Elevated temperature and CO2 interactively modulate sexual competition and ecophysiological responses of dioecious Populus cathayana

It remains unclear how global climate change affects dioecious plants that may be especially vulnerable to drivers, because they often exhibit skewed sex ratios and eco-physiological specialization in certain microhabitats. In this study, female male saplings of Populus cathayana were employed explore sex-specific responses the effects sexual competition under elevated temperature (ET), CO2 (EC) combination (ETC). The results demonstrated interactively modulated P. cathayana. Moreover, patterns affected treatments. Under both intra- inter-sexual competition, biomass components, photosynthetic parameters carbon-related metabolites females most strongly by ET, while males exhibited a higher photosynthesis resource use efficiency, better accumulation carbon balance mechanism when compared experiencing intra-sexual EC. competitive pressure on was intensified it alleviated ETC. We conclude drivers differently regulate intensity females, which have crucial effect ratios, spatial segregation, production sequestration species future.