Wang Mengyan, Wang Zuoyi, Yang Yuan, Zhao Xinquan, Zhou Huakun, Zhou Shurong, Yin Xin, Ren Yanmei, Dong Huanhuan, Zhang Longxin, Ma Zhen, Zhang Chunhui
State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture Qinghai University Xining Qinghai China.
Key Laboratory of Restoration Ecology for Cold Regions in Qinghai, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Xining Qinghai China.
Ecol Evol. 2024 May 13;14(5):e11393. doi: 10.1002/ece3.11393. eCollection 2024 May.
Plants can adapt to environmental changes by adjusting their functional traits and biomass allocation. The size and number of flowers are functional traits related to plant reproduction. Life history theory predicts that there is a trade-off between flower size and number, and the trade-off can potentially explain the adaptability of plants. Elevation gradients in mountains provide a unique opportunity to test how plants will respond to climate change. In this study, we tried to better explain the adaptability of the alpine plant var. in response to climate change. We measured the flower size and number, individual size, and reproductive allocation of var. during the flowering period along an elevation gradient from 3200 to 4000 m, and explored their relationships using linear mixed-effect models and the structural equation model. We found that with elevation increasing, individual size and flower number decreased and flower size increased, while reproductive allocation remained unchanged. Individual size positively affected flower number, but was not related to flower size; reproductive allocation positively affected flower size, but was not related to flower number; there is a clear trade-off between flower size and number. We also found that elevation decreased flower number indirectly via directly reducing individual size. In sum, this study suggests that var. can adapt to alpine environments by the synergies or trade-offs among individual size, reproductive allocation, flower size, and flower number. This study increases our understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of alpine plants to climate change in alpine environments.
植物可以通过调整其功能性状和生物量分配来适应环境变化。花的大小和数量是与植物繁殖相关的功能性状。生活史理论预测，花的大小和数量之间存在权衡，这种权衡可能解释了植物的适应性。山区的海拔梯度为测试植物如何应对气候变化提供了独特的机会。在本研究中，我们试图更好地解释高山植物变种对气候变化的适应性。我们在海拔3200至4000米的梯度上测量了变种在花期的花大小和数量、个体大小以及繁殖分配，并使用线性混合效应模型和结构方程模型探索了它们之间的关系。我们发现，随着海拔升高，个体大小和花数量减少，花大小增加，而繁殖分配保持不变。个体大小对花数量有正向影响，但与花大小无关；繁殖分配对花大小有正向影响，但与花数量无关；花大小和数量之间存在明显的权衡。我们还发现，海拔通过直接减小个体大小间接减少了花数量。总之，本研究表明，变种可以通过个体大小、繁殖分配、花大小和花数量之间的协同作用或权衡来适应高山环境。本研究增加了我们对高山植物在高山环境中适应气候变化机制的理解。
