GEOapplication/xmlftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/series/GSE338nnn/GSE338282/primaryOK200TranscriptomicsTradescantia spathaceaExpression profiling by high throughput sequencinghttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE338282GEOGSEfalseSurvival wisdom of Tradescantia spathacea Sw: Trade-off be-tween anthocyanin mediated photoprotection and photosyn-thetic capacity under high light stressLight heterogeneity shapes plant survival, yet how shade-tolerant species balance photoprotection and photosynthesis under changing light remains unclear. Tradescantia spathacea Sw, with green upper and purple-red lower leaf surfaces, exhibits both shade tolerance and high-light acclimation, but the functional specialization of its leaf sides and the underlying trade-off mechanisms are poorly understood. This study exposed T. spathacea to 100% (FL) and 30% (LL) sunlight for 2 years and systematically assessed light adaptation mechanisms through morphological observation, physiological and biochemical detection, and transcriptomic analyses. Results showed that under FL conditions, leaf morphology underwent adaptive remodeling. Anthocyanins accumu-lated specifically in the lower side, thermal dissipation and antioxidant systems were fully activated, while photosynthetic capacity was markedly inhibited, reflecting a survival-priority strategy. Under LL conditions, leaves became broader and flatter, chlorophyll content increased, and the expression of photosynthesis-related genes was upregulated. This enhanced light capture and carbon assimilation efficiency, leading to significantly greater biomass accumulation, reflecting a growth-oriented resource al-location strategy. Transcriptomic and physiological data consistently showed that FL upregulated anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, while LL activated photosystem and photosynthetic electron transport genes. T. spathacea achieves a flexible photoadapta-tion strategy across different light environments through leaf surface functional spe-cialization and an anthocyanin mediated trade-off between photoprotection and pho-tosynthesis.2026/07/20GSE338282GSM9870552GSM9870551GSM9870554GSM9870553GSM9870555GSM987055037203338282Tradescantia spathacea[42511835]