Synergistic Interactions Between Leaf Traits and Photosynthetic Performance in Young Pinus tabuliformis and Robinia...

Spring droughts, increasingly coinciding with canopy shade, interactively stress the growth of urban tree species and are poorly understood in Beijing. Three-year-old saplings of Pinus tabuliformis and Robinia pseudoacacia were subjected to comparative analysis under four drought-shade sequences, with a full-light, well-watered treatment serving as the control. During two periods encompassing the drought to wilting point and subsequent rewatering, we assessed leaf morphology, water status, photosynthetic gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence. Both species exhibited losses in leaf water and carbon assimilation under drought, yet their adaptive strategies substantially differed. P. tabuliformis conserved water through the stable leaf anatomy and conservative stomatal control. In particular, P. tabuliformis under full-light and drought conditions decreased their specific leaf area (SLA) by 23%, as well as showing reductions in stomatal conductance (G_s) and transpiration rate (T_r) along with the drought duration (p < 0.01). As the duration of post-drought rewatering increased, the reductions in the net photosynthetic rates (P_n) of P. tabulaeformis showed that the shade condition intensified its photosynthetic limitation and slowed recovery after drought. Under low-light drought, R. pseudoacacia exhibited a 52% increase in SLA and a 77% decline in G_s; the latter was markedly smaller than the reduction observed under full-light drought. After rewatering, G_s displayed an overcompensation response. The rise in specific leaf area and the greater flexibility of stomatal regulation partly offset the adverse effects of drought. Nevertheless, post-drought P_n recovered to only 40%, significantly lower than the 61% recovery under full-light drought. Moreover, the negative correlation between SLA and P_n became significantly stronger, indicating that the "after-effects" of shade-drought hindered photosynthetic recovery once the stress was relieved. Drought duration eroded the phenotypic performance in both species, while the light environment during drought and subsequent rehydration determined the time trajectory and completeness of recovery. These results validate a trade-off between shade mitigation and drought legacy, and guide species selection: plant shade-tolerant R. pseudoacacia in light-limited urban pockets and reserve sun-dependent P. tabuliformis for open, high-light sites to enhance drought resilience of Beijing's urban forests.