AUTHOR=Gao Yanju , Zhang Zhihao , Zhang Bo , Yin Hui , Chai Xutian , Xu Mengqi , Tariq Akash , Zeng Fanjiang 

TITLE=Foliar P-Fractions Allocation of Karelinia caspia and Tamarix ramosissima Are Driven by Soil and Groundwater Properties in a Hyper-Arid Desert Ecosystem

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.833869

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.833869

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The allocation patterns of foliar phosphorus (P) fractions across various vegetation types generally reflect the adaptability to P-impoverished environments. However, the allocation of foliar-P fractions within the desert herb <italic>Karelinia caspia</italic> (<italic>K. caspica</italic>) and shrub <italic>Tamarix ramosissima</italic> (<italic>T. ramosissima</italic>) in soils with different environment-P availability and the impact of soil and groundwater properties on foliar-P fractions allocation remain unclear. The foliar-P fractions (metabolites-P, nucleic acid-P, structural-P, and residual-P) of <italic>K. caspica</italic> and <italic>T. ramosissima</italic> and the properties of 0–60 cm deep soil under their canopy and groundwater were determined at four different environment-P sites. Results found that as environment-P availability decreased, both plants allocated the higher proportions of foliar-P to nucleic acid-P than to metabolites-P and structural-P. With the exception of residual-P, foliar-P fractions were markedly higher for <italic>K. caspica</italic> than <italic>T. ramosissima</italic>. Soil Olsen-P, NO<sub>3</sub><sup>–</sup>-N, soil water content, electrical conductivity (EC), groundwater EC, and total dissolved solids (TDSs) played an important role in allocating foliar P-fractions for both <italic>K. caspica</italic> and <italic>T. ramosissima</italic>. Compared with <italic>K. caspica</italic>, the foliar-P fractions of <italic>T. ramosissima</italic> were more tightly bounded to groundwater than soil properties. Overall, these findings show how desert plants flexibility take advantage of the foliar-P in low environment-P availability and illustrate the foliar-P fractions allocation of desert plants is driven by soil and groundwater properties.</p>