Ma Xiaodong, Han Ling, Zhao Chengzhang, Liu Dingyue
College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China.
School of Art and Design, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Aug 5;16:1562491. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1562491. eCollection 2025.
Slope aspect affects the redistribution of solar radiation and precipitation, altering habitat conditions such as temperature, water availability, and soil nutrient composition. However, the impact of slope-induced environmental changes on the synergistic relationship between plant photosynthetic characteristics and leaf functional traits remains underexplored.
Four plots of (C. multiflorus) were established on the southern, eastern, western, and northern slopes within the Xinglong Mountain National Nature Reserve. This study investigated variations in leaf functional traits, photosynthetic-fluorescence characteristics, and environmental responses in across different slope aspects by mathematical statistics.
Our study revealed that the southern slope demonstrated maxima in transpiration rate (Tr), coefficient of non-photochemical burst (NPQ), maximum photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), vein area (LVA), leaf thickness (LT), and stomatal density (SD). The eastern slope exhibited peak values in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), water use efficiency (WUE), and electron transfer rate of photosystem II (ETR). In contrast, the northern slope showed the highest intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci), coefficient of photochemical burst (qP), actual photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II (Y(II)), vein density (VD), and leaf area (LA). Photosynthetic-fluorescence characteristics in were significantly correlated with leaf traits, vein traits, and stomatal density, with VD and SD exerting the most pronounced influences. Photosynthetic physiology on southern and western slopes was differentially modulated by temperature and moisture factors, particularly vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), while the eastern slope was primarily governed by moisture and nutrient availability. Northern slope plants experienced co-regulation by temperature, soil nutrients, and moisture, with soil organic carbon (SOC) and total phosphorus (TP) exhibiting dominant effects.
This research underscores slope-specific adaptive mechanisms and key drivers in , informing scientific cultivation practices for shrub communities in arid ecosystems.
坡向影响太阳辐射和降水的重新分配，改变诸如温度、水分可利用性和土壤养分组成等生境条件。然而，坡向诱导的环境变化对植物光合特性与叶片功能性状之间协同关系的影响仍未得到充分研究。
在兴隆山国家级自然保护区的南坡、东坡、西坡和北坡建立了4个多花栒子（C. multiflorus）样地。本研究通过数理统计调查了不同坡向多花栒子叶片功能性状、光合荧光特性及环境响应的变化。
我们的研究表明，南坡的蒸腾速率（Tr）、非光化学猝灭系数（NPQ）、光系统II最大光合效率（Fv/Fm）、叶脉面积（LVA）、叶片厚度（LT）和气孔密度（SD）最高。东坡的净光合速率（Pn）、气孔导度（Gs）、水分利用效率（WUE）和光系统II电子传递速率（ETR）出现峰值。相比之下，北坡的胞间CO₂浓度（Ci）、光化学猝灭系数（qP）、光系统II实际光合效率（Y(II)）、叶脉密度（VD）和叶面积（LA）最高。多花栒子的光合荧光特性与叶片性状、叶脉性状和气孔密度显著相关，其中VD和SD的影响最为显著。南坡和西坡的光合生理受到温度和水分因素的差异调节，特别是水汽压亏缺（VPD）和光合有效辐射（PAR），而东坡主要受水分和养分有效性的影响。北坡植物受到温度、土壤养分和水分的共同调节，土壤有机碳（SOC）和总磷（TP）表现出主导作用。
本研究强调了多花栒子特定坡向的适应机制和关键驱动因素，为干旱生态系统中灌木群落的科学栽培实践提供了依据。
