Eco-physiological mechanisms of Caragana korshinskii Kom. adaptation to extreme drought stress: Leaf abscission and maintaining stem chloroplast integrity

In order to study the eco-physiological mechanisms of C. korshinskii adaptation to extreme drought stress, we investigated the variations of water content in soil, leaves, and stems, the chlorophyll a and b and the carotenoid content in leaves and stems, as well as changes of chloroplast ultrastructure in 2-year-old C. korshinskii specimens during a progressive soil drought process （by ceasing watering until all leaves were shed） and a subsequent rehydmtion process. During the dehydration process, the chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid contents in the leaves decreased, as did the carotenoid content in the stems. During the 4-day rehydration process, the chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid contents in the leaves and stems increased and gradually returned to normal levels. During ongoing drought stress, chloroplasts in the leaves broke away from cell walls and appeared in the center of cells. Under severe drought stress, the mesophyll ultrastmcture and chloroplast configuration in leaves were irreversibly disturbed, as mani- fested by the inner and outer membranes being destroyed; the thylakoid system disintegrated, the starch grain disappeared, and parts of cell tissue were dismantled into debris. However, the mesophyll ultrasWacture and chloroplast configuration in the stems remained complete. This indicates that C. korshinskii utilizes leaf abscission to reduce the surface area to avoid damage from ex- treme drought stress, and maintains chloroplast integrity and a considerable amount of chlorophyll to enable a rapid recovery of photosynthesis under the rehydration process.

Structural,compositional and trait differences between the mature and the swamp meadow communities

Aims The mature meadows(MMs)and the swamp meadows(SMs)are the two most important ecosystems in the eastern Tibetan Plateau,China.Besides their substantial differences in terms of soil water conditions and thereby the soil oxygen and nutrients,however,little is known about the differences in community composition,struc-ture,traits and productivity between these two meadows.We par-ticularly ask whether light availability mediated by physical structure heterogeneity is a key determinant of the difference in community composition and productivity between these two meadows.Methods We examined the community structure,composition,aboveground net primary productivity(ANPP),light availability in understory and the community-weighted means(CWMs)for leaf morphological and physiological traits in 12 random plots(5 m×5 m)for each of the studied habitats.Important findings The results showed that plant community in the MM had higher variation in both vertical and horizontal structure and thus had more light availability in the understory.The MM had higher spe-cies richness and greater ANPP than the SM.The CWMs of leaf morphological and physiological traits for species in the MM fea-tured a fast-growing strategy(i.e.higher height,leaf area and net photosynthesis rate and lower nitrogen:phosphorus ratio),in con-trast to those in the SM.We also found that there were significant correlations between the CWM of traits and the ANPP,indicating that some key traits in these habitats have linked to community productivity.Our study also suggests that the heterogeneity in the community structure,which affects light availability in the under-story,may play an important role in determining the community composition and productivity.In conclusion,our study revealed significant differences in community structure,composition and traits between the MM and the SM,and the light availability that related closely to community structure is the key factor to deter-mine the composition and productivity of the community of these two habitats.