Aims Foliar pH of terrestrial plants,a trait tightly associated with plant physiology and nutrient utilization,varies with plant functional types(PFTs)and environmental changes.However,it is yet unclear about the vari...Aims Foliar pH of terrestrial plants,a trait tightly associated with plant physiology and nutrient utilization,varies with plant functional types(PFTs)and environmental changes.However,it is yet unclear about the variation in foliar pH of aquatic plants,and the difference between aquatic and terrestrial plants.Methods Foliar pH,leaf carbon,nitrogen content of plants along the lakeshore zones and the environmental conditions(water or soil pH,water status)of the corresponding vegetation of three small plateau lakes were investigated,to determine the variation and potential influence factors of foliar pH at both PFT and community levels.Important Findings Foliar pH varied largely among aquatic plants,and across aquatic,helophytic and terrestrial plants.Floating-leaved macrophytes had more acidic foliage(pH=4.21±0.05)than emergent(5.71±0.07)and submerged macrophytes(5.82±0.06).Foliar pH of aquatic herbs(5.43±0.10)was lower than that of helophytic(6.12±0.07)and terrestrial herbs(5.74±0.05).Terrestrial herbs had significantly higher foliar pH than woody plants.The variation in foliar pH across PFTs may be mainly ascribed to leaf structure,light utilization and nutrient characteristics.Consistent with the pattern on PFT level,aquatic communities had more acidic foliage than terrestrial communities,which was mainly shaped by species composition,water status and environmental pH.This study documented the first-time foliar pH of aquatic plants,and comparison of foliar pH among various plant types at a landscape scale.Our results provide bases for further exploration of the underlying mechanism and its ecological significance for wetland ecosystems.展开更多
It has been documented that human activities are causing the rapid loss of taxonomic, phylogenetic, genetic and functional diversity in soils. However, it remains unclear how modern intensive rice cultivation impacts ...It has been documented that human activities are causing the rapid loss of taxonomic, phylogenetic, genetic and functional diversity in soils. However, it remains unclear how modern intensive rice cultivation impacts the soil microbiome and its functionality. Here we examined the microbial composition and function differences between a buried Neolithic paddy soil and an adjacent, currently-cultivated paddy soil using high throughput metagenomics technologies. Our results showed that the currently cultivated soil contained about 10-fold more microbial biomass than the buried one. Analyses based on both 16S rRNA genes and functional gene array showed that the currently cultivated soil had significantly higher phylogenetic diversity, but less functional diversity than the buried Neolithic one. The community structures were significantly different between modern and ancient soils, with functional structure shifting towards accelerated organic carbon （C） degradation and nitrogen （N） transfor- mation in the modem soils. This study implies that, modern intensive rice cultivation has substantially altered soil microbial functional structure, leading to functional homogenization and the promotion of soil ecological functions related to the acceleration of nutrient cycling which is necessary for high crop yields.展开更多
基金This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC0507204)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41473068,32001165).
文摘Aims Foliar pH of terrestrial plants,a trait tightly associated with plant physiology and nutrient utilization,varies with plant functional types(PFTs)and environmental changes.However,it is yet unclear about the variation in foliar pH of aquatic plants,and the difference between aquatic and terrestrial plants.Methods Foliar pH,leaf carbon,nitrogen content of plants along the lakeshore zones and the environmental conditions(water or soil pH,water status)of the corresponding vegetation of three small plateau lakes were investigated,to determine the variation and potential influence factors of foliar pH at both PFT and community levels.Important Findings Foliar pH varied largely among aquatic plants,and across aquatic,helophytic and terrestrial plants.Floating-leaved macrophytes had more acidic foliage(pH=4.21±0.05)than emergent(5.71±0.07)and submerged macrophytes(5.82±0.06).Foliar pH of aquatic herbs(5.43±0.10)was lower than that of helophytic(6.12±0.07)and terrestrial herbs(5.74±0.05).Terrestrial herbs had significantly higher foliar pH than woody plants.The variation in foliar pH across PFTs may be mainly ascribed to leaf structure,light utilization and nutrient characteristics.Consistent with the pattern on PFT level,aquatic communities had more acidic foliage than terrestrial communities,which was mainly shaped by species composition,water status and environmental pH.This study documented the first-time foliar pH of aquatic plants,and comparison of foliar pH among various plant types at a landscape scale.Our results provide bases for further exploration of the underlying mechanism and its ecological significance for wetland ecosystems.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB15020302, XDB15020402)National Natural Science Foundation of China (41090282)
文摘It has been documented that human activities are causing the rapid loss of taxonomic, phylogenetic, genetic and functional diversity in soils. However, it remains unclear how modern intensive rice cultivation impacts the soil microbiome and its functionality. Here we examined the microbial composition and function differences between a buried Neolithic paddy soil and an adjacent, currently-cultivated paddy soil using high throughput metagenomics technologies. Our results showed that the currently cultivated soil contained about 10-fold more microbial biomass than the buried one. Analyses based on both 16S rRNA genes and functional gene array showed that the currently cultivated soil had significantly higher phylogenetic diversity, but less functional diversity than the buried Neolithic one. The community structures were significantly different between modern and ancient soils, with functional structure shifting towards accelerated organic carbon （C） degradation and nitrogen （N） transfor- mation in the modem soils. This study implies that, modern intensive rice cultivation has substantially altered soil microbial functional structure, leading to functional homogenization and the promotion of soil ecological functions related to the acceleration of nutrient cycling which is necessary for high crop yields.
