Abstract
Heterogeneity of precipitation could influence various physiological and ecological processes of plants. We present a comparative study on the ecophysiological responses of two congenerous species, Mosla chinensis (an endemic species) and M. scabra (a weedy species), to four soil water content (20%, 40%, 60% and 90% of water holding capacity (WHC), referred to as W20, W40, W60 and W90, respectively) to understand their ecophysiological responses and ecological differentiation. Results showed that both species grew well from W40 to W90, as they showed higher photosynthetic rate and biomass and bigger plants under these soil water content. However, biomass, chlorophyll a to b ratio (Chl a/b) and root to shoot ratio (R/S) of M. scabra but not M. chinensis were significantly reduced under W20, indicating M. chinensis showed stronger capacity of sun-acclimation under severe drought than M. scabra. M. chinensis showed priority in adapting severe drought in comparison with M. scabra. We hypothesize that the different adaptive abilities to soil water content are partly responsible for their ecological differentiation observed in the field and may affect their fate in their native habitat.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Chl :
-
chlorophyll
- E :
-
transpiration rate
- gs:
-
stomatal conductance
- P N :
-
net photosynthetic rate of leaf
- P Nlmean :
-
the mean diurnal photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area
- P Npmean :
-
the mean diurnal photosynthetic rate per plant
- W90, W60, W40, W20:
-
soil water content at 90, 60, 40, and 20% WHC, respectively
- WHC:
-
water holding capacity
- WUE:
-
water use efficiency (P N/E)
- R/S:
-
Root/shoot ratio
References
Anderson, J.M., Photoregulation of the composition, function, and structure of thylakoid membranes, Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol., 1986, vol. 37, pp. 93–136.
Arntz, A.M. and Delph, L.F., Pattern and process: Evidence for the evolution of photosynthetic traits in natural populations. Oecologia, 2001, vol. 127, pp. 455–467.
Bell, D.L. and Sultan, S.E., Dynamic phenotypic plasticity for root growth in Polygonum: A comparative study, Am. J. Bot., 1999, vol. 86, pp. 807–819.
Carvalho, L.C. and Amancio, S., Antioxidant defence system in plantlets transferred from in vitro to vitro: Effects of increasing light intensity and CO2 concentration, Plant Sci., 2002, vol. 162, pp. 33–40.
Casper, B.B., Forseth, I.N., Wait, D.A., Variation in carbon isotope discrimination in relation to plant performance in a natural population of Cryptantha flava, Oecologia, 2005, vol. 145, pp. 541–548.
Chazdon, R.L., Pearcy, R.W., Lee, D.W., and Fetcher, N., Photosynthetic responses of tropical forest plants to contrasting light environments, in Tropical Forest Plant Ecophysiology, Mulkey, S.S., Chazdon, R.L., and Smith, A.P., Eds., New York, Springer, 1996.
Chen, Z.Y., Zhang, M.S., Zhang, Z.A., and Xu, K.Z., Effects of removing leaves on diurnal changes of photosynthesis and mass production of remainder leaves of Panax ginseng. J. Jilin Agric. Univ., 2005, bol. 27, no. 5, pp. 478–480.
Davies, W.J. and Gowing, D.J.G., Plant responses to small perturbations in soil water status, in Physiological Plant Ecology, Press, M.C., Scholes, J.D., and Barker, M.G., Eds., Oxford, Blackwell, 1999.
Ehleringer, J.R., Carbon and water relations in desert plants: An isotopic perspective, in Stable Isotopes and Plant Carbon Water Relations, Ehleringer, J.R., Hall, A.E., and Farquhar, G.D., Eds., San Diego: Academic, 1993, pp. 155–172.
Fang, Y.Y., Wang, J.X., Wei, Z., Zhang, C.F., He, Y.Q., Zheng, C.Z., Lin, Q., Zhang, S.Y., and Qiu, B.L., Flora of Zhejiang (V), Hangzhou: Science and Technology Publishing House, 1989.
Feng, Y.L. and Li, X., The combined effects of soil moisture and irradiance on growth, biomass allocation, morphology and photosynthesis in Amomum villosum, Agroforest Syst., 2007, vol. 71, pp. 89–98.
Ge, Y., Lu, Y.J., Liao, J.X., Guan, B.H., and Chang, J., Photosynthetic parameters of Mosla hangchowensis and Mosla dianthera as affected by soil moisture, Photosynthetica, 2004, vol. 42, pp. 387–391.
Ge, Y., Chang, J., Fu, C.X., and Chan, G.Y.S., Effect of soil water status on the physioecological traits and the ecological replacement of two endangered species, Changium smyrnioides and Chuanminshen violaceum, Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin., 2003, vol. 44, pp. 291–296.
Gleeson, S.K. and Tilman, D., Plant allocation and the multiple limitation hypothesis, Am. Nat., 1992, vol. 139, pp. 1322–1343.
Gravatt. D.A. and Kirby, C.J., Patterns of photosynthesis and starch allocation in seedlings of four bottomland hardwood tree species subjected to flooding, Tree Physiol., 1998, vol. 18, pp. 411–417.
Guan, B.H., Ge, Y., and Chang, J., Phenotypic plasticity of Mosla chinensis and M. scabra (Labiatae) response to soil water status, Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin., 2004, vol. 45, pp. 229–236.
Hunt, R., Plant Growth Analysis, London: Edward Arnold, 1978.
Lambers, H., Chapin, F.S., III, and Pons, T.L., Plant Physiological Ecology. ew York: Springer, 1998.
Li, S., Pezeshki, S.R., and Goodwin, S., Effects of soil moisture regimes on photosynthesis and growth in cattail (Typha latifolia), Acta Oecol. Int. J. Ecol., 2004, vol. 25, pp. 17–22.
Li, R.Q., Gao, X.Y., Guo, Y.S., Wu, D.S., The stomatal morphological changes of maize after soaking, J. Chin. Electr. Microsc. Soc., 1988, vol. 3, p. 37.
Liao, J.X., Ge, Y., Huang, C.C., Zhang, J., Liu, Q.X., and Chang, J., Effects of irradiance on photosynthetic characteristics and growth of Mosla chinensis and M. scabra, Photosynthetica, 2005, vol. 43, pp. 111–115.
Mann, C.J. and Wetzel, R.G., Photosynthesis and stomatal conductance of Juncus effusus in a temperate wetland ecosystem, Aquat. Bot., 1999, vol. 63, pp. 127–144.
Mielke, M.S., Almeida, A.F., Gomes, F.P., Aguilar, M.A.G., and Mangabeira, P.A.O., Leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and growth responses of Genipa americana seedlings to soil flooding, Environ. Exp. Bot., 2003, vol. 50, pp. 221–231.
Mulkey, S.S. and Pearcy, R.W., Interaction between acclimation and photoinhibition of photosynthesis of a tropical forest understorey herb, Alocasia macrorrhiza, during simulated canopy gap formation, Funct. Ecol., 1992, vol. 6, pp. 719–729.
Ogaya, R. and Peuelas, J., Comparative field study of Quercus ilex and Phillyrea latifolia: Photosynthetic response to experimental drought conditions, Environ. Exp. Bot., 2003, vol. 50, pp. 137–148.
Peng, Y.S. and Liu, E., Studies of method on extract Chlorophyll a and b, Acta Agr. Univ. Pekin, 1992, vol. 18, pp. 247–250.
Picotte, J.J., Rosenthal, D.M., and Rhode, J.M., PlastiC responses to temporal variation in moisture availability: Consequences for water use efficiency and plant performance, Oecologia, 2007, vol. 153, pp. 821–832.
Qian, W.H., Fu, J.L., and Yan, Z.W., Decrease of light rain events in summer associated with a warming environment in China during 1961–2005, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2007, vol. 34, L11705.
Schulze, E.D., Robichaux, R.H., Grace, J., Rundel, P.W., and Ehleringe, J.R., Plant water balance, BioScience, 1987, vol. 37, pp. 30–37.
Shangguan, Z.P., Shao, M.A., and Dyckmans, J., Nitrogen nutrition and water stress effects on leaf photosynthetic gas exchange and water use efficiency in winter wheat, Environ. Exp. Bot., 2000, vol. 44, pp. 141–149.
Su, B., Han, X.G., Li, L.H., Huan, J.H., Bai Y. Fei., and Qu, C.M., Responses of Δ13C value and water use effieicency of plant species to environmental gradients along the grassland zone of northeast China transect, Acta Phytoecol. Sin., 2000, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 648–655.
Tenhunen, J., Roupsard, O., and Rambal, S., Severe drought effects on ecosystem CO2 and H2O fluxes at three Mediterranean evergreen sites: Revision of current hypotheses?, Global Change Biol., 2002, vol. 8, pp. 999–1017.
Vartapetian, B.B. and Jackson, M.B., Plant adaptation to anaerobic stress, Ann. Bot., 1997, vol. 79 (Suppl. A), pp. 3–20.
Xu, H., Li, Y., Xu, G.Q., and Zou, T., Ecophysiological response and morphological adjustment of two Central Asian desert shrubs toward variation in summer precipitation. Plant Cell Environ., 2007, vol. 30, pp. 399–409.
Yang, Y.Z., Zhang, Y.X., and Peng, F.R., Effects of drought stress on photosynthetic characteristics in Toona sinensis seedlings from different provenances, J. Bei**g Forest Univ., 2011, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 44–48.
Yuan, S.F. and Tang, H.P., Research advances in the ecophysiological characteristics of ephemerals adaptation to habitats. Acta Pratacult. Sin., 2010, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 240–247.
Zhang, S.A., An analysis of the chemical composition of essential oil of Mosla in the Yangtze delta and its bearing on phylogeny, Acta Bot. Yunnanica, 1989, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 187–192.
Zhao, P., Sun, G.C., Zeng, X.P., Peng, S.L., Mo, X.M., and Li, Y.X., A comparative study on chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence and diurnal course of leaf gas exchange of two ecotypes of banyan, Chin. J. Appl. Ecol., 2000, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 327–332.
Zheng, S.Z., Sun, L.P., and Shen, X.W., Chemical constituents of Mosla chinensis Maxim., Acta Bot. Sin., 1996, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 156–160.
Zhou, S.L., Pan, K.Y., and Hong, D.Y., Pollination intensity and pollination efficiency-dependent nutlet set of Mosla hangchouensis (Labiatae). Acta Bot. Yunnanica, 1998, vol. 20, pp. 445–452.
Zou, T., Li, Y., and Xu, H., Responses to precipitation treatment for Haloxylon ammodendron growing on contrasting textured soils. Ecol. Res., 2010, vol. 25, pp. 185–194.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The article is published in the original.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lu, Y.J., Wang, M., Ge, Y. et al. Response of photosynthetic and growth characteristic of Mosla chinensis and congenerous weed M. scabra to soil water content. Russ J Ecol 45, 367–374 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S106741361405018X
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S106741361405018X