Seasonal dynamics and organ differences in growth and defense strategies of “twig system” of Corylus mandshurica

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0361

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Exploring the differences in the life strategies of the “twig system” (old twig, new twig and leaf) of Corylus mandshurica in different seasons can provide a theoretical basis for the protection and management of wild C. mandshurica. At the same time, it can promote the understanding of the multi-organ coordinated response of plants to climate change.

Methods In this study, taking the dominant species in the shrub layer of the broad-leaved Korean pine forest, C. mandshurica, as an example, nine traits including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, soluble sugar, starch, total non-structural carbohydrates, total phenol, tannin and flavonoid contents in the old twigs, new twigs and leaves of C. mandshurica were measured in three seasons, namely spring (May), summer (July) and autumn (September).

Important findings The results showed that, except that the effect of the organ on starch was not significant, the season, the organ and their interaction had a relatively significant effect on the functional traits of C. mandshurica. In spring and summer, the contents of total phenol and tannin in the old twigs were relatively high, while in autumn, the contents of soluble sugars and other substances were relatively high. In spring, the nitrogen content in the new twigs was relatively high, while in summer and autumn, the contents of total non-structural carbon, tannin, flavonoid and other substances in the new twigs were relatively high. In spring and summer, the nitrogen and phosphorus contents in the leaves were relatively high, while in autumn, the contents of flavonoid and other substances in the leaves were relatively high. In addition, in spring and summer, compared with the new twigs and old twigs, the trait correlation network of the leaves was more complex; in autumn, the situation was the opposite. This reflects that in the “twig system” (old twig, new twig and leaf) of C. mandshurica, in spring, the leaves and new twigs tend to adopt a “growth” strategy, and the old twigs tend to adopt a “defense” strategy; in summer, the leaves tend to adopt a “growth” strategy, while the new twigs and old twigs tend to adopt a “defense” strategy. In autumn, the leaves tend to adopt a “defense” strategy, and the new twigs and old twigs tend to adopt a “resource recycling” strategy. The research results reveal that there are differences in the growth and defense strategies of the “twig system” of C. mandshurica, which is conducive to promoting the theoretical research on how plants respond to environmental changes towards the direction of systematization and refinement.

Key words: season, organ, stoichiometry, shrub, growth strategies, defense strategies, trait network

LI Xin-Mao, JIN Guang-Ze, LIU Zhi-Li. Seasonal dynamics and organ differences in growth and defense strategies of “twig system” of Corylus mandshurica[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2026, 50(2): 293-305.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0361

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2026/V50/I2/293

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the “twig system” of Corylus mandshurica. The materials in the figure are sourced from Flora of China (https://www.iplant.cn).

Table 1 Nine traits of Corylus mandshurica and their classification information

性状类别 Trait category	简称 Abbreviation	性状 Trait	单位 Unit
化学性状 Chemical trait	CT	碳含量 Carbon (C) content	mg·g^-1
		氮含量 Nitrogen (N) content	mg·g^-1
		磷含量 Phosphorus (P) content	mg·g^-1
非结构性碳 Non-structural carbon	NSC	可溶性糖含量 Soluble sugar (SS) content	% DM
		淀粉含量 Starch (ST) content	% DM
		总非结构性碳水化合物含量 Total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) content	% DM
防御性状 Defensive trait	DT	总酚含量 Total phenol (TP) content	mg·g^-1
		单宁含量 Tannin (TA) content	mg·g^-1
		类黄酮含量 Flavonoid (FLA) content	mg·g^-1

Fig. 2 Contents of chemical, non-structural carbon and defense traits in old twigs, new twigs and leaves of Corylus mandshurica in different seasons. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) among different months within the same organ. TNC, total non-structural carbohydrates.

Table 2 Impacts of seasons, organs and their interactions on the functional traits of Corylus mandshurica

因素 Factor	性状 Trait	df	均方 Mean square	F	p	偏Eta平方 Partial Eta squared
季节 Season	C	2	0.004	24.774	<0.001	0.282
	N	2	0.753	170.300	<0.001	0.730
	P	2	0.129	23.601	<0.001	0.273
	SS	2	0.160	10.580	<0.001	0.144
	ST	2	0.090	7.732	<0.01	0.109
	TNC	2	0.107	13.512	<0.001	0.177
	TP	2	0.058	3.678	<0.05	0.055
	TA	2	0.062	3.691	<0.05	0.055
	FLA	2	0.406	37.153	<0.001	0.371
器官 Organ	C	2	0.005	33.414	<0.001	0.347
	N	2	3.616	817.676	<0.001	0.928
	P	2	0.150	27.443	<0.001	0.303
	SS	2	0.264	17.426	<0.001	0.217
	ST	2	0.012	1.005	ns	0.016
	TNC	2	0.080	10.145	<0.001	0.139
	TP	2	0.485	31.031	<0.001	0.330
	TA	2	0.611	36.476	<0.001	0.367
	FLA	2	0.446	40.838	<0.001	0.393
季节×器官 Season × organ	C	4	0.001	8.196	<0.001	0.206
	N	4	0.172	39.002	<0.001	0.553
	P	4	0.088	16.094	<0.001	0.338
	SS	4	0.045	2.983	<0.05	0.087
	ST	4	0.040	3.383	<0.05	0.097
	TNC	4	0.026	3.297	<0.05	0.095
	TP	4	0.318	20.318	<0.001	0.392
	TA	4	0.323	19.304	<0.001	0.380
	FLA	4	0.456	41.781	<0.001	0.570

Fig. 3 Functional trait correlation networks and their overall characteristic parameters of old twigs, new twigs and leaves of Corylus mandshurica in different seasons. A, B, and C represent the trait networks of old twigs, new twigs, and leaves in spring (May) respectively. D, E, and F represent the trait networks of old twigs, new twigs, and leaves in summer (July) respectively. G, H, and I represent the trait networks of old twigs, new twigs, and leaves in autumn (September) respectively. Red and blue connecting lines represent positive and negative correlations respectively. The thicker the line, the stronger the correlation. Node circles of different colors represent different modules to which the traits belong, namely green and pink circles. The trait abbreviation information is shown in Table 1. J, K, and L represent the overall characteristics of the trait-correlation networks of the “twig system” (old twig, new twig, and leaf) in spring (May), summer (July), and autumn (September), respectively.

Fig. 4 Principal component analysis of the traits of old twigs (A), new twigs (B) and leaves (C) of Corylus mandshurica in different seasons. Information on trait abbreviations is shown in Table 1.

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