Objective The impact of sandy land fixation degrees on leaf-root functional traits of Reaumuria songarica shrubs was investigated in order to provide more theoretical foundations and data support for exploring plant adaptation strategies and conserving plant diversity in arid regions. MethodsR. songarica shrubs on sandy lands with different fixation degrees in the Ordos Plateau were selected as the research object. Methods such as variance analysis and Pearson correlation were employed to investigate the functional traits of leaves and roots and analyze their nutrient content. Results ① Compared to those in fixed and semi-fixed sandy lands, plant leaves in mobile sandy lands exhibited a conservative strategy characterized by low succulence (2.08), low leaf water content (51.68%), low saturated leaf water content (57.47%), low leaf C (34.9 g/kg), and low leaf N (2.32 g/kg), while the roots showed an acquisitive strategy with a wider root distribution range and higher root N content. ② Compared to semi-fixed sandy lands, the relative interaction intensity (RII) values of most indicators in mobile sandy lands were further from zero. ③ Most leaf and root functional traits were significantly correlated (p<0.05). Conclusion The R. songarica shrubs exhibit a decoupling phenomenon between above-ground and below-ground traits when adapting to stressful environments, and that plant trait variations become more pronounced with increasing environmental pressure.
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