Growth characteristics of Abies beshanzuensis seedlings at different altitudes and the influencing factors

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0194

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Abies beshanzuensis is a first-class protected wild plant in China, with only three individuals remaining in mixed evergreen-deciduous broadleaf forest at approximately 1 750 m above sea level on the southwest slope of Baishanzu, Qingyuan County, Zhejiang Province. This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact of environmental factors on the growth of A. beshanzuensis seedlings at different altitudes.

Methods we established 11 experimental sites at varying altitudes (ranging from 500 to 1 500 m) in the Qingyuan mountain region to monitor the growth of transplanted A. beshanzuensis seedlings. By examining changes in environmental factors such as air temperature and humidity, soil microorganisms, and soil physicochemical properties, we investigated how A. beshanzuensis seedlings responded to altitude change.

Important findings The results showed that: (1) the survival rate of A. beshanzuensis seedlings decreased by 50% due to the low altitude (500 m). The height, crown width, base diameter and their corresponding growth rates of seedlings increased first and then decreased with the increasing altitude; and the seedlings grew best at altitudes ranging from 700-1 100 m. (2) An increase in fungal Simpson diversity index had a significant positive effect on the growth rate of seedling base diameter. (3) The growth of seedlings showed a significant positive correlation with air and soil temperature, and a significant negative correlation with air and soil moisture. Specifically, an increase in air and soil temperature within the range of 11-19 °C and a decrease in air and soil humidity within the range of 10%-25% promoted seedling growth. (4) The soil nutrients, such as ammonium nitrogen content, as well as soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, had significant positive effects on the growth rates of seedling height, base diameter and crown width. In conclusion, altitude, fungal diversity, soil and air temperature, humidity, and soil nutrients are key environmental factors influencing the growth of A. beshanzuensis seedlings, and should be considered as critical factors in their ex situ conservation.

Key words: Abies beshanzuensis, seedling, altitude, soil microorganism, soil physicochemical property, temperature, humidity, seedling growth detection

LI Xin-Yi, ZHANG Li-Fang, WU You-Gui, GUO Jing, LAN Rong-Guang, LÜ Hong-Fei, YU Ming-Jian. Growth characteristics of Abies beshanzuensis seedlings at different altitudes and the influencing factors[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(4): 610-623.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0194

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2025/V49/I4/610

Figures/Tables 8

Table 1 Survival rate of Abies beshanzuensis seedlings at different altitudes

指标 Indicator	低海拔实验区 Low-altitude area (m)						高海拔实验区 High-altitude area (m)
指标 Indicator	500	600	700	800	900	1 000	1 100	1 200	1 300	1 400	1 500
2022年4月幼苗数量 Number of seedlings in April 2022	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
2023年4月幼苗数量 Number of seedlings in April 2023	5	9	9	10	9	10	10	9	9	10	10
存活率 Survival rate (%)	50	90	90	100	90	100	100	90	90	100	100

Fig. 1 Height (A, B), crown width (C, D), and base diameter (E, F) of Abies beshanzuensis seedlings in different altitudes. *** represents the significance of the difference in seedling growth rate between the two experimental areas (p < 0.001), ns means non-significance (p > 0.05). The white box represents the high-altitude experimental area and the grey box represents the low-altitude experimental area. Identical lowercase letters above the boxes indicate non-significant difference in growth metrics between altitudes, while different lowercase letters indicate significant difference at the 0.05 level.

Fig. 2 Height growth rate (A, B), crown width growth rate (C, D), and base diameter growth rate (E, F) of Abies beshanzuensis seedlings in different altitudes. * represents the significance of the difference in seedling growth between the two experimental areas (**, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001). The white box represents the high-altitude experimental area and the grey box represents the low-altitude experimental area. Identical lowercase letters above the boxes indicate non-significant difference in growth metrics between altitudes, while different lowercase letters indicate significant difference at the 0.05 level.

Fig. 3 Chao1 index (A, B), Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index (C, D), and Simpson’s diversity index (E, F) of bacteria and fungi in low- and high-altitude experimental areas. The higher the value of Chao1 index, the higher the richness of species. The higher the value of Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index, the higher the species diversity. The higher the value of Simpson’s diversity index, the lower the species evenness. * represents the significance of the difference in bacterial and fungal α diversity between the two experimental areas (**, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001), ns means non-significance (p < 0.05).

Fig. 4 Variation in the Chao1 index (A, B), Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index (C, D), and Simpson’s diversity index (E, F) of bacteria and fungi along the altitude gradient. Identical lowercase letters indicate no significant difference in α diversity indices of microorganisms between the low- and high-altitude experimental areas, while different lowercase letters indicate significant difference at the 0.05 significance level, and ns indicates non-significant difference (p < 0.05).

Fig. 5 Variation in abiotic factors (A-N) along the altitude. AP, available phosphorus content in soil; C:N, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in soil; MWRC, maximum water retaining capacity of soil; NH4+-N, ammonium nitrogen content in soil; NO- 3-N, nitrate nitrogen content in soil; N:P, nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio in soil; pH, soil acidity; TC, total carbon content in soil; TN, total nitrogen content in soil; TP, total phosphorus content in soil. The vertical axis represents Z-score standardized values. Blue dashed lines indicate non-significant regression results (p > 0.05), while red solid lines indicate significant results (p < 0.05). Gray shaded area represents the 95% confidence interval.

Fig. 6 Correlation analysis of environmental factors and seedling growth of Abies beshanzuensis. Blue represents the negative correlation, red represents the positive correlation; the darker the color, the greater the correlation. * represents the significance level (*, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001). AP, available phosphorus content in soil; Chao1 16S, the bacterial Chao1 index; Chao1 ITS, the fungal Chao1 index; C:N, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in soil; DGR, the growth rate of seedling base diameter; HGR, the growth rate of seedling height; MWRC, maximum water retaining capacity of soil; NH4+-N, ammonium nitrogen content in soil; NO- 3-N, nitrate nitrogen content in soil; N:P, nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio in soil; pH, soil acidity; Shannon 16S, the bacterial Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index; Shannon ITS, the fungal Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index; Simpson 16S, the bacterial Simpson’s diversity index; Simpson ITS, the fungal Simpson’s diversity index; TC, total carbon content in soil; TN, total nitrogen content in soil; TP, total phosphorus content in soil; WGR, the growth rate of seedling crown width.

Fig. 7 Regression slopes of height (A), crown width (B), base diameter (C), height growth rate (D), crown width growth rate (E), and base diameter growth rate (F) of Abies beshanzuensis seedlings against the environmental factors of Simpson 16S, simpson ITS, PC1, or PC2 (mean ± SE). * represents the significance level (*, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001). The abbreviation for the microbial diversity index is consistent with those used in Fig. 6. PC, principal component.

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