Response of photosynthetic and growth characteristic of Mosla chinensis and congenerous weed M. scabra to soil water content

Heterogeneity of precipitation could influence various physiological and ecological processes of plants. We present a comparative study on the ecophysiological responses of two congenerous species, Mosla chinensis (an endemic species) and M. scabra (a weedy species), to four soil water content (20%,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Russian journal of ecology 2014-09, Vol.45 (5), p.367-374
Main Authors: Lu, Y. -J, Wang, M, Ge, Y, Fu, C. -X, Chang, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
chlorophyll
drought
Ecology
ecophysiology
Environment
habitats
indigenous species
Life Sciences
Moisture content
Mosla
Photosynthesis
Plant ecology
root shoot ratio
Soil sciences
soil water content
water holding capacity
Weeds
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Summary:Heterogeneity of precipitation could influence various physiological and ecological processes of plants. We present a comparative study on the ecophysiological responses of two congenerous species, Mosla chinensis (an endemic species) and M. scabra (a weedy species), to four soil water content (20%, 40%, 60% and 90% of water holding capacity (WHC), referred to as W20, W40, W60 and W90, respectively) to understand their ecophysiological responses and ecological differentiation. Results showed that both species grew well from W40 to W90, as they showed higher photosynthetic rate and biomass and bigger plants under these soil water content. However, biomass, chlorophyll a to b ratio (Chl ₐ/b) and root to shoot ratio (R/S) of M. scabra but not M. chinensis were significantly reduced under W20, indicating M. chinensis showed stronger capacity of sun-acclimation under severe drought than M. scabra. M. chinensis showed priority in adapting severe drought in comparison with M. scabra. We hypothesize that the different adaptive abilities to soil water content are partly responsible for their ecological differentiation observed in the field and may affect their fate in their native habitat.
ISSN:1067-4136
1608-3334
DOI:10.1134/S106741361405018X