The soil seed bank, as a "storage" of aboveground vegetation species diversity, is the material foundation for plant community renewal and succession and a core driving force for regional vegetation natural restoration. This review, based on recently published high-impact studies, systematically summarizes the dynamic characteristics and driving mechanisms of soil seed banks in community succession, the impact pathways of disturbances on seed banks, and the application potential and limitations of seed banks in ecological restoration.The study found that the seed bank density, species richness, and composition show regular changes across succession stages, with high seed density in early stages, high richness in mid-stages, and low similarity in late stages as cross-system common characteristics; Disturbances affect seed bank functions through direct (e.g., climate change, physical disturbances), indirect (e.g., habitat changes, intensified competition), and cross-scale pathways (e.g., temporal mismatches, spatial diffusion), with multi-path interactions leading to nonlinear responses; Although seed banks provide a source of seed for the restoration of degraded ecosystems, their application is limited by the availability of target species seeds and environmental stress. Future research should focus on strengthening long-term monitoring, analyzing multi-factor interaction mechanisms, and developing precise restoration technologies based on seed bank characteristics to address ecological restoration challenges under global change.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in forest ecosystems is a crucial component of the global carbon cycle. Under the persistent intensification of global nitrogen deposition, the effects of nitrogen addition on forest SOC and its components—particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC)—have attracted widespread attention in ecology. However, the effects of nitrogen addition vary significantly under different soil pH conditions, and a systematic integrative framework explaining the underlying mechanisms remains lacking. This article systematically synthesizes the patterns of nitrogen addition effects on SOC, POC, and MAOC along a soil pH gradient (acidic: pH < 5.5; weakly acidic to neutral: pH 5.5–7.5; alkaline: pH > 7.5) and analyzes the differential mechanisms through three pathways: "carbon input-carbon output-stabilization processes." The study finds that in acidic forest soils, nitrogen addition primarily exhibits a positive effect by promoting net SOC accumulation—enhancing plant carbon inputs and suppressing soil carbon decomposition to reduce carbon output in the short term, while in the long term, inhibiting carbon output serves as the core pathway driving the accumulation of both SOC and POC. Concurrently, nitrogen addition can increase MAOC content by strengthening mineral–organic associations and slowing MAOC decomposition rates. In weakly acidic to neutral forest soils, the effects of nitrogen addition tend to balance out: short-term increases in carbon input and output may occur simultaneously, whereas in the long term, both may decline, leading to an overall weak response of SOC. Within this context, POC content often increases due to enhanced carbon inputs or suppressed decomposition, whereas MAOC may decrease due to base cation leaching and reduced microbial necromass input. In alkaline forest soils, existing evidence suggests that the overall response of SOC to nitrogen addition is mostly insignificant, likely attributable to the offsetting effects of increased carbon inputs and enhanced decomposition processes. However, clear research gaps remain regarding the response patterns and regulatory mechanisms of POC and MAOC in these systems. Future research should strengthen systematic exploration of soil carbon cycling processes in forest ecosystems under alkaline soil conditions, integrating multi-scale observations and mechanistic models to deepen the understanding of carbon-nitrogen coupling mechanisms mediated by plant-microbe-mineral interactions, thereby providing a scientific basis for accurately predicting forest carbon sink functions and optimizing nitrogen management strategies.

Aims The response of forest soil organic carbon (SOC) to global change has remained a prominent frontier issue in ecological research. Although numerous studies have demonstrated that nitrogen deposition can promote the accumulation and of forest SOC and enhance its stability, the impact of nitrogen deposition on the accumulation process of specific plant-derived components in SOC, such as lignin phenols, remains unclear. This knowledge gap limits our in-depth understanding of forest carbon cycling processes and their pivotal role in maintaining global carbon balance. Methods Based on the long-term (more than 20 years) nitrogen deposition experimental platform in Dinghu Mountain（112° 10′ E, 23° 10′ N）, this study systematically investigated the effects of long term nitrogen addition on the accumulation patterns of lignin phenols across different soil layers and their underlying mechanisms. Important findings The results indicated that: (1) Lignin phenol content significantly decreases with soil depth; Nitrogen addition increased lignin phenol content by 23.7% in the 0-10 cm soil layer but had no significant effect on the 10-30 cm layer. (2) Under the control treatment, the activity of C-degrading enzymes is a key factor influencing lignin phenol accumulation; Nitrogen addition inhibited C-degrading enzyme activityand weakened their regulatory effect on the accumulation of lignin phenols. However, lignin phenols were more effectively protected through physical and chemical binding with soil minerals, thereby significantly reducing their bioavailability. In summary, the impact of long-term nitrogen deposition on plant-derived carbon in tropical forests exhibits significant soil layer dependency, with its effects limited to promoting lignin phenol accumulation in the surface soil layer. long term high nitrogen input has altered the regulatory pathways of plant-derived carbon accumulation in tropical evergreen broadleaf forest soils, shifting from microbial degradation processes to physicochemical protection as the dominant mechanism. This study unveils a novel mechanism for maintaining the stability of tropical forest soil carbon pools under nitrogen deposition, providing crucial theoretical insights for predicting forest soil carbon dynamics.

Aims The priming effect (PE) is a common phenomenon in terrestrial ecosystems, but its response to warming remains highly uncertain in the context of climate change. Most existing studies on the PE are based on laboratory incubation methods, which cannot accurately assess the changes induced by temperature increases in natural field environments. Methods In this study, based on an in-situ soil warming experiment located in a subtropical forest, 13C labeled glucose was added using an artificial root imitation device to simulate labile carbon input from root, to explore the responses of PE and the soil net carbon balance to warming. Four treatments were set up in the experiment: 1) ambient temperature + deionized water (CT-CK); 2) ambient temperature + glucose solution (CT-Glu); 3) warming temperature + deionized water (W-CK); 4) warming temperature + glucose solution (W-Glu). Important findings The results showed that both warming and glucose addition had a significant impact on the CO2 flux, with glucose addition increasing the total CO2 flux, while warming inhibited it. From May to October 2023, the cumulative Glu-derived CO2 in the CT-Glu treatment was 9.51 g CO2-C·kg–1 SOC (SOC, soil organic carbon), and this amount was reduced by warming to 5.41 g CO2-C·kg–1 SOC. Similarly, warming significantly suppressed the PE. The cumulative PE of the CT-Glu treatment was 12.31 g CO2-C·kg–1 SOC, while that of the W-Glu treatment was 6.54 g CO2-C·kg–1 SOC. In this study, warming significantly intensified microbial carbon limitation in the soil, which was the primary reason for the reduction in cumulative Glu-derived CO2 and the priming effect. In addition, warming significantly increased the soil net carbon balance. Specifically, the soil net carbon balance of the CT-Glu treatment was –1.81 g CO2-C·kg–1 SOC, while that of the W-Glu treatment was 8.05 g CO2-C·kg–1 SOC. Our findings quantified the impact of in-situ warming on the PE of SOC decomposition, which is beneficial for better understanding soil carbon cycling processes in terrestrial ecosystems and for reducing uncertainties in Earth system models that predict carbon dynamics.

Aims Large-scale Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantation management has caused severe forest nutrient imbalance in subtropical regions. Transforming stands by increasing tree species diversity is an important approach to mitigate nutrient imbalance in Chinese fir plantations. However, the effects of neighbourhood tree species richness on litter nutrient concentrations and their stoichiometric characteristics remain unclear. Methods This study established gradients of neighbourhood tree species richness (1, 4, 6, 7, and 8 species) to investigate their effects on the concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and the stoichiometric characteristics of Chinese fir litter in subtropical plantations. Important findings The results showed that litter N and P concentrations increased by 37.1% and 45.9% at richness levels of 6 and 7 species, respectively, compared with the monoculture treatment. This increase resulted in significant reductions in litter C/N and C/P, by 26.9% and 31.5%, respectively. Soil nitrate nitrogen was positively correlated with litter N concentration and negatively with litter C/N. Soil available phosphorus was significantly positively correlated with litter P concentration, resulting in a significant negative correlation with litter C/P. The best-fitting linear mixed-effects models showed that soil available phosphorus and pH were the main factors explaining variation in litter P concentration and C/P. Therefore, these findings suggest that a moderate increase in neighbourhood tree species richness enhances litter nutrient concentrations in the target tree species and reduces its carbon-to-nutrient stoichiometric ratios, thereby promoting litter nutrient return and improving forest nutrient status in Chinese fir plantations.

Aims Mangrove ecosystems are the vital components of typical blue carbon wetlands with a strong carbon sequestration capacity, where the sediment carbon pool constitutes the majority of the total carbon storage. Within the sediment carbon pool, humic carbon is the primary form of sediment organic carbon, typically accounting for more than half of sediment organic carbon content. However, the distribution characteristics and primary driving factors of humic carbon components in different mangrove types remain poorly understood. Methods This study focused on four typical mangrove species, i.e., Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Kandelia obovata, Rhizophora stylosa, and Avicennia marina, from the Guangdong Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve in South China. We quantitatively analyzed the distribution patterns of three humic carbon fractions, i.e., humic acid carbon, fulvic acid carbon, and humin carbon, in sediments of different mangrove types and at sediment depths. We also employed correlation analysis, random forest models, and hierarchical partitioning to identify their main environmental driving factors. Important findings (1) The significant differences in the three humic carbon components were found among different mangrove types and sediment depths. Among four different types, R. stylosa exhibited the highest humic carbon content and A. marina had the lowest humic carbon content. Vertically, the contents of three humic carbon fractions were significantly higher at the 0-40 cm layer than that at 40-100 cm layer, with no significant differences observed at 40-100 cm layer. (2) Sediment nutrients had the strongest influence on humic carbon, particularly effective nitrogen and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, which were key driving factors of the humic carbon fractions. (3) Chromium had a prominent impact on fulvic acid carbon and humin carbon, and other metal elements also showed correlations with humic carbon fractions. Overall, the variation of spatial distribution of humic carbon in mangrove sediments is primarily determined by nutrient availability, while the influence of microbial indicators is relatively weak.

Aims After the control of Spartina alterniflora, two distinct management approaches—preserving bare mudflats and planting mangrove forests—have been found to influence wetland soil microorganisms and carbon cycling processes. However, there remains a significant gap in the systematic understanding of how these two management strategies affect the structure and function of soil fungal communities, the distribution and turnover of organic carbon components, and consequently impact carbon pool activity and management efficiency. Methods Employing high-throughput sequencing (ITS1) and carbon fractionation techniques, we systematically analyzed differences in fungal community composition between bare flat wetlands and mangrove-restored wetlands as well as their dynamic associations with distinct stability classes of organic carbon components after S. alterniflora management. Important findings The results demonstrated that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota remained the dominant fungal phyla in mangrove-replaced wetland soils, with combined average relative abundance reaching 65%. The predominant genera shifted to Leucosporidium and Phaeosphaeria, whose distributions were significantly regulated by soil moisture content, bulk density, and electrical conductivity. FUNGuild functional prediction revealed that saprotrophic fungi maintained the highest relative abundance (15.4%-47.8%) before and after mangrove replacement, with soil saprotrophs-undefined saprotrophs and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi predominating in functional groups. The relative abundance of soil-borne plant pathogens decreased post-replacement. Compared to bare flats, mangrove-replaced wetlands exhibited reduced organic carbon content but showed varying increases in Carbon Pool Activity Index (CPAI) and Carbon Pool Management Index (CPMI). The alpha diversity of the fungal community emerged as the primary factor influencing easily oxidizable organic carbon (EOC) content, accounting for 50.8% of variance. Facultative saprotrophic fungi significantly enhanced carbon turnover efficiency by driving recalcitrant organic carbon transformation (p<0.01). Based on the above, this study demonstrates that mangrove replacement effectively promotes the transformation of soil organic carbon from recalcitrant to labile forms by enhancing the functional dominance of saprophytic fungi, consequently altering the CPMI. These findings advance theoretical understanding of the interaction mechanisms between wetland organic carbon components and microbial communities, thereby offering scientific foundations for sustainable coastal wetland conservation.

Aims Quantify how increased summer precipitation and nitrogen deposition, alone and in combination, affect soil extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometry. Identify the resulting shifts in microbial nutrient limitations in a Caragana microphylla-encroached grassland. Methods Conducted a factorial field manipulation in Inner Mongolia with summer precipitation addition (PA) and nitrogen addition (NA, simulating deposition). Measured activities of carbon-, nitrogen-, and phosphorus-acquiring extracellular enzymes. Assessed microbial nutrient limitation using vector analysis based on enzyme stoichiometry. Important findings PA increased carbon- and nitrogen-acquiring enzyme activities but decreased phosphorus-acquiring enzyme activity. NA increased phosphorus-acquiring enzyme activity and shifted enzyme stoichiometry. Vector analysis indicated predominant co-limitation by nitrogen and phosphorus. NA alleviated phosphorus limitation by increasing nitrogen-acquiring enzyme activity and altering N:P enzyme ratios. PA intensified microbial carbon and phosphorus limitations, likely via soil moisture effects on microbial biomass and enzyme production. Overall, increased precipitation and nitrogen deposition reconfigured microbial nutrient constraints by modulating extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometry in shrub-encroached grasslands.

Aims The biodiversity-ecosystem function relationship is a prominent research topic within ecology. In the context of global environmental changes, biodiversity loss may constrain ecosystem functioning. Most existing studies focus on diversity effects on individual functions (e.g., productivity, carbon sequestration, etc.) or ecosystem multi-functionality (EMF), while overlooking the interactions among different ecological functions - a phenomenon quantified as ecosystem coupling. To date, it remains elusive how diversity changes impact ecosystem coupling and the relationships between EMF and ecosystem coupling. Methods Using standardized field surveys across 40 sampling sites across the Tibetan alpine grasslands, we explored the large-scale patterns of ecosystem multifunctionality and ecosystem coupling, and their relationships with plant diversity. Important findings The EMF exhibited highly spatial heterogeneity, while ecosystem coupling showed less variation at the regional scale. Meanwhile, no significant correlation was observed between EMF and ecosystem coupling. The EMF was significantly correlated with climatic factors, plant diversity, and soil properties, whereas ecosystem coupling remained insensitive to variations in both biotic and abiotic drivers. These results reveal a widespread decoupling between EMF and ecosystem coupling at the large scale, not supporting the notion that higher EMF associated with stronger ecosystem coupling based on controlled experiments. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and also lay a theoretical base for achieving the national strategy of "integrated management of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts " via biodiversity conservation.

Aims Microplastic pollution and multispecies invasions are escalating global threats to native plant communities. However, how plant communities respond to microplastics in the context of multispecies invasions, and the mechanisms driving these responses, are still largely unknown. To address this gap, we conducted a controlled experiment. Methods We established synthetic plant communities composed of three grass species, three legume species, and three invasive species along a 12-level abundance gradient of polypropylene microplastics. To elucidate the underlying ecological drivers, we measured soil physicochemical properties, community-level fluorescence traits, species richness, community biomass, and species relative abundance. Furthermore, structural equation modeling was used to identify key pathways. Important findings (1) Overall, polypropylene (PP) microplastics significantly decreased plant species richness, especially at intermediate levels, without a consistent monotonic trend. (2) Unlike plant species richness, PP microplastics did not decrease overall community biomass, and community biomass exhibited a U-shaped response, decreasing at low to medium microplastic levels and increasing significantly at high levels. (3) PP microplastics had no significant effect on the relative abundance of invasive plants, but significantly affected community-level fluorescence traits, and soil phosphorus and potassium. Structural equation modeling revealed distinct pathways by which microplastics influenced plant species richness, invader relative abundance, and community productivity. These findings suggest that microplastics could regulate plant diversity and community productivity primarily by altering soil nutrient availability and plant functional traits. Furthermore, soil nutrients and pH could exert contrasting influences on invasion processes under microplastic stress.

Aims Planktonic diatoms constitute the dominant algal group in alpine river ecosystems, playing a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem stability. This study investigates the community assembly mechanisms and key drivers of planktonic diatoms in the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Methods Between 2019 and 2023, a total of 84 representative sampling sites were established throughout the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin.Identification of planktonic diatoms in summer and autumn using a combined ap-proach of live observation and fixed staining.Analyses were conducted on their community structure characteris-tics, response mechanisms to environmental changes, and the driving factors influencing community assembly. Important findings A total of 543 diatom species were identified, belonging to 2 classes, 6 orders, 10 families, and 55 genera, NMDS analysis revealed significant inter-seasonal and inter-basin differences in diatom communi-ties. The α diversity index was significantly higher in the middle reaches than in the upper and lower reaches, ex-hibiting a unimodal spatial distribution pattern. β-diversity decomposition revealed that species turnover primar-ily drove inter-community differences, though nested processes dominated in the middle reaches during autumn. Community assembly was influenced by both stochastic and deterministic processes, with deterministic processes predominating, particularly during summer. Geographic distance and altitude significantly affected diatom com-munity structure, with geographic distance exhibiting stronger attenuation effects than altitude, and spatial con-straints becoming more pronounced in autumn communities. Altitude, dissolved oxygen, and total dissolved salts are key factors driving changes in diatom community structure. The revealed community assembly mechanisms and key drivers provide scientific basis for biodiversity conservation and ecological management in alpine rivers.

Aims To develop regional allometric models for Hainan Island and assess the applicability of the widely used pantropical allometric model in estimating aboveground biomass (AGB, kg) for Hainan rainforests. Methods We used a dataset of 332 trees (117 species) from Hainan Island, with biomass data from aboveground, foliage, branch, and trunk. Standardized major axis regression was applied using diameter at breast height (D), tree height (H), and D²H as predictors to develop the regional model. We also estimated AGB using the pantropical model with wood density values matched at the species or genus level. The differences between observed and simulated AGB were compared for both the full dataset (332 trees) and a species-matched subset (92 trees), and the relationship between estimation bias and tree size was analyzed. Important findings (1) The regional models showed good fit (R² > 0.5), with better performance for AGB and trunk biomass (R² = 0.749–0.796), and weaker performance for foliage biomass (R² = 0.508–0.672). (2) No significant differences were found between observed and simulated AGB in both sample sets. However, estimation bias was negatively correlated with D, H, and D²H. In the species-matched sample set, the regression slopes were steeper, indicating that the AGB of larger trees was underestimated and that genus-level wood density substitution masked interspecific differences. (3) The regional model fitted to both observed and simulated AGB showed no significant differences in slope and intercept, the model developed based on observed AGB showed better prediction and extrapolation capabilities compared to the model developed using simulated data. The pantropical allometric model is applicable in Hainan; however, its reliability is limited by missing wood density data and the prevalence of large trees. Therefore, the regional model developed here should be the preferred approach for AGB estimation in Hainan under the current data constraints.

Aims Environmental gradients and human disturbance are key drivers affecting soil microbial communities and biodiversity, yet their combined effects on soil legacy processes and subsequent plant growth remain poorly understood. Methods We conducted a study in the Shennongjia region of Hubei Province, China. Plots characterized by three disturbance levels—Low, Medium, and High disturbance—were established along an elevational gradient ranging from 500 to 3000 m. By combining field sampling with a greenhouse common garden experiment, we systematically evaluated the impacts of elevational gradients and human disturbance on soil microbial communities and the resulting soil legacy effects on plant growth. Important findings Elevation significantly reduced the α-diversity of soil bacteria and fungi and markedly altered microbial community composition, whereas the direct effects of human disturbance on microbial community structure were relatively weak. Soil legacy effects varied significantly across human disturbance levels, with medium disturbance markedly amplifying the positive effects of soil legacies on plant total biomass, while these effects weakened or became neutral under low and high disturbance conditions. The legacy effects on the root-to-shoot ratio showed a significant interaction between elevation and disturbance, indicating that the response of plant resource allocation strategies to soil historical conditions is strongly environmentally dependent. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) further revealed that elevation indirectly influenced plant traits primarily through its effects on fungal communities, while interactions between fungal and bacterial communities regulated the direction and magnitude of soil legacy effects. Overall, soil legacy effects serve as a key mechanism linking elevational gradients, human disturbance, and plant growth responses, with their ecological importance being particularly pronounced under medium disturbance conditions. This study highlights the necessity of incorporating soil legacy effects when predicting subtropical mountain vegetation dynamics in the context of global change.

Aims The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events such as drought and heatwave,. has heightened the need to understand how plants with different photosynthetic pathways (C3 vs. C4) respond physiologically to combined heat and drought stress. However, a through understanding of their photosynthetic responses under such compound stresses, as well as the differences in their recovery mechanisms once the stress is alleviated, remains limited. Methods Using a pot-based experiment, we measured responses in photosynthetic physiology, carbon assimilation, and allocation in dominant C3 and C4 grass species from the Songnen Grassland to individual and combined extreme drought and heatwave treatments, followed by a recovery period. Important findings Under the heatwave conditions, the studied C4 grasses maintained higher leaf temperatures yet sustained high water use efficiency, whereas the C3 grasses employed transpirational cooling, at the expense of reduced water use efficiency. The imposed stress treatments promoted the accumulation of soluble sugars in the leaves of both photosynthetic types, notably, the C4 grasses exhibited the greatest increase under the combined treatment and tended to allocate more sugars to stems. Morphological and biomass allocation responses were more pronounced in the C3 grasses, while the C4 grasses displayed a relatively conservative strategy. During the recovery, the C4 grasses demonstrated significantly greater photosynthetic capacity and biomass recovery than the C3 grasses. These findings indicate that C4 grasses possess stronger adaptability and resilience under extreme climate events such as heatwaves and droughts, which can be attributed to their more efficient photosynthetic apparatus, superior water use efficiency, and more flexible resource allocation patterns.

Aims Plant functional traits are stable and measurable morphological and physiological characteristics formed by plants through long-term natural selection and evolution. Forest fires, as an important influencing factor in forest ecosystems, have a significant impact on plant functional traits. Plants adapt to changes in the external environment by altering their functional traits and forming specific survival strategies. Therefore, clarifying the response mechanism of plant leaf and petiole traits to fire is of great significance for revealing the adaptation strategies of plants after fire. Methods In this study, Betula platyphylla, a pioneer tree species in Daxing'an Mountains, was taken as the research object. The forest areas that have experienced severe fires in the past four years were selected as the burned areas, while the adjacent forest stands with consistent environmental background conditions and no fire disturbance were chosen as the control areas, that is, the unburned areas. To analyze the changes in leaf traits, petiole traits, leaf traits and the coupling patterns between petiole and leaf traits of B. platyphylla after fire, and to explore the influence of soil properties on the coupling patterns among traits. Important findings The results showed that: (1) After fire, leaf area and specific leaf area both significantly decreased, while leaf dry matter content and leaf tissue density both significantly increased; meanwhile, both the petiole length and the petiole length were significantly reduced, while there were no significant changes in the dry weight of petioles and the proportion of petiole biomass allocation. (2) After fire, the negative coupling pattern between specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content weakened, while the positive coupling pattern between leaf dry matter content and leaf tissue density strengthened, indicating that fire enhanced the structural defense of plants and the plant resource utilization strategy shifted towards a conservative type; after fire, specific leaf area and leaf tissue density showed an isokinetic growth relationship, reflecting a fixed trade-off between resource acquisition and defense construction in plant leaves. here was no significant difference in the coupling patterns of petiole length-leaf area, petiole dry weight-leaf area and specific petiole length-leaf area before and after fire. However, the interceptions of the three coupling patterns after fire were all lower than those before fire, indicating that after fire, plants reduced biomass input to photosynthetic organs and enhanced support and defense structures. (3) Fire increased the regulatory effect of soil properties on the coupling pattern between petiole and leaf traits, transforming it from being driven solely by total soil phosphorus before fire to being jointly influenced by multiple soil properties such as total soil phosphorus, organic carbon, and soil water content after fire. The results of this study show that after fire, B. platyphylla achieves a "conservative" survival strategy by forming small and thick leaves and short and thick petioles, revealing the growth adaptation mechanism of plants in the early stage of vegetation recovery in the burned area.

Aims Plant functional traits influence plant growth and resource allocation strategies. and their plasticity in response to environmental changes makes them robust indicators of plant adaptation to grassland management practices. In the Yili River Valley region, Sophora alopecuroides (a dominant poisonous weed species) poses severe threats to grassland ecosystems and livestock production. Investigating how different grassland management practices affect the functional traits of S. alopecuroides is therefore crucial for understanding its growth-survival strategies and restoring degraded grasslands. Methods This study set up field control experiments, including four grassland management measures: grazing + mowing, grazing, fencing + mowing, and fencing, to explore the changing characteristics of functional traits and resource balance strategies of S. alopecuroides. Important findings The results showed that: (1) Under the grazing management, S. alopecuroides exhibited the lowest specific leaf area and the highest leaf dry matter content. Under grazing + mowing and fencing + mowing treatments, S. alopecuroides exhibited significantly higher leaf nitrogen content and leaf phosphorus content, but significantly lower leaf carbon - phosphorus ratio and leaf nitrogen - phosphorus ratio. Fencing resulted in higher leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, and leaf carbon concentration. (2) Fencing + mowing and fencing significantly increased specific root length and specific root surface area (P < 0.05). Root tissue density was highest under grazing + mowing. Root carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations and root stoichiometric ratios did not differ significantly among the four management practices. (3) Under grazing + mowing and grazing treatments, S. alopecuroides lost the leaf-root synergy in its whole plant economics spectrum, resulting in a strategies reallocation of resources between above- and below-ground organs; whereas fencing + mowing treatments promoted resource-acquisitive strategies. This study elucidates the resource trade-off strategies of S. alopecuroides under contrasting grassland management regimes, while providing theoretical foundations for controlling this poisonous weed and restoring degraded steppes in the Yili River Valley.

Clarifying the responses of plant functional traits to environmental changes is crucial for understanding plant adaptation strategies and ecosystem functions. While most studies have focused on aboveground plant traits, with limited research on belowground traits, especially the covariation of leaf and fine root traits in wetlands.This study took the typical wetland plant Phragmites australis in the lower reaches of the Yellow River as the object, measured its key leaf (i.e., specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content and nitrogen concentration) and fine root (i.e., specific root length, root tissue density and nitrogen concentration) traits, and combined with environmental factor analysis to explore the variation patterns and influencing factors of plant traits under the gradient of wetland degradation.With the intensification of wetland degradation, leaf and fine root traits of P. australis presented a coordinated change from acquisition to conservation strategy, manifested as a significant decrease in specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen concentration and root nitrogen concentration, while leaf dry matter content and root tissue density significantly increased. However, specific leaf area and specific root length showed a significant negative correlation, with the latter increasing along the degradation gradient, indicating a certain functional divergence in morphological strategies between aboveground and belowground organs. Further analysis revealed that soil nutrient availability was the key environmental factor driving trait variation during degradation. As nutrient availability decreased, both the leaves and fine roots of P. australis shifted toward a “conservative” strategy characterized by high tissue density and low nitrogen concentration. By integrating leaf and root traits, this study reveals that P. australis adapts to nutrient limitation in degraded wetlands through the coordinated aboveground-belowground adjustments. These findings deepen our understanding of plant adaptive strategies under environmental change and offer a theoretical foundation for the functional restoration of degraded wetland ecosystems.

Xiaowutai Mountain, located at the junction of the Taihang, Yanshan, and Hengshan ranges, represents a typical temperate montane forest ecosystem in North China and serves as an important ecological barrier for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. To fill the gap in systematic vegetation survey data, we conducted a plot-based survey during the 2025 growing season following unified technical protocols. A total of 67 plots were established along an elevation gradient and across different slope aspects to record community structure, species composition, and environmental variables; vegetation types were then classified and named, and the records were integrated into a vegetation plot dataset for the Xiaowutai National Nature Reserve. We documented 321 vascular plant species belonging to 197 genera and 69 families, with Asteraceae, Rosaceae, and Poaceae as the dominant families. By life form, there were 225 herbs (70.1%), 58 shrubs (18.1%), 23 trees (7.2%), and 7 species of ferns and lianas combined (2.2%), plus a single subshrub species. The vegetation was categorized into three vegetation formation groups, seven vegetation formations, and 36 associations, which together essentially cover the spatial distribution range of the major vegetation types in Xiaowutai Mountain. This dataset provides reusable baseline information for vegetation classification, community comparisons, and conservation zoning in Xiaowutai Mountain.