Xinyi Xie
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Xinyi Xie has a total of 7 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Jian Zhou
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
1 shared publication - Jianhui Xue
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China
1 shared publication - Qian Wang
College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
1 shared publication - Shuiqiang Yu
College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
1 shared publication - Shuxia Weng
College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
1 shared publication - Weifeng Wang
College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
Transient Root Plasticity and Persistent Functional Divergence in Pine and Oak Forests in Response to Thinning
The mechanisms through which forest thinning influences the fine root foraging strategies of coexisting tree species in mixed forests remain unclear, limiting our ability to manage mixed forests for long-term productivity. We employed a space-for-time substitution approach in a Qinling pine-oak forest, in which fine roots of Pinus tabuliformis (Pt) and Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata (Qa) were sampled from unthinned plots and plots thinned 6 years (transient phase) and 14 years (persistent phase) prior, respectively. We analyzed the morphological and chemical traits of both absorptive and transport fine roots (0–20 cm depth) to decipher their distinct adaptation strategies. The results showed that Pt enhanced morphological plasticity in both absorptive and transport roots at T2010 (e.g., specific root length: +44% and 37%, p < 0.05). In contrast, Qa showed minimal changes in absorptive root morphology and chemistry (p > 0.05). Redundancy analysis indicated that thinning intensified functional divergence in root strategies between the two tree species and between the two root functional types (i.e., absorptive vs. transport fine roots). Hierarchical variance partitioning analysis indicated that root functional type was the primary driver (51.9%), with tree species identity (Pt vs. Qa) and thinning practices being secondary. Critically, soil properties significantly shaped absorptive root traits (explaining 10.4% of the variance) but did not affect transport root traits, whereas thinning was a dominant factor for transport roots (21.6%). This insight enables the tailoring of silvicultural interventions to tree species-specific foraging strategies, optimizing belowground resource acquisition in mixed forests.
Open AccessTransient Root Plasticity and Persistent Functional Divergence in Pine and Oak Forests in Response to Thinning
The mechanisms through which forest thinning influences the fine root foraging strategies of coexisting tree species in mixed forests remain unclear, limiting our ability to manage mixed forests for long-term productivity. We employed a space-for-time substitution approach in a Qinling pine-oak forest, in which fine roots of Pinus tabuliformis (Pt) and Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata (Qa) were sampled from unthinned plots and plots thinned 6 years (transient phase) and 14 years (persistent phase) prior, respectively. We analyzed the morphological and chemical traits of both absorptive and transport fine roots (0–20 cm depth) to decipher their distinct adaptation strategies. The results showed that Pt enhanced morphological plasticity in both absorptive and transport roots at T2010 (e.g., specific root length: +44% and 37%, p < 0.05). In contrast, Qa showed minimal changes in absorptive root morphology and chemistry (p > 0.05). Redundancy analysis indicated that thinning intensified functional divergence in root strategies between the two tree species and between the two root functional types (i.e., absorptive vs. transport fine roots). Hierarchical variance partitioning analysis indicated that root functional type was the primary driver (51.9%), with tree species identity (Pt vs. Qa) and thinning practices being secondary. Critically, soil properties significantly shaped absorptive root traits (explaining 10.4% of the variance) but did not affect transport root traits, whereas thinning was a dominant factor for transport roots (21.6%). This insight enables the tailoring of silvicultural interventions to tree species-specific foraging strategies, optimizing belowground resource acquisition in mixed forests.