Integrated morphophysiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data uncover the molecular mechanism of environmental adaptation of Zanthoxylum armatum with different latitudinal gradients

Guo yuan¹xueqian Fu¹Chong Sun¹Yifei Deng¹Han Liu¹Long Tong²Mi Kuang³Ning Tang¹Wenying Yang⁴Xia Liu^1*Zexiong Chen^1*

• ¹College of Smart Agriculture, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing, China
• ²Bamboo Research Institute, Chongqing Academy of Forestry, Chongqing, China
• ³Chongqing Agricultural Technology Promotion General Station, Chongqing, China
• ⁴Rongchang District Forestry Science and Technology Extension Station of Chongqing, Chongqing, China

Introduction: Leaves are sensitive to environmental changes and directly reflect the degree of environmental impact on plants and their ability to adapt to the environment, making it crucial to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying leaf variation. Zanthoxylum armatum is a widely distributed and economically important forest species in China that shows remarkable regional adaptability. However, adaptive differences under diverse environmental conditions and their molecular mechanisms have not been systematically studied.Methods: Plant materials of Z. armatum from three regions (Shandong, Chongqing, and Yunnan) representing different latitudinal backgrounds were cultivated under uniform conditions. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits were measured, including stomatal density, nutrient content, antioxidant capacity, and chlorophyll level. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling were conducted using RNA-seq and UPLC-MS/MS, respectively. Differential expression and enrichment analyses (GO, KEGG), gene family screening, and correlation analyses were used to identify key genes and metabolites. Selected gene expression patterns were further validated using qRT-PCR.