Scholarlink

Background&#xa0; <p><i>Syntrichia caninervis</i>, a representative stress-tolerant moss, thrives under extreme conditions such as extreme temperatures, drought, and intense radiation, making it a top candidate for extraterrestrial colonization. However, whether the ecological adaptation traits of <i>S. caninervis</i> are consistent across different distribution areas and microhabitats and the interactive relationships among functional traits remain unclear. This study employed a plant trait network (PTN) approach to examine the relationships among 25 functional traits of <i>S. caninervis</i> within and outside shrub habitats to assess its ecological adaptability in temperate desert.</p> Result <p>Shrub microhabitats increased the biomass, leaf morphology, and photosynthetic efficiency of <i>S. caninervis</i> by improving the local hydrothermal environment while reducing the physiological stress response. The trait network of <i>S. caninervis</i> under shrub presented a relatively high edge density and average clustering coefficient and relatively low network diameter, average path length, and degree of modularity. These findings suggest that shrubs enhance trait network connectivity and functional collaboration of <i>S. caninervis</i>, effectively mitigating drought stress and optimizing resource utilization efficiency. Central trait analysis revealed that, under shrub conditions, Fv/Fm and soluble sugars were central traits, whereas exposed area, Fv/Fm and POD were central traits. As precipitation decreased and temperature increased, the leaf area and photosynthetic activity of <i>S. caninervis</i> initially tended to increase but then decreased. Simultaneously, its trait network connectivity strengthened, with both modularity and local tightness gradually increasing, reflecting its adaptation to drought and high-temperature stress through trait synergy and functional modular specialization. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that climate dominated the ecological adaptability of <i>S. caninervis</i> through both direct and indirect pathways, whereas shrubs significantly alleviated the negative impacts of drought stress by improving hydrothermal conditions. This study not only reveals the physiological adaptation strategies of moss species in extreme environments but also provides new insights into the adaptive mechanisms of moss species in desert ecosystems.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Shrub mitigate the negative impacts of drought on the ecological adaptability of Syntrichia caninervis in the desert regions of Northwest China

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月9日

查看全文
  • Shujun Zhang,
  • Ao Yang,
  • Benfeng Yin,
  • Qing Zhang,
  • Xinyu Zhang,
  • Xiaobing Zhou,
  • Jin Chen,
  • Ruilin Chen,
  • Jing Zhang,
  • Yuanming Zhang

摘要

Background 

Syntrichia caninervis, a representative stress-tolerant moss, thrives under extreme conditions such as extreme temperatures, drought, and intense radiation, making it a top candidate for extraterrestrial colonization. However, whether the ecological adaptation traits of S. caninervis are consistent across different distribution areas and microhabitats and the interactive relationships among functional traits remain unclear. This study employed a plant trait network (PTN) approach to examine the relationships among 25 functional traits of S. caninervis within and outside shrub habitats to assess its ecological adaptability in temperate desert.

Result

Shrub microhabitats increased the biomass, leaf morphology, and photosynthetic efficiency of S. caninervis by improving the local hydrothermal environment while reducing the physiological stress response. The trait network of S. caninervis under shrub presented a relatively high edge density and average clustering coefficient and relatively low network diameter, average path length, and degree of modularity. These findings suggest that shrubs enhance trait network connectivity and functional collaboration of S. caninervis, effectively mitigating drought stress and optimizing resource utilization efficiency. Central trait analysis revealed that, under shrub conditions, Fv/Fm and soluble sugars were central traits, whereas exposed area, Fv/Fm and POD were central traits. As precipitation decreased and temperature increased, the leaf area and photosynthetic activity of S. caninervis initially tended to increase but then decreased. Simultaneously, its trait network connectivity strengthened, with both modularity and local tightness gradually increasing, reflecting its adaptation to drought and high-temperature stress through trait synergy and functional modular specialization. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that climate dominated the ecological adaptability of S. caninervis through both direct and indirect pathways, whereas shrubs significantly alleviated the negative impacts of drought stress by improving hydrothermal conditions. This study not only reveals the physiological adaptation strategies of moss species in extreme environments but also provides new insights into the adaptive mechanisms of moss species in desert ecosystems.