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Species-specific traits determine halophyte nutrient patterns rather than plant functional types

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Abstract

Halophytes are plants capable of completing their life cycle in saline soils and, depending on their ecological strategies and the environmental conditions in which they grow, they may be broadly classified into two plant functional types (PFTs): hydrohalophytes and xerohalophytes. We investigated whether distinct nutritional patterns were associated with these PFTs by comparing the nutrient content of three hydrohalophyte and three xerohalophyte species in relation to soil physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and enzymatic activities. Our results suggest that halophyte nutritional status was related to species-specific traits and local soil conditions, rather than being explained solely by PFT classification. For instance, hydrohalophytes Atriplex portulacoides and Salicornia perennis exhibited similar nutritional profiles despite contrasting soil physicochemical conditions. Statistical analyses identified soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, and clay and silt contents as key environmental factors associated with variation in plant nutrient concentrations. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between silt and clay textures and microbial biomass, indicating a potential role for soil-microbe interactions in nutrient cycling. Overall, these findings indicate that nutrient dynamics in halophytes may not be fully predicted by PFT categories alone, highlighting the complex interplay between species traits and site-specific soil conditions. This underscores the value of mechanistic, species-level studies for improving our understanding of nutrient acquisition and cycling in saline ecosystems.

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Data availability

The data collected for this study is available at: https:/doi.org/10.12795/11441/177215 and https:/hdl.handle.net/11441/177215.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Herbarium and Agricultural Research General Services at the Research, Technology, and Innovation Center of the University of Seville (CITIUS) for providing facilities and equipment. We also acknowledge the official licenses granted by: (i) Consejería de Agua, Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca, Medio Ambiente y Emergencias of the Region of Murcia (permit number: AUF20220158), and (ii) Consejería de Sostenibilidad, Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul of the Andalusian Government (permit number: EXT/2024/0000000000791189), which allowed the collection of samples from the species included in this study. Additional support was provided by grants FPU22/02078 and FPU21/04133, funded by MICIU/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033.

Funding

This publication is part of the project PID2024-160601NB-I00, funded by MICIU/AEI/ https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/EU. Additional support was provided by project PID2021-124750NB-I00, funded by MICIU/AEI/ https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/EU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes s/n, Seville, 41012, Spain

    Pedro Valle-Romero, Elena Romano-Rodríguez, Enrique Mateos-Naranjo & Susana Redondo-Gómez

Authors

  1. Pedro Valle-Romero
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  2. Elena Romano-Rodríguez
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  3. Enrique Mateos-Naranjo
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  4. Susana Redondo-Gómez
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Contributions

P.V.-R. and S.R.-G. performed formal analysis and data curation and wrote the original draft. All authors performed the sampling and E.R.-R. processed the samples for analysis. S.R.-G. and E.M.-N. conceived the idea, designed the sampling, provided intellectual input for information organization supervised, and acquired funding for the project. S.R.-G. reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to
Pedro Valle-Romero.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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The authors declare no known competing financial interests or personal relationships influencing this work. All soil sampling and analyses complied with relevant guidelines and regulations. This manuscript is original, unpublished and not under review elsewhere.

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Valle-Romero, P., Romano-Rodríguez, E., Mateos-Naranjo, E. et al. Species-specific traits determine halophyte nutrient patterns rather than plant functional types.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49735-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49735-1

Keywords

  • Biota
  • Functional type
  • Hydrohalophyte
  • Physical-chemical characteristics
  • Soil
  • Xerohalophyte

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