Yu Hailun, Zhao Xueyong, Huang Wenda, Zhan Jin, He Yuanzheng
Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, China.
Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2021 Nov 16;12:733268. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.733268. eCollection 2021.
Extensive studies have shown that the success of invasive plants in large environmental gradients can be partly attributed to related factors, including phenotypic plasticity and rapid evolution. To enhance their ability to compete and invade, invasive plants often show higher morphological and physiological plasticity to adapt to different habitat conditions. In the past two decades, invasive species have expanded to some new habitats in North and Northwest China, including arid oasis agricultural zones, which are disturbed by human activities, and the ecosystem itself is very fragile. To evaluate the ecological adaptability of invasive plants widely distributed in North and Northwest China, we studied the physiological response and tolerance mechanism of different geographical populations of Dunal to different drought-stress gradients in extremely arid regions (Xinjiang population) and semi-arid regions (Inner Mongolia population). The results showed that with the aggravation of drought stress, from different geographical populations adopted different physiological mechanisms to drought stress. Xinjiang population was mostly affected by root/shoot ratio and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, showing higher plasticity in the net and total photosynthetic rates, while the Inner Mongolia population mainly relied on the accumulation of osmotic adjustment substances, higher leaf dry matter content, and increased malondialdehyde to cope with drought stress. Based on these results, we concluded that the physiological responses of invading different habitats in northern China to drought stress were significantly different. The drought resistance of the Xinjiang population was higher than that of the Inner Mongolia population. In general, can be widely adapted to both harsh and mild habitats through phenotypic plasticity, threatening agricultural production and ecological environment security in northern China.
大量研究表明，入侵植物在大尺度环境梯度下的成功部分可归因于相关因素，包括表型可塑性和快速进化。为增强其竞争和入侵能力，入侵植物常表现出更高的形态和生理可塑性以适应不同的生境条件。在过去二十年中，入侵物种已扩展到中国北方和西北的一些新栖息地，包括受人类活动干扰且生态系统本身非常脆弱的干旱绿洲农业区。为评估广泛分布于中国北方和西北的入侵植物的生态适应性，我们研究了极度干旱地区（新疆种群）和半干旱地区（内蒙古种群）不同地理种群的梭梭对不同干旱胁迫梯度的生理响应和耐受机制。结果表明，随着干旱胁迫加剧，不同地理种群对干旱胁迫采用了不同的生理机制。新疆种群主要受根冠比和叶绿素荧光特性影响，在净光合速率和总光合速率方面表现出较高的可塑性，而内蒙古种群主要依靠渗透调节物质的积累、较高的叶片干物质含量和丙二醛增加来应对干旱胁迫。基于这些结果，我们得出结论，梭梭入侵中国北方不同生境对干旱胁迫的生理响应存在显著差异。新疆种群的抗旱性高于内蒙古种群。总体而言，梭梭可通过表型可塑性广泛适应恶劣和温和的生境，威胁中国北方的农业生产和生态环境安全。
