Investigating biomass allocation-root trait correlations in lakeside invasive plants enhances understanding of their phenotypic plasticity and resource strategies. Currently, limited research has focused on the linkage between biomass allocation patterns and root morphological characteristics in lakeside invasive species under varying environmental conditions. We examined Ageratina adenophora across three lakeside habitats: near shore area (plot I: 50 ~ 150 m from the shore), middle shore area (plot II: 200 ~ 300 m from the shore), remote shore area (plot III: 350 ~ 450 m from the shore). The correlation between the biomass allocation and root traits of A. adenophora under different habitats was studied. The results revealed that in the near shore area, A. adenophora population exhibited smaller root-shoot ratio accompanied by higher specific root length, branching density and fractal dimension. Conversely, in the remote shore area, A. adenophora counterparts developed larger root-shoot ratio with reduced root length, lower branching density, and simplified fractal dimension. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between root traits and stem biomass allocation in three habitats ( P < 0.05). These results suggest that A. adenophora employs adaptive biomass allocation strategies to develop differentiated root architecture in heterogeneous lakeside environments, reflecting high phenotypic plasticity that enhances its colonization success through optimized resource acquisition and storage trade-offs. Our findings elucidate how heterogeneous habitats drive belowground trait differentiation in invasive species, providing mechanistic insights into their colonization success.
Li et al. (Sat,) studied this question.