Trait-reproductive allocation pathways of different flowering groups under seasonal drought in alpine meadows

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf189

J Plant Ecol ›› 2026, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (3): rtaf189.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf189

• Research Article •

Trait-reproductive allocation pathways of different flowering groups under seasonal drought in alpine meadows

Mingli Ding^1,2, Yao Wei^1,2, Yuzhang Li^1,2, Jianyu Ma³, Jingya Zhang⁴, Jiangqin Song¹, Huiying Liu⁴, Hao Wang⁵ and Zhenhua Zhang^1,2,*

¹Qinghai Haibei National Field Research Station of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China,²University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China,³College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China, ⁴Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China, ⁵State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

^*Corresponding author. E-mail: zhenhua@nwipb.cas.cn

Received:2025-07-19 Accepted:2025-10-25 Online:2025-11-24 Published:2026-06-01
Supported by:
This research was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Interdisciplinary Innovation Team (xbzg-zdsys-202203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31971467 and 32422055).

季节性干旱条件下高寒草甸不同开花植物性状-繁殖分配途径

Abstract

Abstract: Climate change intensifies seasonal droughts in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, impacting the adaptability of key plant functional groups. However, how plant functional groups with different flowering phenologies adjust their reproductive allocation through trait-based strategies remains poorly understood. This study examined the effects of spring, summer, and whole growing season drought on reproductive strategies of early-spring flowering (ESF) and mid-summer flowering (MSF) plant functional groups. Results revealed that spring drought significantly reduced the reproductive efficiency of MSF plants, whereas summer drought resulted in higher reproductive efficiency compared to spring drought. ESF plants exhibited greater resilience than MSF plants across all seasonal drought treatments, highlighting the advantage of their drought-avoidance strategy. Under whole growing season drought, ESF plants adopted conservative resource-use strategies, including decreased specific leaf area (SLA) and increased leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), carbon to phosphorus ratio (C/P), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC). In contrast, MSF plants experienced phosphorus (P) limitation and height reductions. Notably, whole growing season drought induced interannual cumulative effects in MSF plants, such as increased LDMC and decreased SLA, indicating higher morphological plasticity. Furthermore, ESF plants enhanced flower allocation through both increased P availability and C/N (nutrient-sensitive strategy). For MSF plants, flower allocation was directly regulated by leaf nitrogen content (LNC), indirectly enhanced through resource reallocation from decreased plant height (morphology-integrated strategy). This study elucidates the covariation patterns between functional trait and reproductive allocation in ESF and MSF plants under seasonal drought, providing a mechanistic framework for predicting alpine ecosystems responses to future droughts.

Seasonal drought differentiates plant reproductive strategies: early-spring flowering plants are nutrient-driven while mid-summer flowering plants are morphologically regulated. Revealing this drought adaptation mechanism informs future drought management.

Key words: alpine grassland, flowering functional group, functional traits, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, reproductive allocation, resource-use strategy, seasonal drought

摘要：
气候变化加剧了青藏高原高寒草甸的季节性干旱，进而影响关键植物功能群的适应能力。然而，具有不同开花时间的功能群如何通过改变功能性状来调整其繁殖分配策略，目前仍不清楚。本研究探讨了春季、夏季及整个生长季干旱对早花和中花植物繁殖策略的影响。研究发现：1)春季干旱降低中花植物繁殖效率，而夏季干旱中花植物繁殖效率高于春季干旱。在所有处理中，早花植物均比中花植物具有更强的适应能力，突显了其避旱策略的优势。2)整个生长季干旱条件下，早花植物采取保守资源利用策略，包括降低比叶面积降，增加叶片碳氮比、碳磷比以及叶片干物质含量等。然而，中花植物则具有更高的形态可塑性，表现出叶片干物质含量年际累积增加和比叶面积年际累积降低。3)早花植物通过提高磷可利用性和碳氮比来增加花分配(养分敏感策略)，中花植物则主要通过改变叶片氮含量直接调控花分配，以及降低植株高度间接影响资源再分配进而调控花分配(形态整合策略)。总之，本研究揭示了季节性干旱条件下早花与中花植物功能性状与繁殖分配的协变模式，为预测高寒生态系统对未来干旱的响应提供了理论基础。

关键词: 高寒草甸, 开花功能群, 功能性状, 青藏高原, 繁殖分配, 资源利用策略

Mingli Ding, Yao Wei, Yuzhang Li, Jianyu Ma, Jingya Zhang, Jiangqin Song, Huiying Liu, Hao Wang, Zhenhua Zhang. Trait-reproductive allocation pathways of different flowering groups under seasonal drought in alpine meadows[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2026, 19(3): 1-.

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Trait-reproductive allocation pathways of different flowering groups under seasonal drought in alpine meadows

季节性干旱条件下高寒草甸不同开花植物性状-繁殖分配途径

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