title: Anatomical and physiological plasticity in Leymus chinensis (Poaceae) along large-scale longitudinal gradient in northeast China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although it has been widely accepted that global changes will pose the most important constrains to plant survival and distribution, our knowledge of the adaptive mechanism for plant with large-scale environmental changes (e.g. drought and high temperature) remains limited.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An experiment was conducted to examine anatomical and physiological plasticity in Leymus chinensis along a large-scale geographical gradient from 115° to 124°E in northeast China. Ten sites selected for plant sampling at the gradient have approximately theoretical radiation, but differ in precipitation and elevation. The significantly increasing in leaf thickness, leaf mass per area, vessel and vascular diameters, and decreasing in stoma density and stoma index exhibited more obvious xerophil-liked traits for the species from the moist meadow grassland sites in contrast to that from the dry steppe and desert sites. Significant increase in proline and soluble sugar accumulation, K(+)/Na(+) for the species with the increasing of stresses along the gradient showed that osmotic adjustment was enhanced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obvious xerophytic anatomical traits and stronger osmotic adjustment in stress conditions suggested that the plants have much more anatomical and physiological flexibilities than those in non-stress habitats along the large-scale gradient.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. wangrz@ibcas.ac.cn
authors.forename: Renzhong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wenwen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Linna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Chengyuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xiaoqiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002681:China; D055864:Droughts; D017753:Ecosystem; D005843:Geography; D009995:Osmosis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006109:Poaceae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D011392:Proline / Q000378:metabolism; D011891:Rain; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011392:Proline; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium
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