Phenotypic plasticity contributes more to the variations in nutrient resorption than genetic differentiation in a grassland dominant

1. Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation are the two important processes determining the leaf nutrient resorption among and within plant species, which is critical for understanding the adaptability of plants. However, relative contributions of these two processes have never been quantified at a large geographical scale.
2. Here, we investigated intraspecific variations in nutrient resorption among 14 Stipa breviflora populations along a latitude gradient in 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, we sow seeds from these populations in two common gardens at different latitudes, and examined the variations in nutrient resorption.
3. Our results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency (NRE and PRE) among S. breviflora populations in nature were positively related to latitude, while this trend disappeared in the common gardens. The heritability of NRE and PRE was 11.45 % and 16.78 %, respectively. These results suggested that phenotypic plasticity contributed much more ...

1. 表型可塑性（Phenotypic plasticity）与遗传分化（genetic differentiation）是决定植物种间和种内叶片养分回收（leaf nutrient resorption）的两个关键过程，这是解析植物适应性的关键所在。然而，这两个过程的相对贡献尚未在大地理尺度上得到量化。
2. 本研究于2018年和2019年沿纬度梯度（latitude gradient）对14个短花针茅（Stipa breviflora）种群的养分回收种内变异开展了调查。此外，我们将来自上述种群的种子播种于两个不同纬度的共同花园（common garden）实验样地中，对其养分回收的变异进行了检测。
3. 研究结果表明，自然生境下短花针茅种群的氮、磷回收效率（nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency，简称NRE和PRE）与纬度呈正相关，但该趋势在共同花园实验样地中不复存在。氮、磷回收效率的遗传力（heritability）分别为11.45%和16.78%。上述结果显示，表型可塑性的贡献更为显著……