Altitudinal Variation in Trade-Off Strategies of the Plant Economics Spectrum of Pinus massoniana Plantations in Subtropical Mountains.

Authors

Kun Nie, Ming Xu, Jian Zhang

Published in

Ecology and evolution. Volume 16. Issue 7. Pages e73977. Epub Jul 10, 2026.

Abstract

Elevational gradients are natural laboratories for plant ecological strategies, much as altitudinal shifts in tree composition have advanced understanding of forest assembly and dynamics. Yet, functional trait-based investigations into the ecological strategies of P. massoniana plantations communities along subtropical altitudinal gradients remain remarkably scarce. This knowledge gap hinders science-based management of these forests in subtropical montane habitats. This study investigated pure P. massoniana plantations across four altitude gradients (1200-1500 m) in the subtropical mountain forest ecosystem. We quantified functional traits of different organs (leaves and roots) in P. massoniana and understory shrubs to decipher their coordinated variations with altitude. Our study revealed divergent trade-offs in the leaf economics spectrum (LES), root economics spectrum (RES), and whole-plant economics spectrum (WES) of woody plants in P. massoniana plantations along subtropical montane altitudinal gradients. P. massoniana showed a shift from acquisitive to conservative trait patterns with increasing elevation, whereas understory shrubs exhibited opposite strategies. Significant correlations emerged between leaf and root traits within the P. massoniana plantations communities. The plant economics spectrum showed significant consistency across different organs of species, and there were significant positive correlations among LES, RES, and WES. The divergent altitude-related ecological adaptation strategies observed between P. massoniana and shrubs likely reflect shrubs' heightened sensitivity to microenvironments (e.g., canopy effects) and niche complementarity, although this interpretation remains speculative and requires further research. Overall, there is a consistent resource trade-off strategy among different organs of plants in P. massoniana plantations in subtropical mountainous areas to respond to the direct or indirect effects of altitude. This study provides a theoretical basis at the functional trait level for the adaptive management of P. massoniana plantations in subtropical montane regions.

PMID:
42437097
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Jul 2026.

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