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<p>Water limits plant growth and development in arid and semi-arid regions. The coordination among plant anatomy, stoichiometry, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSCs) content reflect complex coordination mechanisms related to resource allocation, environmental adaptation, and physiological functions. To elucidate the adaptation strategies between desert shrub resource utilization and drought adaptation, this study evaluated the anatomical structure, NSCs content, and stoichiometry of the assimilated branches of <i>Calligonum leucocladum</i> in two low salt habitats (humid and arid) near the Ebinur Lake Basin of Xinjiang, China. The thickness of water-storing tissues significantly increased by 69.13% in <i>C. leucocladum</i> under drought stress. The phosphorus (P) content and carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio increased significantly, while the C and N contents and C:P and N:P ratios decreased significantly, suggesting that <i>C. leucocladum</i> may preferentially absorbs P for energy metabolism at the expense of N metabolism to maintain mechanical resistance. The significantly higher soluble sugar/starch ratio indicated the rapid reallocation of C resources from the storage form (starch) to the functional form (soluble sugar) under water deficit. The phenotypic plasticity index showed that <i>C. leucocladum</i> rapidly optimized water transport and reduced the risk of embolism through the high plasticity of the vascular bundle diameter. The low plasticity in the P content was maintained to safeguard energy metabolism and cellular repair, relying on uptake from deep roots to alleviate P limitation. <i>C. leucocladum</i> has developed a synergistic adaptation mechanism to long-term drought through structural contraction (vascular bundles and conduits), metabolic resource reallocation (C tended toward water storage/defense structures), and preferential adjustment of P uptake, forming a synergistic adaptation mechanism to prolonged drought. This strategy reveals the survival–growth coordinate mechanism of desert plants under resource constraints.</p>

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Multidimensional structural and stoichiometric coordination strategies for drought adaptation in Calligonum leucocladum

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月31日

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  • Yifei Wang,
  • Xuelian Ding,
  • Di Gao,
  • Fang Yang

摘要

Water limits plant growth and development in arid and semi-arid regions. The coordination among plant anatomy, stoichiometry, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSCs) content reflect complex coordination mechanisms related to resource allocation, environmental adaptation, and physiological functions. To elucidate the adaptation strategies between desert shrub resource utilization and drought adaptation, this study evaluated the anatomical structure, NSCs content, and stoichiometry of the assimilated branches of Calligonum leucocladum in two low salt habitats (humid and arid) near the Ebinur Lake Basin of Xinjiang, China. The thickness of water-storing tissues significantly increased by 69.13% in C. leucocladum under drought stress. The phosphorus (P) content and carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio increased significantly, while the C and N contents and C:P and N:P ratios decreased significantly, suggesting that C. leucocladum may preferentially absorbs P for energy metabolism at the expense of N metabolism to maintain mechanical resistance. The significantly higher soluble sugar/starch ratio indicated the rapid reallocation of C resources from the storage form (starch) to the functional form (soluble sugar) under water deficit. The phenotypic plasticity index showed that C. leucocladum rapidly optimized water transport and reduced the risk of embolism through the high plasticity of the vascular bundle diameter. The low plasticity in the P content was maintained to safeguard energy metabolism and cellular repair, relying on uptake from deep roots to alleviate P limitation. C. leucocladum has developed a synergistic adaptation mechanism to long-term drought through structural contraction (vascular bundles and conduits), metabolic resource reallocation (C tended toward water storage/defense structures), and preferential adjustment of P uptake, forming a synergistic adaptation mechanism to prolonged drought. This strategy reveals the survival–growth coordinate mechanism of desert plants under resource constraints.