Influence of mycorrhizal strategy on the foliar traits of the plants on the Tibetan plateau in response to precipitation and temperature

Abstract

Mycorrhizas play key roles in important ecosystem processes and functions. To enhance our understanding of the impact of mycorrhizal strategies on important foliar traits of host plants and their response to climate changes, we analysed 6 selected foliar traits among 54 plant species in 129 sampling sites of ascertained mycorrhizal types on the Tibetan Plateau based on their functional groups. The selected traits were leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen concentration (on mass and area bases, N mass and N area, respectively), photosynthetic capacity (A mass and A area) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE). The analysed foliar traits showed no significant difference between arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and non-mycorrhizas (NM) + AM in the grass group. Mycorrhizal strategies remarkably affected N mass and A mass of the herb group, and LMA, A mass and N mass in the shrub group. Responses of foliar traits to precipitation and temperature varied among different mycorrhizal strategies. The index of LMA, A area and N area of AM, N area of NM/AM, and PNUE of mean annual precipitation (MAP) were significantly affected by mean annual temperature (MAT). The responses among different mycorrhizal types to precipitation and temperature differed among plant functional groups. ©TÜBİTAK.