Spatial variation and allocation of sulfur among major plant organs in China

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 844; p. 157155
• Main Authors: Zhao, Wenzong, Xiao, Chunwang, Li, Mingxu, Xu, Li, Li, Xin, He, Nianpeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 20.10.2022
• Subjects: Adaptation; Allocation strategy; Element; Plant organ; Spatial variation; Sulfur; PAR; PGFs; MAT; TGS; VMAT; Element; αleaf–twig; αtwig–root; αleaf–trunk; αleaf–root; ORP; Spatial variation; UVR; Ssoil; Sulfur; Plant organ; Adaptation; αtrunk–root; AI; Sorgan; Sroot; Sleaf; αtwig–trunk; Allocation strategy; Strunk; Stwig; MAP; PGS; COND
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157155

Sulfur (S) is a functional element that plays an important role in abiotic stress resistance and environmental adaptation in plants. However, knowledge of the biogeographic patterns of S among major plant organs remains limited. We conducted a methodologically consistent field survey of 2745 plant species across 78 typical communities throughout China. From this, we constructed a new matched database of S content in leaves, twigs, trunks, and roots to explore S allocation strategies in plants to better understand the regulatory mechanisms on a large scale. The average S content in leaves, twigs, trunks, and roots of plants in China was 2.32 ± 0.04, 1.13 ± 0.02, 0.15 ± 0.01, and 1.23 ± 0.02 g kg−1, respectively. S content was significantly higher in leaves than in other organs, and S content of plants in deserts was higher than that of plants in forests and grasslands. S content changed faster in roots and showed divergent allocation relationships among organs across communities at different scales. Climate and soil properties jointly regulated the spatial variation and allocation relationships of S among different organs. This study further broadens our understanding of the biological functions of S and their role in the interactions between plants and the environment. [Display omitted] •Variation and allocation of S are essential for understanding plant adaptation.•S content in organs of 2745 plant species in China was measured consistently.•S differed significantly among organs and were higher in leaves.•Climate and soil factors jointly regulated the spatial patterns of S among organs.•Matching dataset of S will optimize the land surface process models.