[Research advances in sex-specific responses of dioecious plants to environmental stresses].

Abstract

This paper summarized the sexual differences of dioecious plants in physiological, ecological and biochemical characters under environmental stresses of changing temperature, CO2, water, and habitat. Temperature stress induces different physiological responses, e.g., stomatal conductance, net assimilation, freezing tolerance development, and ABA content between male and female individuals, and the capability of these sex-specific responses is limited by outside conditions. Male individuals have a higher net photosynthesis rate than female individuals, and the photosynthesis and biomass production are promoted by increasing CO2 concentration for both male and female individuals. Some morphological and physiological characteristics, e.g., dry mass accumulation, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, water use efficiency and carbon isotope composition (delta13 C), are significantly different between male and female individuals under water stress. Compared with females, male individuals have higher water use efficiency and drought resistance. Therefore, under different habitats, male and female individuals have different adaptive capability. The males can grow well and have more individuals than the females in a dry, infertile, higher altitude and higher gradient habitat, while the females prefer a wet, fertile, lower altitude and lowland environment.