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Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Two-Dimensional Visualization and Quantification of Labile, Inorganic Plant Nutrients and Contaminants in Soil
Published on: September 1, 2020
Is salinity the main ecological factor that influences foliar nutrient resorption of desert plants in a hyper-arid
Lilong Wang1,2, Xinfang Zhang1, Shijian Xu3
1MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Southern Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Background:
Soil salinity is a major abiotic constraint to plant growth and development in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. However, the influence of soil salinity on the process of nutrient resorption is not well known. We measured the pools of both mature and senesced leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sodium (Na) of desert plants from two types of habitats with contrasting degrees of soil salinity in a hyper-arid environment of northwest China.
Results:
N, P, K revealed strict resorption, whereas Na accumulated in senesced leaves. The resorption efficiencies of N, P, and K were positively correlated with each other but not with Na accumulation. The degree of leaf succulence drives both intra-and interspecific variation in leaf Na concentration rather than soil salinity. Both community- and species-level leaf nutrient resorption efficiencies (N, P, K) did not differ between the different habitats, suggesting that soil salinity played a weak role in influencing foliar nutrients resorption.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that plants in hyper-arid saline environments exhibit strict salt ion regulation strategies to cope with drought and ion toxicity and meanwhile ensure the process of nutrient resorption is not affected by salinity.
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