Open AccessFoliar δ 13 C response patterns along a moisture gradient arising from genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity in grassland species of Inner Mongolia
Author(s) -
Liu Yanjie,
Niu Haishan,
Xu Xingliang
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.453
Subject(s) - leymus , transect , stipa , grassland , biology , moisture , phenotypic plasticity , precipitation , agronomy , botany , poaceae , ecology , chemistry , geography , organic chemistry , meteorology
Plants depend upon both genetic differences and phenotypic plasticity to cope with environmental variation over different timescales. The spatial variation in foliar δ 13 C levels along a moisture gradient represents an overlay of genetic and plastic responses. We hypothesized that such a spatial variation would be more obvious than the variation arising purely from a plastic response to moisture change. Leymus chinensis and Stipa spp. were sampled from Inner Mongolia along a dry‐wet transect, and some of these species were transplanted to an area with a moisture gradient. For Stipa spp., the slope of foliar δ 13 C and mean annual precipitation along the transect was significantly steeper than that of foliar δ 13 C and mean annual precipitation after the watering treatment. For L. chinensis , there was a general decreasing trend in foliar δ 13 C under the different (increasing) watering levels; however, its populations showed an irregular relationship between foliar δ 13 C and moisture origin. Therefore, support for our hypothesis was obtained from Stipa spp., but not from L. chinensis .