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Influence of life form, taxonomy, climate, and soil properties on shoot and root concentrations of 11 elements in herbaceous plants in a temperate desert

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Abstract

Aim

Desert herbs, a crucial component of desert ecosystems, are sensitive to water and nutrient availability and therefore to environmental change. We aimed to determine element concentrations in desert herbs and their relationships with life form, taxonomy, climate, and soil environment.

Methods

We measured concentrations of 11 elements in shoots and roots of 26 dominant desert herb species from 45 sites in a temperate desert.

Results

Shoots of desert herbs had greater concentrations of elements related to photosynthesis and water use efficiency (N, P, Mg, K) than roots. Concentrations of these elements (except N and P) were also greater in annual herbs than in perennial herbs. Greater Mg, K, and Na concentrations were observed in shoots of Chenopodiaceae (mostly C4 species) than in Poaceae (mostly C3 species). Soil properties and taxonomy explained 3.6–26 % and 2.8–24 % of the variation in shoot element concentrations, respectively, whereas climate factors explained only 0.05–6.5 % of the variation.

Conclusions

Water and nutrient availability, which are affected by environmental change, influence concentrations of mineral elements in desert plants and their biogeochemical cycles in desert ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr Philip John White for his comments and editorial assistance and to two anonymous referees for their valuable comments to an earlier version of this manuscript. This work was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (No.2013CB429902), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.41101054), and Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists (No. 2015VEB068).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Mingzhu He, Ke Zhang, Huijuan Tan, Yang Zhao & Xinrong Li

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, 2570, Australia

    Feike A. Dijkstra

  3. Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Huijuan Tan & Xinrong Li

Authors
  1. Mingzhu He
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  2. Feike A. Dijkstra
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  3. Ke Zhang
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  4. Huijuan Tan
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  5. Yang Zhao
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  6. Xinrong Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingzhu He.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Philip John White.

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He, M., Dijkstra, F.A., Zhang, K. et al. Influence of life form, taxonomy, climate, and soil properties on shoot and root concentrations of 11 elements in herbaceous plants in a temperate desert. Plant Soil 398, 339–350 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2669-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2669-0

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