Yang Chengfeng, Liao Renfu, Huang Shengzhuo, Cheng Yikang, Zhou Shurong
Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
Hainan Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Products from Li Folk Medicine, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Mar 26;16:1548664. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1548664. eCollection 2025.
Island ecosystems, due to their geographical isolation and unique environmental conditions, often serve as natural laboratories for ecological research and are also sensitive to global climate change and biodiversity loss. The allometric relationship between plant height-diameter reflects the adaptive growth strategy of plants under different environmental conditions, particularly in response to biomechanical constraints (e.g., wind resistance) and resource availability. This study aims to explore the key driving factors of the height-diameter allometry of island plants, focusing on how island area, soil properties, and climatic factors (e.g., wind speed, temperature, and precipitation) affect plant growth strategy.
We analyzed plant data from 20 tropical islands, using SMA regression to calculate the allometric exponent and intercept for each island's plants, and evaluated the effects of island area, soil properties, and climatic factors (wind speed, temperature, and precipitation) on the height-diameter allometric relationship.
The results show that island area has no significant effect on plant allometry, while climatic factors, particularly wind speed, and soil properties significantly influence the allometric exponent and intercept, respectively. Specifically, wind speed is the primary driver of the height-diameter allometric exponent, regulating plant growth proportions through mechanical stress and canopy limitation. In contrast, soil properties predominantly govern changes in the allometric intercept, reflecting their critical role in determining baseline growth conditions, such as resource allocation and initial morphological adaptation. The effects of temperature and precipitation are relatively weak, likely due to the buffering effects of the tropical climate and marine moisture supplementation.
Overall, this study highlights the key roles of wind speed and soil in shaping the allometry of island plants, providing new insights into the adaptive strategies of island plants under resource limitations and climatic pressures, as well as offering important scientific evidence for island ecological conservation and restoration.
岛屿生态系统由于其地理隔离和独特的环境条件，常成为生态研究的天然实验室，同时也对全球气候变化和生物多样性丧失较为敏感。植物高度与直径之间的异速生长关系反映了植物在不同环境条件下的适应性生长策略，特别是对生物力学限制（如抗风性）和资源可用性的响应。本研究旨在探讨岛屿植物高度 - 直径异速生长的关键驱动因素，重点关注岛屿面积、土壤性质和气候因素（如风速、温度和降水）如何影响植物生长策略。
我们分析了来自20个热带岛屿的植物数据，使用主轴回归（SMA）计算每个岛屿植物的异速生长指数和截距，并评估岛屿面积、土壤性质和气候因素（风速、温度和降水）对高度 - 直径异速生长关系的影响。
结果表明，岛屿面积对植物异速生长没有显著影响，而气候因素，特别是风速，以及土壤性质分别对异速生长指数和截距有显著影响。具体而言，风速是高度 - 直径异速生长指数的主要驱动因素，通过机械应力和冠层限制调节植物生长比例。相比之下，土壤性质主要控制异速生长截距的变化，反映了它们在确定基线生长条件（如资源分配和初始形态适应）中的关键作用。温度和降水的影响相对较弱，可能是由于热带气候的缓冲作用和海洋水分补充。
总体而言，本研究突出了风速和土壤在塑造岛屿植物异速生长方面的关键作用，为岛屿植物在资源限制和气候压力下的适应性策略提供了新的见解，也为岛屿生态保护和恢复提供了重要的科学依据。
