Some tropical forests experience prolonged droughts, making it essential to understand species' drought resistance mechanisms. Anatomical traits related to hydraulic architecture explain how water transport occurs in plants and how species cope with water scarcity. However, the ability of species to adjust their hydraulic architecture to water availability remains unclear. We assessed variations in hydraulic architecture and physiological responses to drought, focusing on the coordination between anatomical and physiological traits. This study was conducted in a greenhouse with seedlings of three tropical species: <em>Clitoria fairchildiana, Manilkara elata</em>, and <em>Bertholletia excelsa</em>. We applied three water availability treatments (15 %, 50 %, and 100 % of field capacity) for four months. We measured branch anatomical traits: Vessel area (VA), Hydraulic diameter (Dh), Vessel density (VD), Vessel grouping index (VG), Vessel lumen fraction (F), and Xylem theoretical conductivity (Ks); physiological traits: Leaf predawn (Ψ_PD) and midday (Ψ_MD) water potential, and pressure–volume curve traits. All species adjusted their traits in response to water availability. <em>Manilkara elata</em>, the species with the highest wood density, exhibited smaller anatomical and hydraulic trait variations, with only a decrease in turgor loss point under water limitation. The two species with lower wood density showed contrasting responses. <em>Bertholletia excelsa</em> enhanced hydraulic efficiency by increasing Ks, VA and Dh, while <em>C. fairchildiana</em> increased drought resistance by adjusting turgor loss point and osmotic potential. Our results highlight a trade-off between water transport efficiency and drought resistance in <em>C. fairchildiana</em>. These results indicate distinct responses in each species that contribute to species survival under water limitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152824"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144912741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interactive effect of phenolics and microorganisms on Sphagnum spore viability and germination","authors":"Bei-Bei Fan ,&nbsp;Azim Mallik ,&nbsp;Si-Nan Wang ,&nbsp;Jia-Qi Zhang ,&nbsp;Jian-Yi Wang ,&nbsp;Zhao-Jun Bu","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Allelopathic interactions with microorganisms likely govern plant community assembly, yet their effects on spore germination of <em>Sphagnum</em>, a critical carbon-sequestering genus, remains unknown. Using a hummock sphagnum, <em>S. fuscum</em> and a hollow sphagnum, <em>S. squarrosum</em>, we tested the effects of three phenolic compounds and their mixture common in peatland water on spore germination with and without microorganisms. Both individual and mixture of phenolic compounds increased <em>Sphagnum</em> spore viability. In presence of microorganisms, the viability of <em>S. fuscum</em> spores reduced from 44 to 36 % when cultivated in ultrapure water but it was increased from 52 to 63 % in peat water. Phenolic compounds had inhibitory effect on microbial biomass with stronger effect in peat water (mixture of phenolics) than in individual phenolic compounds. The two <em>Sphagnum</em> species showed different response to allelopathy and microorganisms. While both species showed bet-hedging strategy, the hummock species maintained low and hollow species maintained high germinability. We conclude that <em>Sphagnum</em>-derived phenolics can maintain spore viability by inhibiting microorganisms. We suggest that the inhibitory effect of allelochemicals on microorganisms can be an important mechanism for maintaining viable spore bank in peatlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152823"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144895602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought priming enhances photosynthesis and growth of the ephemeral plant Erodium oxyrhinchum","authors":"Yanfeng Chen ,&nbsp;Qianli Zhang ,&nbsp;Qian Liu ,&nbsp;Hongmin Li ,&nbsp;Chen Gong ,&nbsp;Lan Zhang ,&nbsp;Lingwei Zhang ,&nbsp;Huiliang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152822","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing frequency and intensity of drought events due to climate change pose significant challenges to plant growth. However, it remains unclear whether drought priming during early growth stages can enhance plant resilience and mitigate the adverse effects of severe drought stress. To address this, we conducted an experiment on the desert ephemeral plant <em>Erodium oxyrhinchum</em> to examine its photosynthesis and growth responses to drought priming in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China. The field experiment included two treatments: (1) drought priming applied twice at the seedling stage followed by severe drought stress at the reproductive stage, and (2) adequate irrigation at the seedling stage followed by severe drought stress at the reproductive stage. Our results showed that drought priming significantly reduced stomatal conductance during the full leaf expansion stage, but enhanced net photosynthesis at the initial flowering stage. Compared to the control, drought-primed plants exhibited lower intercellular CO₂ concentrations at both the full leaf expansion and initial flowering stages, along with increased stomatal limitation and intrinsic water use efficiency. Additionally, drought priming significantly elevated superoxide dismutase activity and soluble sugar accumulation at the initial flowering stage. Throughout the plant’s life cycle, free proline and soluble sugar concentration initially increased and then declined, with both superoxide dismutase activity and soluble sugar concentration remaining significantly higher at the initial flowering stage under drought priming. These findings indicate that drought priming enhances stress tolerance by activating protective metabolic mechanisms, reducing transpiration, and improving both water use and photosynthetic efficiency. Finally, drought-primed plants not only exhibited greater resilience to severe drought stress but also demonstrated compensatory growth, leading to increased individual total biomass and reproductive output. Therefore, drought priming may serve as a promising strategy for sustaining plant growth under extreme drought conditions and offers valuable insights for vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152822"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physiological responses of Illicium difengpi to simulated persistent and intermittent droughts","authors":"Baoyu Liu ,&nbsp;Huiling Liang ,&nbsp;Xiujiao Zhang ,&nbsp;Hai Ren ,&nbsp;Manlian Wang ,&nbsp;Hui Tang ,&nbsp;Xue Zhao ,&nbsp;Dafeng Hui ,&nbsp;Chenghua Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152820","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global climate change has intensified the impacts of persistent and intermittent droughts on karst plants, especially on endangered and medicinal species, but research in this area remains limited. This study investigated the effects of two types of droughts, i.e., persistent drought–rehydration (PD-R) and cyclic mild/moderate drought–rehydration (CD-R), on <em>Illicium difengpi</em>, an endangered medicine plant native to the karst regions in China, using two-years-old seedlings. Key physiological variables were measured throughout the experimental period. The leaf relative water content and predawn water potential of the species rapidly recovered to the control levels after rehydration. However, photosynthesis-related variables—including net photosynthetic rate (P_n), effective PSII quantum yield (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), chlorophyll concentration (Chl a+b), Chl a/b ratio—were positively correlated with soil moisture content (SM) but negatively correlated with drought cycles, leading to increasing decline with increased drought severity and frequency. Consequently, these variables failed to fully recover during the rehydration phase following severe drought or multiple CD-R cycles. Malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation significantly increased during severe drought and the third CD-R cycle. Catalase (CAT) activity increased progressively with drought intensity under PD-R (60–291 %), while CD-R induced significant increases of 28–68 % (mild) and 44–170 % (moderate). Proline (Pro) and soluble proteins (SP) elevated significantly only under severe persistent drought stress, showing no significant change under CD-R. This study demonstrates that: (i) <em>I. difengpi</em> exhibits strong post-drought water recovery; (ii) drought damage increases with severity and frequency; (iii) CAT plays a key role in antioxidant defense, while Pro and SP primarily respond to severe or multiple drought cycles. These findings provide a preliminary understanding of the physiological response of <em>I. difengpi</em> to persistent and intermittent drought.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152820"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144858315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Intraspecific variation of leaf traits in tree plantings of different ages in a tropical forest” [Journal Flora 325 (2025) 152700]","authors":"Nathalie Loureiro ,&nbsp;Jerônimo Sansevero","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152818","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152818"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Amazonian trees functional adjustments to long term experimental drought are limited and species dependent","authors":"Vanessa Negrão-Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Paulo Bittencourt ,&nbsp;Pablo Sanchez-Martinez ,&nbsp;Lucy Rowland ,&nbsp;Lion R. Martius ,&nbsp;Patrick Meir ,&nbsp;Manolo T. Quintilhan ,&nbsp;José Roberto V. Aragão ,&nbsp;Victor Brigatto ,&nbsp;Vinicius D. Oliveira ,&nbsp;Peter Groenendijk ,&nbsp;Arlete A. Soares ,&nbsp;Antônio Carlos da Costa ,&nbsp;João Athaydes Silva Junior ,&nbsp;Leandro Valle Ferreira ,&nbsp;Grazielle Sales Teodoro","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water availability influences the distribution and functioning of tropical forests, yet there is uncertainty about how species will respond to future drier conditions. The longest throughfall exclusion experiment (TFE) in tropical forest, eSecaFlor, which run for 22 years, showed long term soil water reduction resulted in a new eco-hydrological state with minimal drought stress due to reduced biomass, requiring the re-evaluation of species functional adjustments under this new state. In this study, we investigated whether Eastern Amazon tree species in the eSecaFlor TFE adjust their functional traits in response to long-term soil water deficit and whether these adjustments differ across species. We selected 9 species that occur in the control and TFE plots and we measured functional traits related to leaf water status (predawn and midday water potential), leaf and wood economics (specific leaf area and wood density) and xylem anatomical traits related to hydraulic efficiency (vessel diameter and number, and hydraulic specific conductivity). We found that species did not adjust most of their traits in response to the TFE. However, we found species-specific adjustments in predawn water potential and wood density, but those adjustments were not unidirectional, with some species increasing and others decreasing their trait values. Because of limited adjustments, there was no shift in tree functional space caused by the TFE. Our study highlights the need to further study what mechanisms controls species-dependent drought responses and how the Amazon forest species community may be affected given drought responses of species is not uniform.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152821"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144858383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phenological seasonality and contribution of inter- and intraspecific variation to relationships with morpho-biochemical traits in seasonal Atlantic forests","authors":"Jonatha de Sousa Reis ,&nbsp;José Luiz Alves Silva ,&nbsp;Douglas Rodrigues Ribeiro ,&nbsp;Gustavo Viana de Freitas ,&nbsp;Ana Paula Lima do Couto-Santos ,&nbsp;Ligia Silveira Funch ,&nbsp;Angela Pierre Vitória","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152819","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152819","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seasonality and trait variability influence leaf phenology's duration, intensity, onset, and end. Focusing on species instead of intraspecific variability may oversimplify forest dynamics and limit predictions of morphological-biochemical trait associations. Over two years, leaf flush, fall, and seven morpho-biochemical traits were quantified to explore functional traits related to leaf phenology and the contribution of inter- and intraspecific variability. The study involved 423 individuals of ten deciduous and 21 evergreen species in a seasonal evergreen and a semideciduous forest in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. In the seasonal semideciduous forest, deciduous species showed a seasonality of 0.74–1.02 in leaf flush and fall, compared to evergreens (0.23–0.66). Seasonality in leaf flush and fall was correlated in this forest, regardless of inter- and intraspecific variability. In contrast, leaf flush and fall did not differ between leaf habits in the seasonal evergreen forest. They were not correlated, which may indicate that drought resistance is a prevalent mechanism in this forest, resulting in longer leaf longevity and more continuous phenological patterns. Thickness, specific leaf area, and the carbon/nitrogen ratio were associated with leaf phenology and varied between forests and interspecific and intraspecific variations. Intraspecific variability contributed more to trait variance in the semideciduous forest, while interspecific variability and leaf habit were more influential in the seasonal evergreen forest. Our study highlights the importance of quantifying seasonality in leaf phenology for individuals, not only for species, for enhanced understanding of forest dynamics, particularly where seasonal abiotic factors impact community assembly.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152819"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144827400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Which habitat element has the critical impact on photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates, and antioxidant defense in epiphytic mosses?","authors":"Tahereh A. Aghajanzadeh ,&nbsp;Seyedeh Sepideh Seyed Mousavi ,&nbsp;Farshad Mohammadzadeh Gharegheshlagh ,&nbsp;Afshin Fayyaz Movaghar","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mosses, as an essential component of the Hyrcanian Forest ecosystem, are influenced by various ecological factors. The current study aimed to investigate the role of habitat elements on the concentration of photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates, antioxidant compounds, and antioxidative enzymes activity in three native epiphytic moss species from the Neckeraceae family: <em>Forsstroemia remotifolia, Homalia besseri</em>, and <em>Neckera complanata.</em> The mosses were collected from the Hyrcanian Forest in Golestan Province, northern Iran, along three bands of an elevational transect with different climatic conditions. The results revealed that in <em>H. besseri</em> and <em>F. remotifolia</em> the metabolite concentrations and antioxidative enzyme activities were not correlated with elevation or associated climatic factors. Instead, they were strongly influenced by the characteristics of their host trees. Notably, the patterns of change in metabolites including chlorophyll a and b, soluble carbohydrates, proteins, phenols, and the activity of antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase were similar in these two moss species, regardless of whether they were collected from low or high elevations. This similarity may be attributed to their common host tree, <em>Parrotia persica.</em> It appears that the host tree plays a significant role in shaping the mosses’ metabolite profiles particularly through traits such as bark thickness and pH. In contrast, the metabolite composition in <em>N. complanata</em>, including photosynthetic pigments, soluble proteins, flavonols, and SOD activity, was influenced by both the host tree and elevation. Moreover, <em>N. complanata</em> exhibited different responses to host tree features (bark thickness and pH) compared to <em>H. besseri</em> and <em>F. remotifolia</em>. This study concludes that host tree characteristics play a pivotal role in modulating the physiological responses of epiphytic mosses, revealing species-specific sensitivities to elevational gradients. The findings emphasize the intricate interaction between host bark traits and abiotic environmental factors in shaping moss metabolism within the Hyrcanian Forest ecosystem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"331 ","pages":"Article 152816"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144749382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}