Ecophysiological responses of herbaceous and woody plants to environmental stresses in the riparian zone of Three Gorges Reservoir: a meta-analysis

AimsThe response of herbaceous and woody plants to environmental stress is an important mechanism for the evolution of ecosystem structure and function in hydro-fluctuation belt of Three Gorges Reservoir.However, the pertinent response characteristics and whether there are group differences in these stress responses are still unclear.Methods Here, we undertook a meta-analysis of the effects of typical environmental stresses (flooding and drought stress) on the physiological and ecological characteristics of suitable herbaceous and woody plants in the Three Gorges hydro-fluctuation belt, with an aim to reveal the response of suitable plant groups to flooding and drought stress from the perspective of species and life forms. Important findingsThe results showed that: (1) Herbaceous plants and woody plants showed obvious growth and development inhibition and adaptive response in physiological and biochemical strategies under environmental stress, mainly manifested in the decrease of biomass and photosynthetic rate of each tissue and organ, the increase of malondialdehyde and proline content, and the initiation of antioxidant enzyme system (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase).(2) Flooding stress had the strongest negative effect on herbaceous plant biomass, followed by drought stress.Flooding stress had the greatest negative effect on total chlorophyll content and photosynthetic