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<p>Dioecious plants exhibit significant sexual dimorphism in responses to environmental stressors under global climate change. Heat and drought stress are major factors adversely impacting plant development, particularly in the fluctuating water-level zones of the Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGR) where dioecious plants play a crucial role in ecological restoration. We conducted a comparative analysis of female and male <i>Salix variegata</i> plants subjected to drought (DS), heat (HTS), and combined heat-drought stress (HTDS). Both sexes showed significant declines in plant height, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, root non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), and leaf relative water content under all stresses, with the most severe inhibition under HTDS. Notably, females exhibited superior adaptability through higher photosynthetic efficiency, enhanced chlorophyll retention, and greater NSC allocation to aboveground organs, which supported sustained growth and water status maintenance under combined stress. Specifically, females had higher plant height, aboveground biomass, chlorophyll levels, malondialdehyde, and leaf NSC than males under HTDS. These findings demonstrate that female <i>S. variegata</i> employs more effective physiological strategies to mitigate stress damage, suggesting their greater resilience in future warming-drying climates. This sexual divergence in adaptation is critical for maintaining population stability and ecosystem function in vulnerable riparian habitats of the TGR.</p>

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Morphological and physiological responses of Salix variegata to heat stress, drought stress, and combined heat - drought stress: a sex - specific analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月7日

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  • Bei Deng,
  • Yudi Wang,
  • Wenwen Ren,
  • Xiaofeng Wang,
  • Ji Zhang,
  • Jun Liao

摘要

Dioecious plants exhibit significant sexual dimorphism in responses to environmental stressors under global climate change. Heat and drought stress are major factors adversely impacting plant development, particularly in the fluctuating water-level zones of the Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGR) where dioecious plants play a crucial role in ecological restoration. We conducted a comparative analysis of female and male Salix variegata plants subjected to drought (DS), heat (HTS), and combined heat-drought stress (HTDS). Both sexes showed significant declines in plant height, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, root non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), and leaf relative water content under all stresses, with the most severe inhibition under HTDS. Notably, females exhibited superior adaptability through higher photosynthetic efficiency, enhanced chlorophyll retention, and greater NSC allocation to aboveground organs, which supported sustained growth and water status maintenance under combined stress. Specifically, females had higher plant height, aboveground biomass, chlorophyll levels, malondialdehyde, and leaf NSC than males under HTDS. These findings demonstrate that female S. variegata employs more effective physiological strategies to mitigate stress damage, suggesting their greater resilience in future warming-drying climates. This sexual divergence in adaptation is critical for maintaining population stability and ecosystem function in vulnerable riparian habitats of the TGR.