Effects of light intensity and soil moisture on adaptive strategies of dominant species Carex muliensis in Zoigê alpine wetland

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2025.0231

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Alpine wetlands play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and replenishing water sources. Exploring plant adaptability to the environment is the basis for effective prevention of wetland degradation and preservation of wetland ecosystem functions. However, it is unclear how soil moisture and light intensity, as two crucial factors for plant growth, interactively affect plant ecophysiology in alpine wetlands. Therefore, the present study explored the adaptation strategies of plants to changes in light intensities and soil moisture.

Methods A factorial experiment with two light intensities (ambient light and 60% ambient light) and three soil moisture levels (30%, 55%, and 85%) was conducted on the dominant species Carex muliensis in the Zoigê alpine wetland, during which growth, morphology, and photosynthetic fluorescence indicators were measured.

Important findings According to the leaf economics spectrum theory, specific leaf area (SLA) and photosynthetic rate can serve as two key strategy indicators for assessing plant adaptation to variations in light availability and soil moisture. Results revealed that: 1) Under ambient light conditions, the SLA and photosynthetic rate of C. muliensis increased with increasing soil moisture, reaching maximum values of 170.00 cm²·g^-1 and 75.01 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, respectively. The plant adaptation strategy shifted from a conservative to an acquisition strategy along the water gradient. 2) Shading alleviated drought stress to a certain extent. The maximum SLA and photosynthetic rate of C. muliensis under moderate water conditions were 234.98 cm²·g^-1 and 7.59 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, respectively. In this water condition, plants adopted the acquisition strategy, while it switched to be conservative with low SLA and low photosynthesis rate when soil humidity changed. 3) Compared to the ambient light, shade inhibited growth and reduced physiological activity of C. muliensis. In conclusion, the adaptive strategy of C. muliensis under different soil moisture conditions is closely linked to light intensity. It provides a theoretical basis for guiding the ecological restoration of degraded alpine wetlands under complex environmental conditions.

Key words: psychrophyte, light intensity, soil moisture, morphological characteristic, photosynthetic physiology

LI Yu-Heng, CHEN Guo, LENG Cong-Yuan, HUANG Jin, LI Yu-Zhu, KONG Xiang-Xiang. Effects of light intensity and soil moisture on adaptive strategies of dominant species Carex muliensis in Zoigê alpine wetland[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2026, 50(6): 1464-1477.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2025.0231

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2026/V50/I6/1464

Figures/Tables 7

Table 1 Effects of light intensity and soil moisture on the growth and morphological traits of Carex muliensis

指标 Index	光照强度 Light intensity (df = 1)		土壤水分含量 Soil moisture (df = 2)		光照强度×土壤水分含量 Light intensity × soil moisture (df = 2)
指标 Index	F	p	F	p	F	p
叶长 Leaf length	3.966	0.048^*	18.582	<0.001^***	2.910	0.038^*
叶宽 Leaf width	9.243	0.003^**	7.451	<0.001^***	3.884	0.023^*
叶厚 Leaf thickness	7.695	0.006^**	6.808	0.002^**	3.124	0.047^*
比叶面积 Specific leaf area	72.272	<0.001^***	4.546	0.034^*	5.066	0.025^*
叶片干物质含量 Leaf dry matter content	22.629	<0.001^***	1.593	0.243	0.857	0.449
根长 Root length	283.236	<0.001^***	15.373	<0.001^***	0.776	0.482
地上生物量 Aboveground biomass	5.171	0.035^*	7.337	0.008^**	0.781	0.480
地下生物量 Belowground biomass	7.105	0.021^*	30.073	<0.001^***	0.409	0.673
根冠比 Root-shoot ratio	6.514	0.025^*	1.806	0.206	10.493	0.002^**

Fig. 1 Growth and morphological characteristics of Carex muliensis under different light intensities and soil moisture conditions (mean ± SD). L1 and L2 represent shading and ambient light, respectively; W1, W2 and W3 represent low, medium and high soil moisture levels, respectively. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05).

Fig. 2 Morphological characteristics of Carex muliensis under different treatments. L1 and L2 represent shading and ambient light respectively; W1, W2 and W3 represent low, medium and high soil moisture levels, respectively.

Table 2 Effects of light intensity and soil moisture on the photosynthetic characteristics of Carex muliensis

指标 Index	光照强度 Light intensity (df = 1)		土壤水分含量 Soil moisture (df = 2)		光照强度×土壤水分含量 Light intensity × soil moisture (df = 2)
指标 Index	F	p	F	p	F	p
叶绿素含量 Chlorophyll content	7.637	0.007^**	0.014	0.986	0.019	0.981
净光合速率 Net photosynthetic rate	9699.656	<0.001^***	1048.175	<0.001^***	842.535	<0.001^***
蒸腾速率 Transpiration rate	289.931	<0.001^***	314.431	<0.001^***	69.285	<0.001^***
细胞间CO₂浓度 Intercellular CO₂ concentration	2953.003	<0.001^***	206.929	<0.001^***	149.919	<0.001^***
气孔导度 Stomatal conductance	990.125	<0.001^***	662.625	<0.001^***	184.625	<0.001^***
水分利用效率 Water use efficiency	329.947	<0.001^***	11.048	0.002^**	1.321	0.303
PSII最大光化学量子产量 Maximum quantum yield of PSII efficiency	9.921	0.008^**	2.873	0.096	0.492	0.623
非光化学淬灭系数 Non-photochemical quenching	7.051	0.021^*	1.095	0.366	2.092	0.166

Fig. 3 Photosynthetic characteristics of Carex muliensis under different light intensities and soil moisture conditions (mean ± SD). L1 and L2 represent shading and ambient light, respectively. W1, W2 and W3 represent low, medium and high soil moisture levels, respectively. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05). Ci, intercellular CO2 concentration; Gs, stomatal conductance; Fv/Fm, maximum quantum yield of PSII efficiency; NPQ, non-photochemical quenching; Pn, net photosynthetic rate; Tr, transpiration rate; WUE, water use efficiency.

Fig. 4 Chlorophyll fluorescence image of Carex muliensis under different treatments. L1 and L2 represent shading and ambient light, respectively. W1, W2 and W3 represent low, medium and high soil moisture levels, respectively. Fv/Fm, maximum quantum yield of PSII efficiency; NPQ, non-photochemical quenching.

Fig. 5 Adaptive strategies responses of Carex muliensis under different light intensities and soil moisture conditions.

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