| Research Articles |
|
|
|
|
| Safety-efficiency trade-offs in the cotton xylem: acclimatization to different soil textures |
| WANG Zhongyuan1,2, XIE Jiangbo1, LI Yan1* |
1 State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China;
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China |
|
|
|
Abstract The acclimatization of plant xylem to altered environmental conditions has attracted considerable attention from researchers over several decades. Plants growing in natural environments must seek a balance between water uptake and the water loss of leaves from evaporation. Thus, the adaptation of xylem to different soil textures is important in maintaining plant water balance. In this study, we investigated the xylem changes of cotton (Gossypium herbaceum L.) xylem in sandy, clay and mixed soils. Results showed that soil texture had a significant effect on xylem vessel diameter and length of stems and roots. Compared with G. herbaceum growing in the clay soil, those plants growing in the sandy soil developed narrower and shorter xylem vessels in their roots, and had a higher percentage of narrow vessels in their stems. These changes resulted in a safer (i.e. less vulnerable to cavitation), but less-efficient water transport system when soil water availability was low, supporting the hydraulic safety versus efficiency trade-off hypothesis. Furthermore, in sandy and mixed soils, the root:shoot ratio of G. herbaceum increased twofold, which ensures the same efficiency of leaves. In summary, our finding indicates that the morphological plasticity of xylem structure in G. herbaceum has a major role in the acclimatization of this plant species to different soil textures.
|
|
Received: 02 August 2015
Published: 01 June 2016
|
| Fund: The International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2010DFA92720)
The Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-T09) |
|
Corresponding Authors:
LI Yan
E-mail: liyan@ms.xjb.ac.cn
|
|
|
| Alameda D, Anten N P R, Villar R. 2012. Soil compaction effects on growth and root traits of tobacco depend on light, water regime and mechanical stress. Soil and Tillage Research, 120: 121–129. Choat B, Cobb A R, Jansen S. 2008. Structure and function of bordered pits: new discoveries and impacts on whole-plant hydraulic function. New Phytologist, 177(3): 608–626. Christensen-Dalsgaard K K, Fournier M, Ennos A R, et al. 2007. Changes in vessel anatomy in response to mechanical loading in six species of tropical trees. New Phytologist, 176(3): 610–622. Ewers B E, Oren R, Sperry J S. 2000. Influence of nutrient versus water supply on hydraulic architecture and water balance in Pinus taeda. Plant, Cell & Environment, 23(10): 1055–1066. Ewers F W, Fisher J B. 1989. Variation in vessel length and diameter in stems of six tropical and subtropical lianas. American Journal of Botany, 76(10): 1452–1459. G??b T. 2014. Effect of soil compaction and N fertilization on soil pore characteristics and physical quality of sandy loam soil under red clover/grass sward. Soil and Tillage Research, 144: 8–19. Hacke U G, Sperry J S, Pittermann J. 2004. Analysis of circular bordered pit function II. Gymnosperm tracheids with torus-margo pit membranes. American Journal of Botany, 91(3): 386–400. Hacke U G, Sperry J S, Wheeler J K, et al. 2006. Scaling of angiosperm xylem structure with safety and efficiency. Tree Physiology, 26(6): 689–701. Holste E K, Jerke M J, Matzner S L. 2006. Long-term acclimatization of hydraulic properties, xylem conduit size, wall strength and cavitation resistance in Phaseolus vulgaris in response to different environmental effects. Plant, Cell & and Environment, 29(5): 836–843. Jansen S, Choat B, Pletsers A. 2009. Morphological variation of intervessel pit membranes and implications to xylem function in angiosperms. American Journal of Botany, 96(2): 409–419. Jansen S, Gortan E, Lens F, et al. 2011. Do quantitative vessel and pit characters account for ion-mediated changes in the hydraulic conductance of angiosperm xylem?. New Phytologist, 189(1): 218–228. Lens F, Tixier A, Cochard H, et al. 2013. Embolism resistance as a key mechanism to understand adaptive plant strategies. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 16(3): 287–292. Li Y, Xu H, Cohen S. 2005. Long-term hydraulic acclimation to soil texture and radiation load in cotton. Plant, Cell & Environment, 28(4): 492–499. Maherali H, Pockman W T, Jackson R B. 2004. Adaptive variation in the vulnerability of woody plants to xylem cavitation. Ecology, 85(8): 2184–2199. Markesteijn L, Poorter L, Paz H, et al. 2011. Ecological differentiation in xylem cavitation resistance is associated with stem and leaf structural traits. Plant, Cell & Environment, 34(1): 137–148. Martínez-Vilalta J, Sala A, Piñol J. 2004. The hydraulic architecture of Pinaceae–a review. Plant Ecology, 171(1–2): 3–13. Mencuccini M. 2003. The ecological significance of long-distance water transport: short-term regulation, long-term acclimation and the hydraulic costs of stature across plant life forms. Plant, Cell & Environment, 26(1): 163–182. Mencuccini M. 2015. Dwarf trees, super-sized shrubs and scaling: why is plant stature so important?. Plant, Cell & Environment, 38(1): 1–3. Nardini A, Gullo M A L, Salleo S. 1998. Seasonal changes of root hydraulic conductance (KRL) in four forest trees: an ecological interpretation. Plant Ecology, 139(1): 81–90. Oliveras I, Martínez-Vilalta J, Jimenez-Ortiz T, et al. 2003. Hydraulic properties of Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinea and Tetraclinis articulata in a dune ecosystem of Eastern Spain. Plant Ecology, 169(1): 131–141. Pittermann J, Sperry J. 2003. Tracheid diameter is the key trait determining the extent of freezing-induced embolism in conifers. Tree Physiology, 23(13): 907–914. Pittermann J, Sperry J S, Hacke U G, et al. 2005. Torus-margo pits help conifers compete with angiosperms. Science, 310(5756): 1924. Plavcová L, Hacke U G. 2012. Phenotypic and developmental plasticity of xylem in hybrid poplar saplings subjected to experimental drought, nitrogen fertilization, and shading. Journal of Experimental Botany, 63(18): 6481–6491. Smith D D, Sperry J S. 2014. Coordination between water transport capacity, biomass growth, metabolic scaling and species stature in co-occurring shrub and tree species. Plant, Cell & Environment, 37(12): 2679–2690. Sperry J S, Hacke U G. 2004. Analysis of circular bordered pit function I. Angiosperm vessels with homogenous pit membranes. American Journal of Botany, 91(3): 369–385. Sperry J S, Hacke U G, Wheeler J K. 2005. Comparative analysis of end wall resistivity in xylem conduits. Plant, Cell & Environment, 28(4): 456–465. Sperry J S, Hacke U G, Pittermann J. 2006. Size and function in conifer tracheids and angiosperm vessels. American Journal of Botany, 93(10): 1490–1500. Tsuda M, Tyree M T. 1997. Whole-plant hydraulic resistance and vulnerability segmentation in Acer saccharinum. Tree Physiology, 17(6): 351–357. Tyree M T, Davis S D, Cochard H. 1994. Biophysical perspectives of xylem evolution: is there a tradeoff of hydraulic efficiency for vulnerability to dysfunction?. IAWA Journal, 15(4): 335–360. Tyree M T, Patiño S, Bennink J, et al. 1995. Dynamic measurements of roots hydraulic conductance using a high-pressure flowmeter in the laboratory and field. Journal of Experimental Botany, 46(1): 83–94. Tyree M T, Velez V, Dalling J W. 1998. Growth dynamics of root and shoot hydraulic conductance in seedlings of five neotropical tree species: scaling to show possible adaptation to differing light regimes. Oecologia, 114(3): 293–298. Xie J B, Tang L S, Wang Z Y, et al. 2012. Distinguishing the biomass allocation variance resulting from ontogenetic drift or acclimation to soil texture. PLoS One, 7(7): e41502. Zhu S -D, Cao K -F. 2009. Hydraulic properties and photosynthetic rates in co-occurring lianas and trees in a seasonal tropical rainforest in southwestern China. Plant Ecology, 204(2): 295–304. Zimmermann M H, Jeje A A. 1981. Vessel-length distribution in stems of some American woody plants. Canadian Journal of Botany, 59(10): 1882–1892. |
|
Viewed |
|
|
|
Full text
|
|
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
|
Cited |
|
|
|
|
| |
Shared |
|
|
|
|
| |
Discussed |
|
|
|
|
