Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes

Understanding how clonal plants modulate their reproductive strategies under environmental fluctuations is critical for assessing their resilience amid rapid global change. <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">Phragmites australis</i>, a dominant clonal plant species in coasta...

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Main Authors: Yinhua Wang, Xin Lyu, Xinyi Tian, Changcheng Guo, Yifan Li, Chen Yang, Ningning Li, Hongyu Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1587
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author Yinhua Wang
Xin Lyu
Xinyi Tian
Changcheng Guo
Yifan Li
Chen Yang
Ningning Li
Hongyu Guo
author_facet Yinhua Wang
Xin Lyu
Xinyi Tian
Changcheng Guo
Yifan Li
Chen Yang
Ningning Li
Hongyu Guo
author_sort Yinhua Wang
collection DOAJ
description Understanding how clonal plants modulate their reproductive strategies under environmental fluctuations is critical for assessing their resilience amid rapid global change. <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">Phragmites australis</i>, a dominant clonal plant species in coastal wetlands worldwide, provides vital ecological and agricultural services. As coastal wetlands are currently impacted by sea level rise, <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> faces both salinity and tidal level changes. However, the effects of the combined influences of these two abiotic factors on the reproductive strategy of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> remain unclear. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to examine how <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> allocates resources between clonal and sexual reproduction under different salinity and tidal level conditions. We found increased salinity negatively impacted both sexual and clonal reproductive metrics and shifted reproductive allocation toward clonal reproduction; increasing tidal level had positive effects on the sexual reproductive metrics, but negatively affected the clonal reproductive metrics, leading to a shift toward greater allocation in sexual reproduction. Higher tidal levels could reduce the negative impact of salinity on the plant’s most reproductive metrics. These results highlighted the flexibility of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> in adapting its reproductive strategies to environmental changes, suggesting that it could be a promising component for sustainable wetland agriculture, offering significant economic value amid rapid global change.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-a544bab2a2144d0bbce3d39c9162f8912025-08-20T03:32:31ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-06-01157158710.3390/agronomy15071587Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level ChangesYinhua Wang0Xin Lyu1Xinyi Tian2Changcheng Guo3Yifan Li4Chen Yang5Ningning Li6Hongyu Guo7Tianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaUnderstanding how clonal plants modulate their reproductive strategies under environmental fluctuations is critical for assessing their resilience amid rapid global change. <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">Phragmites australis</i>, a dominant clonal plant species in coastal wetlands worldwide, provides vital ecological and agricultural services. As coastal wetlands are currently impacted by sea level rise, <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> faces both salinity and tidal level changes. However, the effects of the combined influences of these two abiotic factors on the reproductive strategy of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> remain unclear. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to examine how <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> allocates resources between clonal and sexual reproduction under different salinity and tidal level conditions. We found increased salinity negatively impacted both sexual and clonal reproductive metrics and shifted reproductive allocation toward clonal reproduction; increasing tidal level had positive effects on the sexual reproductive metrics, but negatively affected the clonal reproductive metrics, leading to a shift toward greater allocation in sexual reproduction. Higher tidal levels could reduce the negative impact of salinity on the plant’s most reproductive metrics. These results highlighted the flexibility of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">P. australis</i> in adapting its reproductive strategies to environmental changes, suggesting that it could be a promising component for sustainable wetland agriculture, offering significant economic value amid rapid global change.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1587<i>Phragmites australis</i>reproductive strategysalinitytidal levelwetland agricultureglobal change
spellingShingle Yinhua Wang
Xin Lyu
Xinyi Tian
Changcheng Guo
Yifan Li
Chen Yang
Ningning Li
Hongyu Guo
Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes
Agronomy
<i>Phragmites australis</i>
reproductive strategy
salinity
tidal level
wetland agriculture
global change
title Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes
title_full Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes
title_fullStr Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes
title_full_unstemmed Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes
title_short Shift in the Reproductive Strategies of <i>Phragmites australis</i> Under Combined Influences of Salinity and Tidal Level Changes
title_sort shift in the reproductive strategies of i phragmites australis i under combined influences of salinity and tidal level changes
topic <i>Phragmites australis</i>
reproductive strategy
salinity
tidal level
wetland agriculture
global change
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1587
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