Leaf nutrient resorption and drought resistance are crucial for the growth and survival of plants. However, our understanding of the relationships between leaf nutrient resorption and plant drought resistance is still limited.
In a study published in Tree Physiology, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) examined the associations between nutrient resorption efficiency (NuRE), drought resistance traits, and leaf structural traits in woody species within a Chinese savanna characterized by pronounced seasonal drought. They revealed a negative association between leaf nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiencies and plant drought resistance among woody species in savanna.
The researchers investigated the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in green and senesced leaves, leaf morphological and structural traits, leaf construction cost (LCC), leaf osmotic potential at full hydration, xylem water potential at 50% loss of xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity, and seasonal minimum water potential of 18 tree and shrub species in Yuanjiang savanna ecosystem in Yunnan.
They found that species with lower drought resistance tended to exhibit higher nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiencies across woody species studied. Moreover, leaf structural investment played a role in modulating the trade-offs between plant drought resistance and nutrient resorption efficiencies. Species with low structural investment (e.g., leaf mass per area, leaf dry mass content, and leaf construction cost) tend to have high NRE and PRE, while those with high leaf construction costs show high drought resistance.
The results suggest that species with a lower leaf structural
investment have a greater need to recycle their nutrients and demonstrate more efficienct nutrient resorption.
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the associations between nutrient resorption and plant drought-resistance traits,” said ZHANG Shubin of XTBG.
Contact
ZHANG Shubin Ph.D
Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
E-mail: zhangshubin@xtbg.ac.cn
First published: 15 December 2023
