Phenotypic Plasticity In Response To Light And Patterns Of Carbon Physiological Integration In Zoysia Japonica Steud., A Clonal Plant

Based on clonal growth, clonal plants formed clonality and physiological interation, which result in diverse phenotypic plasticity than non-clonal plants, and adaption to heterogeneous or stressful environments. The phenotypic plasticity of Zoysia japonica and the patterns of carbon physiological integration in different light conditions were studied applying the technique of stable isotope (¹³C), which revealed the adaptive strategies of Zoysia japonica in stressful and heterogeneous light environments.Light is one of the key factors affecting the morphogenesis, survival, growth, development, reproduction and distribution of plants. The phenotypic plasticity of Zoysia japonica in different levels of shading was studied. The results showed that when shaded, Zoysia japonica showed phenotypic plasticity in terms of biomass, leaf shape, clonal architecture and ramets population. Zoysia japonica specialized for scarce light like non-clonal plants, and also performed foraging behavior. Zoysia japonica showed tradeoff between the two strategies.Carbon physiological integration as the basis of survival, growth, reproduction and distribution of clonal plants is an important part of clonal integration of clonal plants. The results showed that extensive carbon integration existed in Zoysia japonica in different light conditions. The ¹³C absorbed was transported acropetally to the younger ramets and basipetally to the older ramets, but the intensity and range of acropetal translocation was stronger and wider than basipetal transportation, which suggested that the younger ramets was the stronger sinks of assimilates, and the apex was the strongest sinks of assimilate. Ramets at different developmental stages transported assimilate acropetally and basipetally. The capacity of carbon physiological integration of the older ramets were weaker than the younger ramets. Older ramets trended to transport more assimilate to the ramets of the lower-level branch. A relatively independent IPU for carbon tended to exist in the lower-level branch of Zoysia japonica. The pattern of carbon physiological integration changed under different light conditions. The local shading experiment showed that when ramets of Zoysia japonica were under stress, the original carbon integration pattern might change. Carbon integration pattern showed difference in homogenous and heterogeneous light environments. The strategy of integration of assimilates performed ecological plasticity in Zoysiajaponica.