Phylogeographic analysis reveals multiple origins of the desert shrub in northern Xinjiang, involving homoploid and tetraploid hybrids.

Hybrid speciation plays an important role in species diversification. The establishment of reproductive isolation is crucial for hybrid speciation, and the identification of diverse types of hybrids, particularly homoploid hybrid species, contributes to a comprehensive understanding of this process. is a constructive shrub widespread in arid Central Asia.

Proximity to oilseed rape fields affects plant pollination and pollinator-mediated selection on a co-flowering plant on the Tibetan Plateau.

The ecological effects of mass-flowering crops on pollinator abundance and species richness of neighbouring habitats are well established, yet the potential evolutionary consequences remain unclear. We studied effects of proximity to a mass-flowering crop on the pollination of local co-flowering plants and on patterns of natural selection on a pollination-generalised plant on the Tibetan Plateau. We recorded pollinator visitation rates and community composition at different distances (near vs.

Community plant height modulated by aridity promotes spatial vegetation patterns in Alxa plateau in Northwest China.

Spatial vegetation patterns are associated with ecosystem stability and multifunctionality in drylands. Changes in patch size distributions (PSDs) are generally driven by both environmental and biological factors. However, the relationships between these factors in driving PSDs are not fully understood.

The limiting effect of genome size on xylem vessel diameter is shifted by environmental pressures in seed plants.

Current and previous studies have extensively studied the physiological and ecological consequences of genome size (GS) on plants because of the limiting effect of GS on cell size. However, it is still obscure whether such limiting effect could be shifted by environmental pressures, or not. Here, we compiled a global dataset comprised of GS, xylem vessel diameter ( ), xylem hydraulic conductivity ( ), (xylem water potential at the loss of 50% maximum ), and climate factors of 251 phylogeny and habitat divergent species from 59 families.

Shifts and plasticity of plant leaf mass per area and leaf size among slope aspects in a subalpine meadow.

The composition of vegetation on a slope frequently changes substantially owing to the different micro-environments of various slope aspects. To understand how the slope aspect affects the vegetation changes, we examined the variations in leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf size (LS) within and among populations for 66 species from 14 plots with a variety of slope aspects in a subalpine meadow. LMA is a leaf economic trait that is tightly correlated with plant physiological traits, while the LS shows a tight correlation with leaf temperature, indicating the strategy of plants to self-adjust in different thermal and hydraulic conditions.

Efficiency of biochar, nitrogen addition, and microbial agent amendments in remediation of soil properties and microbial community in Qilian Mountains mine soils.

Lacking systematic evaluations in soil quality and microbial community recovery after different amendments addition limits optimization of amendments combination in coal mine soils. We performed a short-term incubation experiment with a varying temperature over 12 weeks to assess the effects of three amendments (biochar: C; nitrogen fertilizer at three levels: N-N1~N3; microbial agent at two levels: M-M1~M2) based on C/N ratio (regulated by biochar and N level: 35:1, 25:1, 12.5:1) on mine soil properties and microbial community in the Qilian Mountains, China.

Effects of habitat types on the dynamic changes in allocation in carbon and nitrogen storage of vegetation-soil system in sandy grasslands: How habitat types affect C and N allocation?

The progressively restoration of degraded vegetation in semiarid and arid desertified areas undoubtedly formed different habitat types. The most plants regulate their growth by fixing carbon with their energy deriving from photosynthesis; carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) play the crucial role in regulating plant growth, community structure, and function in the vegetation restoration progress. However, it is still unclear how habitat types affect the dynamic changes in allocation in C and N storage of vegetation-soil system in sandy grasslands.

Drought conditions alter litter decomposition and nutrient release of litter types in an agroforestry system of China.

Evaluating how decomposition rates and litter nutrient release of different litter types respond to changes in water conditions is crucial for understanding global carbon and nutrient cycling. However, it is unclear how decreasing water affects litter mixture interactions for the maize-poplar system in arid regions. Here, the responses of the litter decomposition process and litter mixture interactions in the agroforestry system to changes in water conditions (control, light drought, and moderate drought) were tested.

Community carbon and water exchange responses to warming and precipitation enhancement in sandy grassland along a restoration gradient.

Temperature increasing and precipitation alteration are predicted to occur in arid and semiarid lands; however, the response mechanism of carbon and water exchange at community level is still unclear in semiarid sandy land. We investigated the responses of carbon and water exchanges to warming and precipitation enhancement along a sand dune restoration gradient: mobile sand dunes (MD), semifixed sand dunes (SFD), and fixed sand dunes (FD). The average net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and evapotranspiration (ET) between May and August increased by 98% and 59%, respectively, from MD to SFD, while they had no significant differences between FD and the other two habitats.

Responses of annual herb plant community characteristics to increased precipitation and reduced wind velocity in semiarid sandy grassland.

Changes in precipitation regimes and wind velocity tend to alter structure and composition of the annual herb plant community, with consequent effects on ecological functioning and biodiversity maintenance. We examined the effects of increased precipitation and reduced wind velocity on annual herb plant community characteristics via a manipulative experiment from the middle of April to middle of August, 2016. There was significant increment in species richness with increased precipitation from June to August, and there were interactive effects between increased precipitation and reduced wind velocity especially in June and the end of July.

Age-mediation of tree-growth responses to experimental warming in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

The trajectory of tree-growth response to climate warming may be related to attributes like tree age. However, age-mediation of temperature sensitivity of tree growth has received little attention. This study aimed to determine how age affects tree growth in a future warmer world.

Depressed hydraulic redistribution of roots more by stem refilling than by nocturnal transpiration for Oliv. in situ measurement.

During the night, plant water loss can occur either through the roots, as hydraulic redistribution (HR), or through the leaves via the stoma, as nocturnal transpiration (), which was methodologically difficult to separate from stem refilling (). While HR and have been reported across a range of species, ecosystem, and climate zone, there is little understanding on the interactions between and/or and HR. As water movement at night occurs via gradients of water potential, it is expected that during periods of high atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD), water loss via will override water loss via HR.

Dominant plant species shape soil bacterial community in semiarid sandy land of northern China.

Plant species affect soil bacterial diversity and compositions. However, little is known about the role of dominant plant species in shaping the soil bacterial community during the restoration of sandy grasslands in Horqin Sandy Land, northern China. We established a mesocosm pots experiment to investigate short-term responses of soil bacterial diversity and composition, and the related soil properties in degraded soils without vegetation (bare sand as the control, CK) to restoration with five plant species that dominate across restoration stages: (AS), (AH), (SV), (CA), and (CM).

A GDSL-motif esterase/acyltransferase/lipase is responsible for leaf water retention in barley.

The hydrophobic cuticle covers the surface of the most aerial organs of land plants. The barley mutant (), which is hypersensitive to drought, is unable to accumulate a sufficient quantity of cutin in its leaf cuticle. The mutated locus has been mapped to a 0.

Contrasting effects of plant inter- and intraspecific variation on community trait responses to restoration of a sandy grassland ecosystem.

Changes in plant community traits along an environmental gradient are caused by interspecific and intraspecific trait variation. However, little is known about the role of interspecific and intraspecific trait variation in plant community responses to the restoration of a sandy grassland ecosystem. We measured five functional traits of 34 species along a restoration gradient of sandy grassland (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, and grassland) in Horqin Sand Land, northern China.

Effects of environmental factors on genetic diversity of in Horqin Sandy Land, northeast China.

(Leguminosae) is a dominant climax semishrub species in northern China. We evaluated genetic variation within and among populations sampled from three different environmental gradients in Horqin Sandy Land in northern China using intersimple sequence repeats markers and investigated the possible existence of relationships between genetic diversity and environmental factors. The results showed that have high genetic diversity, and environmental gradients affected genetic diversity of populations.