Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings
Climate change profoundly impacts the physiological processes and adaptation strategies of plants. However, the physiological mechanisms of coniferous species responding and adapting to combined drought and nitrogen (N) addition remain unclear. Here, based on 2-year multi-level N addition and drough...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1574468/full |
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| author | Jinyuan Tian Jinyuan Tian Hongxia Zhang Anzhi Wang Jiabing Wu Sabine Rosner Kai Zhu Rongrong Cai Fenghui Yuan |
| author_facet | Jinyuan Tian Jinyuan Tian Hongxia Zhang Anzhi Wang Jiabing Wu Sabine Rosner Kai Zhu Rongrong Cai Fenghui Yuan |
| author_sort | Jinyuan Tian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change profoundly impacts the physiological processes and adaptation strategies of plants. However, the physiological mechanisms of coniferous species responding and adapting to combined drought and nitrogen (N) addition remain unclear. Here, based on 2-year multi-level N addition and drought experiments, we investigated the responses of carbon assimilation (net photosynthetic rate An, stomatal conductance gs and intrinsic water use efficiency WUEi) and carbon reserves (non-structural carbohydrates, NSC) of 7-year-old Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) saplings. Our results showed that: (1) Drought decreased An and gs, while N addition increased An and decreased gs. N addition decreased An and WUEi but increased gs in plants under drought conditions, indicating that N addition under drought stress will maintain gas exchange by increasing stomatal opening, but failed to mitigate the reduction of An. (2) Both drought (moderate and severe) and N addition reduced leaf NSC concentrations. Under moderate drought stress, however, N addition led to an increase in leaf NSC concentrations. (3) The interconversion between leaf starch and soluble sugars slowed the decrease in carbon assimilation caused by drought. P. koraiensis saplings adopted a conservative strategy of increasing leaf mass per area (LMA) to adapt to reduced water use efficiency. The study highlights the coordinated relationship between carbon assimilation and carbon reserves of Korean pine saplings under combined drought and N addition, which improves our understanding of the diverse carbon dynamics of different species under climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-177444d36fac4ee7b51b40abf36b9ca9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-177444d36fac4ee7b51b40abf36b9ca92025-08-20T03:10:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-04-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15744681574468Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplingsJinyuan Tian0Jinyuan Tian1Hongxia Zhang2Anzhi Wang3Jiabing Wu4Sabine Rosner5Kai Zhu6Rongrong Cai7Fenghui Yuan8CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands/Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, ChinaInstitute of Botany, Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity, BOKU University, Vienna, AustriaCollege of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, ChinaDepartment of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, United StatesClimate change profoundly impacts the physiological processes and adaptation strategies of plants. However, the physiological mechanisms of coniferous species responding and adapting to combined drought and nitrogen (N) addition remain unclear. Here, based on 2-year multi-level N addition and drought experiments, we investigated the responses of carbon assimilation (net photosynthetic rate An, stomatal conductance gs and intrinsic water use efficiency WUEi) and carbon reserves (non-structural carbohydrates, NSC) of 7-year-old Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) saplings. Our results showed that: (1) Drought decreased An and gs, while N addition increased An and decreased gs. N addition decreased An and WUEi but increased gs in plants under drought conditions, indicating that N addition under drought stress will maintain gas exchange by increasing stomatal opening, but failed to mitigate the reduction of An. (2) Both drought (moderate and severe) and N addition reduced leaf NSC concentrations. Under moderate drought stress, however, N addition led to an increase in leaf NSC concentrations. (3) The interconversion between leaf starch and soluble sugars slowed the decrease in carbon assimilation caused by drought. P. koraiensis saplings adopted a conservative strategy of increasing leaf mass per area (LMA) to adapt to reduced water use efficiency. The study highlights the coordinated relationship between carbon assimilation and carbon reserves of Korean pine saplings under combined drought and N addition, which improves our understanding of the diverse carbon dynamics of different species under climate change.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1574468/fulldroughtnitrogen depositioncombined abiotic stress effectsconifersnonstructural carbohydrates |
| spellingShingle | Jinyuan Tian Jinyuan Tian Hongxia Zhang Anzhi Wang Jiabing Wu Sabine Rosner Kai Zhu Rongrong Cai Fenghui Yuan Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings Frontiers in Plant Science drought nitrogen deposition combined abiotic stress effects conifers nonstructural carbohydrates |
| title | Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings |
| title_full | Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings |
| title_fullStr | Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings |
| title_short | Unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in Korean pine saplings |
| title_sort | unravelling the combined effects of drought and nitrogen addition on carbon assimilation and reserves in korean pine saplings |
| topic | drought nitrogen deposition combined abiotic stress effects conifers nonstructural carbohydrates |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1574468/full |
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