The clonal grass Leymus chinensis overcomes salt stress by over-compensatory growth of individual ramets
Congcong Zheng
A B , Huimin Ma A , Yingzhi Gao A B E , Hao Sun A , Haijun Yang A and Carol C. Baskin C D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China.
B State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130117, China.
C Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
D Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
E Corresponding author. Email: gaoyz108@nenu.edu.cn
Crop and Pasture Science 70(11) 1004-1014 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP18530
Submitted: 28 November 2018 Accepted: 9 September 2019 Published: 29 November 2019
Abstract
Soil salinisation and overgrazing are two important factors limiting plant growth in the Songnen Grassland, Northeast China. Leymus chinensis, a dominant rhizomatous grass, resists grazing and tolerates saline–alkali stress. However, its adaptive mechanisms to the dual effects of grazing and saline–alkali stress remain largely unknown. A two-factorial field experiment was conducted in two consecutive years in the natural L. chinensis community, combining the addition of mixed saline–alkali solution (NaCl : NaHCO3 : Na2CO3 1 : 1 : 1, amount 559.13 g m–2 year–1) with clipping (removal of 60% of aboveground biomass, AGB). Saline–alkali addition significantly increased AGB and total biomass in the no clipping but not in the clipping treatment. Irrespective of clipping, ramet density was significantly decreased, and individual ramet biomass was significantly increased under salt stress. The significant increase in AGB was due to a high K+ : Na+ ratio, high water-use efficiency, and an increase in leaf area index and net photosynthesis rate of individual ramets under salt–alkali stress. Clipping significantly decreased AGB and total biomass regardless of saline–alkali addition, possibly because of decreased sugar content of rhizomes. Saline–alkali and clipping had an interactive effect on AGB and total biomass of L. chinensis. The significant reduction in AGB and total biomass were mainly caused by reduced proline and water-soluble carbohydrate content under dual stress. A modified and simplified graphic model of the limiting resource model was proposed based on our results. Leymus chinensis can grow well under saline–alkali stress via ramet biomass compensation, in which the significant decrease in ramet density is compensated by the significant increase in individual ramet biomass. Ramet compensation and clonal integration were identified to be main mechanisms of herbivory and saline–alkali tolerance.
Additional keywords: carbon limitation, clonal grass, compensatory growth.
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