Sex-Specific Responses of Sexual Reproduction, Clonal Reproduction, and Vegetative Growth to Environmental (Biotic and Abiotic) Factors in the Clonal Dioecious Plant Acer barbinerve

Sexual dimorphism in dioecious plants serves as a critical adaptive strategy in complex environments. This study systematically investigated the effects of topographic factors (elevation, slope, aspect, and convexity), soil nutrients (C, N, P), and interspecific competition intensity on the reproductive strategies and vegetative growth of the clonal dioecious plant, Acer barbinerve. Using Spearman's correlation analysis, multiple regression models, and PLS-PM path models, key findings include the following: (1) female sexual reproduction biomass showed a significant positive correlation with the topography principal component (topo_PC1), with a notable gender-topography interaction, whereas male sexual reproduction was negatively regulated by elevation; (2) clonal reproduction in both sexes was significantly suppressed by interspecific competition, but females additionally exhibited positive topographic responses; and (3) male vegetative growth was significantly impacted by environmental stress, while females maintained relative stability. These results demonstrate that females optimize reproductive investment through topography-mediated resource acquisition, whereas males are more susceptible to resource competition constraints. This sex-specific adaptive strategy corroborates the dimorphic niche hypothesis, highlighting how environmental heterogeneity drives divergent life history allocations in dioecious species. The findings provide novel insights into the ecological mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism and inform gender ratio management in ecological restoration practices.