Li Runze, Cheng Xiping, Dai Pengyue, Zhang Mengting, Li Minxuan, Chen Jing, Hassan Wajee Ul, Wang Yanfang
College of Soil and Water Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China.
College of Gardening and Horticulture, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jun 4;14(11):1717. doi: 10.3390/plants14111717.
The relationship between plants and their environment has always been a core issue in ecological research. This study about how plant architecture and leaf traits respond to environmental changes helps to more deeply understand the adaptive mechanisms of plants in diverse environments. Although there have been related studies, a systematic analysis on a China-wide scale is still lacking. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of 115 studies across China examining plant architectural and leaf trait responses to environmental changes. The dataset includes 849 observations across 11 ecological variables, such as the mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, soil type, and elevation, and evaluates their effects on seven key plant traits. The results indicated that variations in the plant height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and root-to-shoot ratio are primarily influenced by the soil type and mean annual precipitation. In contrast, the soil type and mean annual sunshine duration mainly affected the specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area, leaf thickness, and leaf dry matter content. Moreover, while the magnitude of trait responses varies across precipitation, temperature, elevation, and soil property gradients, the impacts of environmental change are particularly pronounced under more extreme conditions. This study provides robust scientific evidence for understanding the effects of environmental change on plant growth across China and offers valuable insights into ecological conservation and the sustainable use of plant resources.
植物与其环境之间的关系一直是生态学研究的核心问题。这项关于植物结构和叶片性状如何响应环境变化的研究，有助于更深入地理解植物在不同环境中的适应机制。尽管已有相关研究，但仍缺乏全国范围内的系统分析。为填补这一空白，我们对中国各地115项研究进行了荟萃分析，这些研究考察了植物结构和叶片性状对环境变化的响应。数据集包括849个观测值，涉及11个生态变量，如年平均降水量、年平均温度、土壤类型和海拔，并评估了它们对七个关键植物性状的影响。结果表明，株高、胸径和根冠比的变化主要受土壤类型和年平均降水量的影响。相比之下，土壤类型和年平均日照时长主要影响比叶面积（SLA）、叶面积、叶片厚度和叶片干物质含量。此外，虽然性状响应的幅度在降水、温度、海拔和土壤性质梯度上有所不同，但在更极端的条件下，环境变化的影响尤为显著。这项研究为理解环境变化对中国植物生长的影响提供了有力的科学证据，并为生态保护和植物资源的可持续利用提供了宝贵的见解。
