Leaf Elemental Stoichiometry of Stellera Chamaejasme L. in Response to Environmental Factors in Degraded Grasslands Across Northern China

Abstract Plant leaf stoichiometry reflect its adaptations to environments. Leaf stoichiometry variations across different environments have been extensively studied among grassland plants, but little is known about intraspecific leaf stoichiometry, especially for widely distributed species, such as Stellera chamaejasme L. In order to evaluate the biogeographical drivers for leaf elemental stoichiometry in S. chamaejasme, leaf and soil samples were collected from 29 invaded sites in the two plateaus of distinct environments [the Inner Mongolian Plateau (IM) and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QT)] in Northern China. Leaf C, N, P, and K and their stoichiometric ratios, and soil physicochemical properties were determined. Results showed that mean leaf C, N, P, and K concentrations were 498.60, 19.95, 2.15, and 6.57 g kg-1, respectively; the C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios were 25.46, 246.22, and 9.84, respectively. Only leaf K was significantly different between the two environments studied. Soil physicochemical properties of S. chamaejasme invaded area varied wildly, suggesting this wide ranging species tend to be insensitive to variation in soil nutrient availability. C and N content of S. chamaejasme leaves were unaffected by any environmental factors. However, the stoichiometric homeostasis of P and K was observed. The correlation between leaf P and climate factors was significant only in IM, while leaf K was significantly related to climate factors only in QT. Partial least squares path modeling suggested that soil exerted a significant effect on LP and climate affected leaf P and K both directly and indirectly in QT, while LP appeared to be limited mainly by climatic factors via direct ways and LK was not affected significantly by any environmental factors in IM. This study evaluated the S. chamaejasme leaf elemental stoichiometry and their relationships with environmental variables, which can help understand the plant biogeographic patterns and adaption strategy in degraded grasslands in China.

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Biogeographic Patterns of Leaf Stoichiometry and Adaption Strategy of Stellera Chamaejasme L. in Degraded Grasslands Across Northern China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1126970/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lizhu Guo ◽

Li Liu ◽

Huizhen Meng ◽

Li Zhang ◽

Valdson José Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Northern China ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Climate Factors ◽

Grassland Plants ◽

C And N ◽

Leaf Stoichiometry ◽

Stellera Chamaejasme ◽

Leaf P

Abstract Background: Plant leaf stoichiometry reflect its adaptations to environments. Leaf stoichiometry variations across different environments have been extensively studied among grassland plants, but little is known about intraspecific leaf stoichiometry, especially for widely distributed species, such as Stellera chamaejasme L. We present the first study on the leaf stoichiometry of S. chamaejasme, and evaluate their relationships with environmental variables by collecting S. chamaejasme leaf and soil samples from 29 invaded sites in the two plateaus of distinct environments [the Inner Mongolian Plateau (IM) and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QT)] in Northern China. Leaf C, N, P, and K and their stoichiometric ratios, and soil physicochemical properties were determined, together with climate information from each sampling sites. Results: Results showed that mean leaf C, N, P, and K concentrations were 498.60, 19.95, 2.15, and 6.57 g · kg-1, respectively; the C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios were 25.46, 246.22, and 9.84, respectively. Soil physicochemical properties of S. chamaejasme invaded area varied wildly, and few significant correlations between S. chamaejasme leaf ecological stoichiometry and soil physicochemical properties were observed. Except for C and N in leaves, the P and K had higher homeostasis than 1, between 4.17 and 13.21. Moreover, C and N content of S. chamaejasme leaves were unaffected by any climate factors. However, the correlation between leaf P and climate factors was significant in IM only, while leaf K in QT. Finally, partial least squares path modeling suggested that leaf P or leaf K were affected by different mechanisms in QT and IM regions. Conclusions: Our results indicated that S. chamaejasme tend to be insensitive to variation in soil nutrient availability, resulting in their broad distributions in China grasslands. Moreover, S. chamaejasme adapt to changing environments by adjusting its relationships with climate or soil factors to improve their chances of survival and spread in degraded grasslands.

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Soil Physicochemical Properties and the Rhizosphere Soil Fungal Community in a Mulberry (Morus alba L.)/Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Intercropping System

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10020167 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 167 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mengmeng Zhang ◽

Ning Wang ◽

Jingyun Zhang ◽

Yanbo Hu ◽

Dunjiang Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Fungal Community ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Planting Pattern ◽

Fungal Community Structure ◽

Soil Fungal Community ◽

Soil Environmental Factors

A better understanding of soil fungal communities is very useful in revealing the effects of an agroforestry system and would also help us to understand the fungi-mediated effects of agricultural practices on the processes of soil nutrient cycling and crop productivity. Compared to conventional monoculture farming, agroforestry systems have obvious advantages in improving land use efficiency and maintaining soil physicochemical properties, reducing losses of water, soil material, organic matter, and nutrients, as well as ensuring the stability of yields. In this study, we attempted to investigate the impact of a mulberry/alfalfa intercropping system on the soil physicochemical properties and the rhizosphere fungal characteristics (such as the diversity and structure of the fungal community), and to analyze possible correlations among the planting pattern, the soil physicochemical factors, and the fungal community structure. In the intercropping and monoculture systems, we determined the soil physicochemical properties using chemical analysis and the fungal community structure with MiSeq sequencing of the fungal ITS1 region. The results showed that intercropping significantly improved the soil physicochemical properties of alfalfa (total nitrogen, alkaline hydrolysable nitrogen, available potassium, and total carbon contents). Sequencing results showed that the dominant taxonomic groups were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucoromycota. Intercropping increased the fungal richness of mulberry and alfalfa rhizosphere soils and improved the fungal diversity of mulberry. The diversity and structure of the fungal community were predominantly influenced by both the planting pattern and soil environmental factors (total nitrogen, total phosphate, and total carbon). Variance partitioning analysis showed that the planting pattern explained 25.9% of the variation of the fungal community structure, and soil environmental factors explained 63.1% of the variation. Planting patterns and soil physicochemical properties conjointly resulted in changes of the soil fungal community structure in proportion.

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Effects of Allelochemicals, Soil Enzyme Activities, and Environmental Factors on Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Community of Stellera chamaejasme L. along a Growth-Coverage Gradient

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms10010158 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 158

Author(s):

Jinan Cheng ◽

Hui Jin ◽

Jinlin Zhang ◽

Zhongxiang Xu ◽

Xiaoyan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Soil Microbial Community ◽

Enzyme Activities ◽

Rhizosphere Soil ◽

Soil Enzyme ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Soil Enzyme Activities ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Stellera Chamaejasme

Allelochemicals released from the root of Stellera chamaejasme L. into rhizosphere soil are an important factor for its invasion of natural grasslands. The aim of this study is to explore the interactions among allelochemicals, soil physicochemical properties, soil enzyme activities, and the rhizosphere soil microbial communities of S. chamaejasme along a growth-coverage gradient. High-throughput sequencing was used to determine the microbial composition of the rhizosphere soil sample, and high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect allelopathic substances. The main fungal phyla in the rhizosphere soil with a growth coverage of 0% was Basidiomycetes, and the other sample plots were Ascomycetes. Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacterial phyla in all sites. RDA analysis showed that neochamaejasmin B, chamaechromone, and dihydrodaphnetin B were positively correlated with Ascomycota and Glomeromycota and negatively correlated with Basidiomycota. Neochamaejasmin B and chamaechromone were positively correlated with Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria and negatively correlated with Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes. Allelochemicals, soil physicochemical properties, and enzyme activity affected the composition and diversity of the rhizosphere soil microbial community to some extent. When the growth coverage of S. chamaejasme reached the primary stage, it had the greatest impact on soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities.

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Effect of freeze-thaw cycles on soil physicochemical properties and fractions of Pb and Cr in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Geochemistry Exploration Environment Analysis ◽

10.1144/geochem2021-029 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. geochem2021-029

Author(s):

Leiming Li ◽

Jun Wu ◽

Jian Lu ◽

Xiuyun Min

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Water Content ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Content Type ◽

Freeze Thaw ◽

Thaw Cycle ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Simulation experiments were conducted by using soils in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to explore the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on soil physicochemical properties, Pb and Cr distribution and fraction transformation. Soils were incubated at -15 ℃ for 24 h and at 5℃ for 24 h to complete a freeze-thaw cycle. The soil physicochemical properties and the fractions of Pb and Cr in soils were analyzed after serial freeze-thaw treatments. The results showed that different freeze-thaw cycles and water content affected soil physicochemical properties and fractions of Pb and Cr in soils to some extent. The cation exchange capacity increased significantly in agricultural and pastoral soils after five freeze-thaw cycles. The sand proportion of soil in an urban area decreased at 60 freeze-thaw cycles. Freeze-thaw cycles did not change the functional groups and mineral constituents of soils. The infrared peaks of soils with different freeze-thaw conditions were very similar. The freeze-thaw treatment influenced the mobility, chemical fractions of Pb and ecological risk in most of soils. The exchangeable Pb in agricultural and pastoral area increased from 0.19% to 1.52%/0.90% after 5/10 freeze-thaw cycles with 60% water content. The ecological values of Pb in urban soil were 8.32%/7.38% higher at 10/15 freeze-thaw cycles compared with the control treatment. Hence, these findings provided useful information on physicochemical properties and fraction transformation of Pb and Cr in soils undergoing freeze-thaw cycles to offer an additional insight on Pb and Cr behaviors in cold and freezing environments.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Hydrochemistry related to exploration and environmental issues collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/hydrochemistry-related-to-exploration-and-environmental-issues

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Time-course relationship between environmental factors and microbial diversity in tobacco soil

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-55859-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zhaobao Wang ◽

Yan Yang ◽

Yuzhen Xia ◽

Tao Wu ◽

Jie Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Microbial Diversity ◽

Time Course ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Growth Period ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Tobacco Cultivation

AbstractSoil physicochemical properties and microbial diversity both play equally important roles in tobacco cultivation. However, the relationship between these factors remains unclear. In this study, we investigated their correlations through the whole tobacco growth period, including the pretransplanting (YX-p), root extending (R), flourishing (F), and mature (M) stages in the Yuxi region of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau by measuring physicochemical properties and conducting 16S/18S rRNA analysis. The analysis demonstrated that the microbial community richness and diversity continuously changed along with the growth course of the tobacco. Multiple environmental factors showed a certain correlation with the diversity of microbial communities. Some bacteria could accumulate nitrogen during the growth stages, and the diversity of the bacterial community also increased when the content of organic matter rose. In addition, the water content and available K also influenced the diversity of the microbial community. The dynamic changes in soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities gave rise to differences in the microbial community composition and structure, all of which affected the growth of tobacco. This study revealed the time-course relationship between environmental factors and microbial diversity in tobacco soil. An understanding of this relationship provides guidance for research on the interaction system of plants, soil and microbes and on improving plant yield and quality.

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Effect of Low Zeolite Doses on Plants and Soil Physicochemical Properties

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14102617 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 2617

Author(s):

Alicja Szatanik-Kloc ◽

Justyna Szerement ◽

Agnieszka Adamczuk ◽

Grzegorz Józefaciuk

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Cation Exchange ◽

Surface Area ◽

Cation Exchange Capacity ◽

N Fertilization ◽

Exchange Capacity ◽

First Year ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Water Holding

Thousands of tons of zeolitic materials are used yearly as soil conditioners and components of slow-release fertilizers. A positive influence of application of zeolites on plant growth has been frequently observed. Because zeolites have extremely large cation exchange capacity, surface area, porosity and water holding capacity, a paradigm has aroused that increasing plant growth is caused by a long-lasting improvement of soil physicochemical properties by zeolites. In the first year of our field experiment performed on a poor soil with zeolite rates from 1 to 8 t/ha and N fertilization, an increase in spring wheat yield was observed. Any effect on soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), surface area (S), pH-dependent surface charge (Qv), mesoporosity, water holding capacity and plant available water (PAW) was noted. This positive effect of zeolite on plants could be due to extra nutrients supplied by the mineral (primarily potassium—1 ton of the studied zeolite contained around 15 kg of exchangeable potassium). In the second year of the experiment (NPK treatment on previously zeolitized soil), the zeolite presence did not impact plant yield. No long-term effect of the zeolite on plants was observed in the third year after soil zeolitization, when, as in the first year, only N fertilization was applied. That there were no significant changes in the above-mentioned physicochemical properties of the field soil after the addition of zeolite was most likely due to high dilution of the mineral in the soil (8 t/ha zeolite is only ~0.35% of the soil mass in the root zone). To determine how much zeolite is needed to improve soil physicochemical properties, much higher zeolite rates than those applied in the field were studied in the laboratory. The latter studies showed that CEC and S increased proportionally to the zeolite percentage in the soil. The Qv of the zeolite was lower than that of the soil, so a decrease in soil variable charge was observed due to zeolite addition. Surprisingly, a slight increase in PAW, even at the largest zeolite dose (from 9.5% for the control soil to 13% for a mixture of 40 g zeolite and 100 g soil), was observed. It resulted from small alterations of the soil macrostructure: although the input of small zeolite pores was seen in pore size distributions, the larger pores responsible for the storage of PAW were almost not affected by the zeolite addition.

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