Silicon versus carbon mediates defensive strategies of two dominant congeneric trees across subtropical forest elevations

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtag060

J Plant Ecol ›› Advance articles DOI:10.1093/jpe/rtag060

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Silicon versus carbon mediates defensive strategies of two dominant congeneric trees across subtropical forest elevations

Yao Chen^1,2# Heng Yu^1,2# Yuan Lai^1,2 Xingui Le^3* Yuanwen Kuang^1,2*

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany and Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
³ Yangjifeng National Nature Reserve Administration, Guixi, China
^#These authors contributed equally to this work.
^*Corresponding Authors: Xingui Le (Email: lexg@163.com); Yuanwen Kuang (Email: kuangyw@scbg.ac.cn)

Received:2025-09-28 Accepted:2026-03-11 Published:2026-03-28
Supported by:
This work was supported by the Key-area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (2022B111123001), Guangdong Flagship Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research (2023B030305001), Jiangxi Forestry Science and Technology Project in 2023, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden (2023B1212060046).

硅和碳调控两种同属优势树种沿亚热带森林海拔梯度的防御策略

Abstract

Abstract: Intraspecific variation of plant functional traits benefits plants to adapt diverse habitats. How subtropical trees adjust their defensive strategies (leaf Si and C-based defense compounds) across elevations remains poorly understood. In this study, sixteen plant functional traits of two dominant congeneric trees (Castanopsis eyrei and C. lamontii) were detected at 360, 700 and 1045 m above sea level (E₃₆₀, E₇₀₀ and E₁₀₄₅) in a subtropical forest. From E₁₀₄₅ to E₃₆₀, C. eyrei prioritized C-based defense by increasing leaf tannin (+368.3%) at the cost of decreasing leaf non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs; -46.0% starch). From E₇₀₀ to E₃₆₀, C. lamontii employed Si accumulation as defense by increasing leaf Si (+113.5%) but with no significant changes in leaf NSCs. Soil Si availability across elevations contributes to this leaf Si accumulation. Our results implied species-specific acclimation mechanisms of forest trees to warmer conditions (from high to low elevations) in subtropical forests, highlighted the significance of Si in mitigating tree’s carbon cost by integrating Si into cost-benefit analysis and trait-based ecology, shaping future shifts in tree’s dominance and productivity in subtropical forests under climate warming.

How subtropical trees modulate leaf Si- and C-based defenses across elevations is poorly understood. Comparing traits of two Castanopsis species revealed that：from high to low elevations, C. eyrei prioritized C-based defenses but reduced NSCs, whereas C. lamontii primarily accumulated Si without altering NSCs. These findings implied the species-specific acclimation mechanisms of the subtropical trees to warming and highlighted the key role of Si in mitigating tree’s C costs.

Key words: Carbon-based defense, silicon-based defense, subtropical dominant trees, plant functional traits, non-structural carbohydrate

摘要：
植物功能性状的种内变异有利于植物适应不同生境。亚热带树种随海拔梯度变化如何调整其防御策略（硅基和碳基防御）尚不清楚。本研究比较了亚热带森林锥属的两个优势种甜槠（Castanopsis eyrei）和鹿角锥（C.lamontii）的16个植物功能性状在海拔360 m、700 m和1045 m（E₃₆₀,E₇₀₀和E₁₀₄₅）间的差异。结果表明，甜槠采取碳基防御的优先策略：从E₁₀₄₅到E₃₆₀，以降低叶片非结构性碳水化合物（NSCs;淀粉含量下降46.0%）为代价，显著增加叶片单宁含量（+368.3%）；鹿角锥则采取硅基防御的优先策略：从E₇₀₀到E₃₆₀，其叶片硅含量增加了113.5%，而NSCs无显著变化；叶片硅积累受到不同海拔土壤硅有效性的影响。本研究将硅纳入植物成本-收益分析和基于性状的生态学研究框架，揭示了亚热带森林树木在气候变暖（高海拔至低海拔）影响下树种的特异性适应机制，强调了硅在降低树木碳投资成本过程中的重要作用，预示植物硅可能在未来气候变暖下重塑亚热带森林树种优势度与生产力。

关键词: 碳基防御, 硅基防御, 亚热带优势树种, 植物功能性状, 非结构性碳水化合物

Yao Chen, Heng Yu, Yuan Lai, Xingui Le, Yuanwen Kuang. Silicon versus carbon mediates defensive strategies of two dominant congeneric trees across subtropical forest elevations[J]. J Plant Ecol, DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtag060.

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Silicon versus carbon mediates defensive strategies of two dominant congeneric trees across subtropical forest elevations

硅和碳调控两种同属优势树种沿亚热带森林海拔梯度的防御策略

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