%A Yuyang Zhang, Tao Yu, Wenbao Ma, Fei Wang, Cheng Tian, Junqing Li %T Physiological and morphological effects of different canopy densities on reintroduced Acer catalpifolium %0 Journal Article %D 2020 %J Biodiv Sci %R 10.17520/biods.2019190 %P 323-332 %V 28 %N 3 %U {https://www.biodiversity-science.net/CN/abstract/article_60360.shtml} %8 2020-03-20 %X

The reintroduction of an endangered plant is an effective way to increase its wild plant populations. Suitable habitat is a necessary condition for reintroduced species to survive. Studying the adaptability of a plant’s physiology to different habitats prior to reintroduction is key for evaluating how successful the endangered species would be in each habitat. In this study, Acer catalpifolium, a Wild Plant with Extremely Small Populations (WPESP), was studied to explore the effects of habitat conditions on the morphological traits, photosynthetic characteristics, flavonoid index and chlorophyll contents of A. catalpifolium seedlings. The habitat conditions, no shading, forest edge, gap and understory, are ordered in a gradient from low to high canopy density. The results show that: (1) The change in canopy density correlated with the differences in base diameter, crown width and number of new branches. (2) The maximum single leaf area and single leaf mass were found in the forest edge habitat, and the specific leaf area increased as canopy density increased. (3) With increasing canopy density, intercellular CO2 concentration, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance of A. catalpifolium showed an initial decrease before increasing. In contrast, the flavonoid index showed an initial increase before decreasing. Chlorophyll content showed a consistent upward trend. In summary, the light conditions of forest edge habitat make it more suitable than the other habitats in this study for the reintroduction of A. catalpifolium. This study establishes a theoretical and practical basis for field reintroductions of A. catalpifolium, and provides significant guidance for exploring suitable habitat for the reintroduction of other Wild Plant with Extremely Small Populations.