Mi Wentao, Zheng Hao, Zhang Haixuan, Zhang Wanyu, Chi Yuan, Ren Weibo
Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and the Candidate State Laboratory of Ministry of Science and Technology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 May 20;16:1596849. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1596849. eCollection 2025.
is a common medicinal and edible plant in grasslands of northern China. However, previous studies were limited to the production and utilization value of , and only few studies have paid attention to the changes in the functional traits of wild on a large scale. Therefore, this study examined 145 specimens collected from northern China. By measuring 10 functional traits, including leaf length, leaf width, and leaf area, we analyzed the interplay between functional traits as a response to changes in environmental factors. Significant differences were observed between the eastern and western populations of . Functional traits exhibited pronounced latitudinal and longitudinal gradients. With increasing latitude and longitude, tended to change its functional traits to adapt to environmental changes. In high-temperature and high-rainfall environments, developed larger leaf areas and longer leaves. Random forest analysis identified temperature within the latitudinal and longitudinal context as the primary driver of functional trait variation. Furthermore, interdependencies among functional traits were evident, with specific traits-such as stem length, leaf width, and leaf area-emerging as central to the adaptive process. These findings elucidate the mechanisms and key factors underlying the functional trait adaptation of , providing critical insights for the breeding of region-specific varieties in China.
是中国北方草原常见的药食两用植物。然而，以往的研究仅限于其生产和利用价值，只有少数研究关注野生在大尺度上功能性状的变化。因此，本研究对从中国北方采集的145个标本进行了检测。通过测量包括叶长、叶宽和叶面积在内的10个功能性状，我们分析了功能性状之间的相互作用，作为对环境因素变化的响应。在的东部和西部种群之间观察到显著差异。功能性状表现出明显的纬度和经度梯度。随着纬度和经度的增加，倾向于改变其功能性状以适应环境变化。在高温高降雨环境中，发育出更大的叶面积和更长的叶子。随机森林分析确定，在纬度和经度范围内，温度是功能性状变异的主要驱动因素。此外，功能性状之间的相互依赖关系明显，茎长、叶宽和叶面积等特定性状在适应过程中起着核心作用。这些发现阐明了功能性状适应的机制和关键因素，为中国培育区域特异性品种提供了重要见解。
