Abstract
Aims Plant biomass allocation and elemental homeostasis have recently become a focus in ecological studies. Herbaceous plants are a major component of species diversity in desert ecosystems. Study on biomass allocation and leaf stoichiometry with growth will be beneficial to further understanding the survival strategy and functional features of desert herbs. Methods Four dominant species, including two ephemeral plants (Erodium oxyrrhynchum and Hyalea pulchella) and two annals (Agriophyllum squarrosum and Ceratocarpus arenarius), were selected for in situ and multiple- time investigations. Changes in the characteristics of biomass allocation and leaf N-P stoichiometry, as well as their relationships were analyzed. Important findings Root to shoot ratio decreased gradually during the accumulation of plant biomass in all the four species. The allometric relationships between above- and belowground biomass, however, varied among the four species; the allometric scaling exponents in H. pulchella and C. arenarius initially increased and then de- creased, and tended to become stable toward the later period, whereas the allometric scaling exponents in E. oxyrrhynchum and A. squarrosum initially increased and then tended to be isometry in later period. The leaf N and P contents tended to increase in H. pulchella, but declined in other three species with growth, indicating that the leaf N-P stoichiometry of the plants studied changed and showed weak correlations with biomass indices.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Root to shoot ratio declined as biomass accumulated in all four species.
Verbatim
e0“Root to shoot ratio decreased gradually during the accumulation of plant biomass in all the four species”
Claim · model-written summary
Above and belowground biomass allometry varied among species.
Verbatim
e0“The allometric relationships between above- and belowground biomass, however, varied among the four species”
Claim · model-written summary
Allometric exponents in H. pulchella first rose, then fell and stabilized late.
- Taxon
- H. pulchella
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Centaurea pulchellae0 - Outcome
- allometric scaling exponentse0
- Direction
- initially increased and then de- creasede0
- Qualifier
- toward the later periode0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“allometric scaling exponents in H. pulchella and C. arenarius initially increased and then de- creased, and tended to become stable toward the later period”
Claim · model-written summary
Allometric exponents in C. arenarius first rose, then fell and stabilized late.
- Taxon
- C. arenarius
Ceratocarpus arenariuse0 - Outcome
- allometric scaling exponentse0
- Direction
- initially increased and then de- creasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“allometric scaling exponents in H. pulchella and C. arenarius initially increased and then de- creased, and tended to become stable toward the later period”
Claim · model-written summary
Allometric exponents in E. oxyrrhynchum rose and approached isometry late.
Verbatim
e0“allometric scaling exponents in E. oxyrrhynchum and A. squarrosum initially increased and then tended to be isometry in later period”
Claim · model-written summary
Allometric exponents in A. squarrosum rose and approached isometry late.
- Taxon
- A. squarrosumAgriophyllum squarrosume0
- Outcome
- allometric scaling exponentse0
- Direction
- initially increasede0
Verbatim
e0“allometric scaling exponents in E. oxyrrhynchum and A. squarrosum initially increased and then tended to be isometry in later period”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf N and P tended to increase in H. pulchella during growth.
- Taxon
- H. pulchellaCentaurea pulchellae0
- Outcome
- leaf N and P contentse0
- Direction
- increasee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“leaf N and P contents tended to increase in H. pulchella”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf N and P declined in the other three species during growth.
Not reportedOutcome
Verbatim
e0“declined in other three species with growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf N-P stoichiometry showed weak correlations with biomass indices.
Verbatim
e0“leaf N-P stoichiometry of the plants studied changed and showed weak correlations with biomass indices”