Faster response to water level increase facilitates Salix cavaleriei survival in Lake Erhai

AbstractThe roles that adventitious roots play in flooding tolerance have been well-studied in willows, while which of the maximum height of adventitious roots and the abundance of adventitious roots in willows is more important for their flooding tolerance is not well known. In this study, we analyzed the effects of adventitious roots on the flooding tolerance of Salix cavaleriei by comparing the maximum height of adventitious roots and the abundance of adventitious roots in dead and live willows along a flooding gradient from 0 to 180 cm in Lake Erhai, China. The results showed that willow mortality increased drastically when the water depth suffered by willows exceeded 100 cm. Live willows developed more adventitious roots and produced them higher on the trees compared with dead willows, however, the pest infestation percentage of the dead willows was larger. Additionally, both the maximum height and the abundance of adventitious roots in live willows were significantly correlated with water depth, whe...