Grassland plant species with slow-growing strategy are more resistant to extreme drought

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf192

J Plant Ecol ›› 2026, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (2): rtaf192.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf192

• Short Communication • Previous Articles

Grassland plant species with slow-growing strategy are more resistant to extreme drought

Xiao-Hua Yang^1,2, Xiao-Sa Liang¹, Yuan Shi^1,2, Yuan-Xiu Wu^1,2, Xiao-Ru Zhang^1,2, Cong Ding^1,2, Xiao-Jing Zhang^1,2, Alemayehu Adugna³, Xiao-Tao Lü^1,*

¹Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China, ²University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China, 3Department of Plant Sciences, Guder Mamo Mezemir Campus, Ambo University, Ambo 19, Ethiopia

*Corresponding author. E-mail: lvxiaotao@iae.ac.cn

Received:2025-08-21 Accepted:2025-11-09 Online:2025-11-14 Published:2026-04-01
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32501482).

草原生态系统中慢生长策略植物对极端干旱的抵抗力更强

Abstract

Abstract: The frequency and intensity of extreme droughts are increasing and are predicted to be more severe in the coming decades. Clarifying the reasons for species-specific resistance to extreme drought is vital for predicting changes in community structure and ecosystem functioning. While the ‘slow-fast’ economics spectrum is widely used to explain interspecific variations in ecological strategies, community assembly and ecosystem functioning, its role in driving plant resistance to extreme drought is under debate. We examined the relationship between the resistance of plants to extreme drought (60% reduction in growing season precipitation) and the ‘slow-fast’ economics spectrum across 13 species in a temperate steppe. We found significant interspecific variations in the resistance of plants to extreme drought, with the dominant grass, Leymus chinensis, showing the strongest resistance. Extreme drought resistance was negatively associated with the slow-fast continuum, with higher resistance of slow-growing species than the fast-growing ones. Chemical traits were more important than morphological traits in predicting plant resistance to extreme drought. Our results provide direct evidence for the strong association between the plant economics spectrum and species-level resistance to extreme drought and call for more attention to species with a fast strategy due to their higher vulnerability to extreme drought.

The frequency and intensity of extreme drought events are increasing, and its consequences on ecosystem structure and functioning strongly depend on the resistance of different plant species. Here researchers find that plant species with the ‘slow-growing’ strategy were more resistant to extreme drought in a temperate steppe.

Key words: ecosystem stability, plant functional traits, resistance, semiarid grassland leaf economic spectrum

摘要：
全球气候变化背景下，极端干旱的发生频率和强度日益加剧。解析植物对极端干旱抵抗力的物种特异性，对于预测植物群落结构与功能对极端干旱的响应至关重要。基于植物功能性状的“快-慢经济谱”已被广泛用于解释物种间生态策略的差异，但是物种快-慢生长策略与植物对干旱抵抗力的关系仍不清楚。本研究基于控制实验，分析了呼伦贝尔草甸草原13种常见植物干旱抵抗力与其生长策略的关系。结果显示，植物对极端干旱的抵抗力存在显著的种间差异，优势物种羊草(Leymus chinensis)的抵抗力最强。干旱抵抗力与“快-慢生长谱”呈负相关，即采取慢生长策略的物种对极端干旱具有更强的抵抗力。化学性状比形态性状更好地预测植物对极端干旱抵抗力的强弱。本研究提供了物种水平上，植物经济谱与其干旱抵抗力耦联的直接证据。研究结果为气候变化背景下植物多样性保护提供了重要启示：在极端干旱频发的背景下，采取快生长策略的物种因其较高的敏感性需要受到更多重视。

关键词: 生态系统稳定性, 植物功能性状, 抵抗力, 温带草原, 叶经济谱

CLC Number:

Xiao-Hua Yang, Xiao-Sa Liang, Yuan Shi, Yuan-Xiu Wu, Xiao-Ru Zhang, Cong Ding, Xiao-Jing Zhang, Alemayehu Adugna, Xiao-Tao Lü. Grassland plant species with slow-growing strategy are more resistant to extreme drought[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2026, 19(2): 1-.

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Grassland plant species with slow-growing strategy are more resistant to extreme drought

草原生态系统中慢生长策略植物对极端干旱的抵抗力更强

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