Divergent Nutrient Resorption Strategies in C4 Desert Shrubs: Stoichiometric Evidence From Assimilative Branches.

ABSTRACT: Calligonum species are widely distributed across the arid desert belt stretching from North Africa to Central Asia. Their leaves are nearly fully degraded, and photosynthetic activity is predominantly undertaken by assimilative branches (ABs). Remarkably, Calligonum represents the only known lineage within the family Polygonaceae to exhibit the C4 photosynthetic pathway. To date, on the regional scale, the nutrient resorption patterns of ABs of different Calligonum species are still unclear. We investigated three representative species from distinct taxonomic sections native to the Junggar Desert of northwestern China: C. mongolicum (CM; Sect. Medusa), C. leucocladum (CL; Sect. Pterococcus), and C. junceum (CJ; Sect. Calliphysa). Green ABs and AB l

SUBMITTER: Wei SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12793778 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature