J Plant Ecol ›› 2021, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (4): 730-748 .DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtab025

• Research Articles • Previous Articles    

Sex-specifically responsive strategies to phosphorus availability combined with different soil nitrogen forms in dioecious Populus cathayana

Xiucheng Liu1, Yuting Wang1, Shuangri Liu2 and Miao Liu1,*   

  1. 1 Department of Ecology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China, 2 Fertilizer and Water Technology Extension Department, Cultivated Land Quality and Fertilizer Management Station of Jinhua City, Jinhua 321017, China

    *Corresponding author. E-mail: lium@hznu.edu.cn
  • Received:2020-10-30 Revised:2020-12-26 Accepted:2021-02-01 Online:2021-03-09 Published:2021-08-01

Abstract:

Aims

Phosphorus (P) availability and efficiency are especially important for plant growth and productivity. However, the sex-specific P acquisition and utilization strategies of dioecious plant species under different N forms are not clear.

Methods

This study investigated the responsive mechanisms of dioecious Populus cathayana females and males based on P uptake and allocation to soil P supply under N deficiency, nitrate (NO3) and ammonium (NH4+) supply.

Important Findings

Females had a greater biomass, root length density (RLD), specific root length (SRL) and shoot P concentration than males under normal P availability with two N supplies. NH4+ supply led to higher total root length, RLD and SRL but lower root tip number than NO3 supply under normal P supply. Under P deficiency, males showed a smaller root system but greater photosynthetic P availability and higher leaf P remobilization, exhibiting a better capacity to adaptation to P deficiency than females. Under P deficiency, NO3 supply increased leaf photosynthesis and P use efficiency (PUE) but reduced RLD and SRL in females while males had higher leaf P redistribution and photosynthetic PUE than NH4+ supply. Females had a better potentiality to cope with P deficiency under NO3 supply than NH4+ supply; the contrary was true for males. These results suggest that females may devote to increase in P uptake and shoot P allocation under normal P availability, especially under NO3 supply, while males adopt more efficient resource use and P remobilization to maximum their tolerance to P deficiency.

Key words: dioecy, photosynthetic phosphorus (P) use, nitrogen form, root architecture, P deficiency, P redistribution, Populus cathayana

摘要:
雌雄青杨不同氮形态下性别差异性的磷利用策略
磷的吸收和利用效率对植物生长和产量尤为重要。然而,在不同氮形态下,雌雄异株植物对土壤磷的吸收和利用策略尚不清楚。本论文研究了雌雄青杨(Populus cathayana)在低氮、硝态氮和铵态氮下对 土壤磷的吸收和利用策略。研究结果表明,在较高的土壤供磷条件下,青杨雌株在两种氮形态下较雄株而言,均具有较高的生物量、根长密度、比根长和地上磷含量。此外,在正常供磷条件下,与硝态氮相比,青杨雌株在铵态氮的供应下具有更长的根系、更大的根长密度和比根长,而具有较少的根尖数。相比而言,在低磷条件下,青杨雄株在两种氮形态下均具有较小的根系、较大的叶片光合磷的利用效率以及较高的磷的再转运潜力。而且,青杨雌株在硝态氮条件下与铵态氮相比,具有较高的应对低磷潜力。在低磷条件下,铵态氮下青杨雄株叶片磷的光合利用效率和叶片磷再转运潜力明显高于硝态氮。这些结果表明,在正常供磷条件下,青杨雌株较雄株而言,具有更强的磷吸收能力及较高的生物量,尤其在硝态氮条件下;相比而言,青杨雄株在两种氮形态下较雌株而言,具有更有效的磷的利用效率,从而具有较高的对磷缺乏的忍耐能力。

关键词: 二态性, 光合磷的利用, 氮形态, 根系结构, 磷缺乏, 磷的再分配, 青杨(Populus cathayana)