在低資源環(huán)境下,，植物的生物量分配模式或表型的可塑性暗示著環(huán)境信號和個體發(fā)育之間存在復(fù)雜的相互作用關(guān)系,，而不僅僅是植物發(fā)育上的延遲（個體發(fā)育漂變）。要理解環(huán)境因子對生物量分配模式或表型的影響,，就必須區(qū)分生物量分配模式是來源于環(huán)境梯度還是個體發(fā)育漂變,。
近日，PLoS ONE發(fā)表了中國科學(xué)院新疆生態(tài)與地理研究所李彥研究員團隊的發(fā)現(xiàn),，土壤質(zhì)地顯著改變了往葉和根的生物量分配比例,，但是沒有影響往莖的生物量分配比例；同時,，土壤質(zhì)地也顯著改變了葉和根特征的發(fā)育軌線,，但沒有影響基莖直徑和植株高度之間的異速生長關(guān)系。
研究人員通過構(gòu)建Nested-ANOVAs模型確認,，土壤質(zhì)地梯度對葉和根生物量分配比例變異的貢獻平均可以達到64–70%,，遠大于個體發(fā)育漂變的貢獻（14%）。而個體發(fā)育漂變對莖生物量分配比例變異的貢獻平均可以達到77%,，遠大于環(huán)境梯度的貢獻（20%-28%）,。
這些結(jié)果暗示著環(huán)境因子主導(dǎo)著往葉和根的生物量分配，而個體發(fā)育漂變控制著往莖的生物量分配,。換句話說,，植物往代謝活躍器官的生物量分配主要受環(huán)境因素的影響,，對環(huán)境變化敏感,，具有高的可塑性,；而代謝非活躍器官的生物量分配主要受控于個體發(fā)育漂變，對環(huán)境變化不敏感,，具有較低的可塑性,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.017
PMC:
PMID:
Distinguishing the Biomass Allocation Variance Resulting from Ontogenetic Drift or Acclimation to Soil Texture
Jiangbo Xie1,2, Lisong Tang1, Zhongyuan Wang1,2, Guiqing Xu1, Yan Li1*
In resource-poor environments, adjustment in plant biomass allocation implies a complex interplay between environmental signals and plant development rather than a delay in plant development alone. To understand how environmental factors influence biomass allocation or the developing phenotype, it is necessary to distinguish the biomass allocations resulting from environmental gradients or ontogenetic drift. Here, we compared the development trajectories of cotton plants (Gossypium herbaceum L.), which were grown in two contrasting soil textures during a 60-d period. Those results distinguished the biomass allocation pattern resulting from ontogenetic drift and the response to soil texture. The soil texture significantly changed the biomass allocation to leaves and roots, but not to stems. Soil texture also significantly changed the development trajectories of leaf and root traits, but did not change the scaling relationship between basal stem diameter and plant height. Results of nested ANOVAs of consecutive plant-size categories in both soil textures showed that soil gradients explained an average of 63.64–70.49% of the variation of biomass allocation to leaves and roots. Ontogenetic drift explained 77.47% of the variation in biomass allocation to stems. The results suggested that the environmental factors governed the biomass allocation to roots and leaves, and ontogenetic drift governed the biomass allocation to stems. The results demonstrated that biomass allocation to metabolically active organs (e.g., roots and leaves) was mainly governed by environmental factors, and that biomass allocation to metabolically non-active organs (e.g., stems) was mainly governed by ontogenetic drift. We concluded that differentiating the causes of development trajectories of plant traits was important to the understanding of plant response to environmental gradients.
