SCIENCE@home

Differentiation in water adaptation strategy between epiphytic and terrestrial species of Cymbidium, Orchidaceae

Tian-Yang Gao,Wei Zhang,Shi-Bao Zhang

Published 2025 in AoB Plants

ABSTRACT

Abstract The contrasting water availabilities of epiphytic and terrestrial habitats likely drive divergent adaptive strategies for water use in plants. While leaf adaptations are well studied, the role of root traits in water adaptation remains poorly understood. Here, we compared the leaf and root anatomical traits of 9 terrestrial and 15 epiphytic species within Cymbidium (Orchidaceae) using a common garden experiment. Our results demonstrated that terrestrial species exhibited leaves with larger stomata and roots with enhanced cortical development, whereas epiphytes possessed thicker velamen radicum and larger xylem vessels. Correlation analyses revealed coordinated leaf–root trait relationships: in epiphytes, reduced velamen thickness/radius correlated with increased cortical investment, along with a positive correlation between stomatal density and cortex-related traits, while terrestrial species exhibited a strong association between leaf thickness and xylem vessel dimensions. These results revealed significant differences in leaf and root traits between epiphytic and terrestrial species. Epiphytic species exhibited greater potential for drought tolerance, while terrestrial species showed more resistance to waterlogging stress. These findings provide important insights into the water-adaptation strategies of orchids.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-55 of 55 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY