A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants

Conspecific plants exhibit morphological and biochemical plasticity in response to genetic relatedness in varying environments. However, the response strategies and factors influencing kin recognition in plants remain unclear. Meta-analysis is an approach to synthesize the effect size of plant–plant...

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Main Authors: Xin-Xin Xia, Shaobin Yan, Peng Wang, Chui-Hua Kong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/683
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author Xin-Xin Xia
Shaobin Yan
Peng Wang
Chui-Hua Kong
author_facet Xin-Xin Xia
Shaobin Yan
Peng Wang
Chui-Hua Kong
author_sort Xin-Xin Xia
collection DOAJ
description Conspecific plants exhibit morphological and biochemical plasticity in response to genetic relatedness in varying environments. However, the response strategies and factors influencing kin recognition in plants remain unclear. Meta-analysis is an approach to synthesize the effect size of plant–plant and plant–environment interactions. Here, we present the first case of a meta-analysis for response strategies and interfering factors in relatedness-mediated plant–plant interactions. We synthesized the effect of kin recognition on plant performance and environmental factors, based on 104 studies with 4045 cases. As a result, we found that kin recognition reduces root biomass, root length, root–shoot ratio, and lateral root number, lowering belowground competition. Furthermore, kin cooperation enhances aboveground light acquisition by increasing leaf area and boosts reproductive success by increasing seed biomass. The kinship effects are significantly influenced by both biotic (e.g., root interactions, kinship coefficient <i>r</i>, sex systems, recognition level) and abiotic factors (e.g., nutrient levels, experiment types, stress type, planting spacing and duration). Our meta-analysis highlights the response strategies and interfering factors of kin recognition in plant performance and environment dynamics, laying the foundation for further research on its ecological evolution and agricultural applications.
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spelling doaj-art-ea02465c5caf4d98a3c7b3f8d50963482025-08-20T02:59:15ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-02-0114568310.3390/plants14050683A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in PlantsXin-Xin Xia0Shaobin Yan1Peng Wang2Chui-Hua Kong3College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaInstitute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaConspecific plants exhibit morphological and biochemical plasticity in response to genetic relatedness in varying environments. However, the response strategies and factors influencing kin recognition in plants remain unclear. Meta-analysis is an approach to synthesize the effect size of plant–plant and plant–environment interactions. Here, we present the first case of a meta-analysis for response strategies and interfering factors in relatedness-mediated plant–plant interactions. We synthesized the effect of kin recognition on plant performance and environmental factors, based on 104 studies with 4045 cases. As a result, we found that kin recognition reduces root biomass, root length, root–shoot ratio, and lateral root number, lowering belowground competition. Furthermore, kin cooperation enhances aboveground light acquisition by increasing leaf area and boosts reproductive success by increasing seed biomass. The kinship effects are significantly influenced by both biotic (e.g., root interactions, kinship coefficient <i>r</i>, sex systems, recognition level) and abiotic factors (e.g., nutrient levels, experiment types, stress type, planting spacing and duration). Our meta-analysis highlights the response strategies and interfering factors of kin recognition in plant performance and environment dynamics, laying the foundation for further research on its ecological evolution and agricultural applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/683beneficial plant–plant interactionsbiotic and abiotic factorsconspecific cooperationgenetic relatednesskin discriminationkinship effect
spellingShingle Xin-Xin Xia
Shaobin Yan
Peng Wang
Chui-Hua Kong
A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants
Plants
beneficial plant–plant interactions
biotic and abiotic factors
conspecific cooperation
genetic relatedness
kin discrimination
kinship effect
title A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants
title_full A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants
title_fullStr A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants
title_full_unstemmed A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants
title_short A Meta-Analysis of Response Strategies and Interfering Factors of Kin Recognition in Plants
title_sort meta analysis of response strategies and interfering factors of kin recognition in plants
topic beneficial plant–plant interactions
biotic and abiotic factors
conspecific cooperation
genetic relatedness
kin discrimination
kinship effect
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/683
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