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10.3390/f17010146
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Article

Foliar Nitrogen and Phosphorus Asymmetrically Predict the Thermal and Hydric Niches of Woody Plants in Eastern China

by
Longxin Zhang
1,2,
Yufang Huang
1,
Xiaoying Zhang
1,
Wenmei Ren
3,
Zhen Ma
2,* and
Chunhui Zhang
1,4,*
1
State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, College of Eco-Environmental Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
2
Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Restoration Ecology for Cold Regions, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
3
Huzhu County Agricultural Technology Extension Center, Huzhu 810500, China
4
Qinghai Haibei National Field Research Station of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2026, 17(1), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010146
Submission received: 16 December 2025 / Revised: 11 January 2026 / Accepted: 13 January 2026 / Published: 22 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Forest Biodiversity)
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Abstract

Understanding the formation mechanisms of plant hydrothermal niches is a core issue in ecology. This study focused on 362 woody plant species in eastern China to investigate the effects of leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and their ratio (N/P) on hydrothermal niches and to assess the role of phylogenetic signals. Our results showed that all niche parameters exhibited significant yet varying strengths of phylogenetic signals, with thermal niche signals generally stronger than those of hydric niches. Leaf N and P were significantly correlated with thermal niche dimensions (e.g., breadth and lower limits), whereas leaf N/P and P primarily drove variation in hydric niche dimensions (e.g., breadth and upper limits). This study confirms the asymmetric and dimension-specific influences of leaf nutrients on hydrothermal niches, highlights the necessity of controlling for phylogenetic history in trait-niche research, and provides new perspectives for understanding plant environmental adaptation and evolution.
Keywords: hydric niche; leaf nitrogen and phosphorus; niche width; phylogenetic linear models; thermal niche; woody plants hydric niche; leaf nitrogen and phosphorus; niche width; phylogenetic linear models; thermal niche; woody plants

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, L.; Huang, Y.; Zhang, X.; Ren, W.; Ma, Z.; Zhang, C. Foliar Nitrogen and Phosphorus Asymmetrically Predict the Thermal and Hydric Niches of Woody Plants in Eastern China. Forests 2026, 17, 146. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010146

AMA Style

Zhang L, Huang Y, Zhang X, Ren W, Ma Z, Zhang C. Foliar Nitrogen and Phosphorus Asymmetrically Predict the Thermal and Hydric Niches of Woody Plants in Eastern China. Forests. 2026; 17(1):146. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010146

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Longxin, Yufang Huang, Xiaoying Zhang, Wenmei Ren, Zhen Ma, and Chunhui Zhang. 2026. "Foliar Nitrogen and Phosphorus Asymmetrically Predict the Thermal and Hydric Niches of Woody Plants in Eastern China" Forests 17, no. 1: 146. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010146

APA Style

Zhang, L., Huang, Y., Zhang, X., Ren, W., Ma, Z., & Zhang, C. (2026). Foliar Nitrogen and Phosphorus Asymmetrically Predict the Thermal and Hydric Niches of Woody Plants in Eastern China. Forests, 17(1), 146. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010146

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