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Lu S, Wang J, Liu A, Lei F, Liu R, Li S. Intraspecific transitioning of ecological strategies in Pinus massoniana trees across restoration stages. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11305. [PMID: 38711487 PMCID: PMC11070636 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific variation in plant functional traits and ecological strategies is typically overlooked in most studies despite its pivotal role at the local scales and along short environmental gradients. While CSR theory has been used to classify ecological strategies (competitive C; stress-tolerant, S; ruderal, R) in different plant species, its ability to explain intraspecific variation in ecological strategies remains uncertain. Here, we sought to investigate intraspecific variation in ecological strategies for Pinus massoniana, a pioneer conifer tree for ecological restoration in Changting County, southeast China. By measuring key leaf traits and canopy height of 252 individuals at different ontogenetic stages from three plots spanning distinctive stages along early ecological restoration and calculating their C, S, and R scores, we constructed an intraspecific CSR system. All individual strategies shifted across three restoration stages, with adults from higher S component to higher C component while juveniles from higher S component to higher R component. Our results suggest that while strategies of all P. massoniana individuals start with tolerance to environmental stress, as restoration proceeds, adult transition towards completion for light, whereas juveniles shift to an acquisitive resource use. The study reveals an intraspecific pattern of strategy variation during forest restoration, contributing to our understanding of how plants adapt to diverse environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihang Lu
- Institute of Geography Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
- School of Geographical Sciences Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
| | - Jiazheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
- Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystems Observation and Research Station Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Ao Liu
- Institute of Geography Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
- School of Geographical Sciences Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
| | - Feiya Lei
- Institute of Geography Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
- School of Geographical Sciences Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
| | - Rong Liu
- Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science VU University Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Shouzhong Li
- Institute of Geography Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
- School of Geographical Sciences Fujian Normal University Fuzhou China
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2
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Lawrence-Paul EH, Poethig RS, Lasky JR. Vegetative phase change causes age-dependent changes in phenotypic plasticity. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:613-625. [PMID: 37571856 PMCID: PMC10551844 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to optimize traits for their environment. As organisms age, they experience diverse environments that benefit from varying degrees of phenotypic plasticity. Developmental transitions can control these age-dependent changes in plasticity, and as such, the timing of these transitions can determine when plasticity changes in an organism. Here, we investigate how the transition from juvenile-to adult-vegetative development known as vegetative phase change (VPC) contributes to age-dependent changes in phenotypic plasticity and how the timing of this transition responds to environment using both natural accessions and mutant lines in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that the adult phase of vegetative development has greater plasticity in leaf morphology than the juvenile phase and confirmed that this difference in plasticity is caused by VPC using mutant lines. Furthermore, we found that the timing of VPC, and therefore the time when increased plasticity is acquired, varies significantly across genotypes and environments. The consistent age-dependent changes in plasticity caused by VPC suggest that VPC may be adaptive. This genetic and environmental variation in the timing of VPC indicates the potential for population-level adaptive evolution of VPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica H. Lawrence-Paul
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, University Park, PA 16802
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - R. Scott Poethig
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Jesse R. Lasky
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, University Park, PA 16802
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3
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Funk JL, Kimball S, Nguyen MA, Lulow M, Vose GE. Interacting ecological filters influence success and functional composition in restored plant communities over time. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2899. [PMID: 37335271 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
A trait-based community assembly framework has great potential to direct ecological restoration, but uncertainty over how traits and environmental factors interact to influence community composition over time limits the widespread application of this approach. In this study, we examined how the composition of seed mixes and environment (north- vs. south-facing slope aspect) influence functional composition and native plant cover over time in restored grassland and shrubland communities. Variation in native cover over 4 years was primarily driven by species mix, slope aspect, and a species mix by year interaction rather than an interaction between species mix and slope aspect as predicted. Although native cover was higher on wetter, north-facing slopes for most of the study, south-facing slopes achieved a similar cover (65%-70%) by year 4. While community-weighted mean (CWM) values generally became more resource conservative over time, we found shifts in particular traits across community types and habitats. For example, CWM for specific leaf area increased over time in grassland mixes. Belowground, CWM for root mass fraction increased while CWM for specific root length decreased across all seed mixes. Multivariate functional dispersion remained high in shrub-containing mixes throughout the study, which could enhance invasion resistance and recovery following disturbance. Functional diversity and species richness were initially higher in drier, south-facing slopes compared to north-facing slopes, but these metrics were similar across north- and south-facing slopes by the end of the 4-year study. Our finding that different combinations of traits were favored in south- and north-facing slopes and over time demonstrates that trait-based approaches can be used to identify good restoration candidate species and, ultimately, enhance native plant cover across community types and microhabitat. Changing the composition of planting mixes based on traits could be a useful strategy for restoration practitioners to match species to specific environmental conditions and may be more informative than using seed mixes based on growth form, as species within functional groups can vary tremendously in leaf and root traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sarah Kimball
- Center for Environmental Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Monica A Nguyen
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
| | - Megan Lulow
- UCI Nature, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Gregory E Vose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
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Zhang X, Lin X, Wei D, Bao W, Hu B. Age Determination and Growth Characteristics of the Potentilla griffithii: A Comparison of Two Different Habitats in Western Sichuan Plateau, China. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2920. [PMID: 37631132 PMCID: PMC10459867 DOI: 10.3390/plants12162920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
This study proposes a rapid and non-destructive technique for determining the age of Potentilla griffithii individuals in the field by observing the sequence of leaf scars. Based on two- to three-year-old P. griffithii seedlings, planted in a common garden in the western Sichuan Plateau, China, the study found that the rates of basal leaf production were consistent, with leaves growing from March to April and falling off from October to December, leaving behind basal leaf scars. Thus, the age of individuals in situ could be determined by counting the leaf scars. Through this method, we determined the age structure and growth strategy of P. griffithii populations in two typical habitats in the western Sichuan Plateau. In open land habitats, the age structure of P. griffithii populations was relatively younger compared to understory habitats. In open land, P. griffithii tends to allocate more photosynthate terminal organs (leaves and fine roots) to absorbing more resources, as well as to its reproductive organs (flower stems and aggregate fruits), to expand the population. The P. griffithii population in the understory habitat is in its middle-age stage and concentrates more photosynthate in the coarse root part (e.g., the high coarse root mass fraction (FRMF)) to support the plant. Additionally, we found a significant correlation between P. griffithii plant age and various traits in open land habitats. Therefore, we conclude that plant age can be used as a good predictor of plant growth condition in open land. These results allow for predicting ecological processes, based on the ages and traits of P. griffithii plants, providing a theoretical basis to support the large-scale breeding of P. griffithii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiulong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.Z.); (X.L.); (D.W.); (B.H.)
| | - Xingxing Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.Z.); (X.L.); (D.W.); (B.H.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dandan Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.Z.); (X.L.); (D.W.); (B.H.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weikai Bao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.Z.); (X.L.); (D.W.); (B.H.)
| | - Bin Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.Z.); (X.L.); (D.W.); (B.H.)
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Krieg CP, Seeger K, Campany C, Watkins JE, McClearn D, McCulloh KA, Sessa EB. Functional traits and trait coordination change over the life of a leaf in a tropical fern species. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16151. [PMID: 36879521 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Plant ecological strategies are often defined by the integration of underlying traits related to resource acquisition, allocation, and growth. Correlations between key traits across diverse plants suggest that variation in plant ecological strategies is largely driven by a fast-slow continuum of plant economics. However, trait correlations may not be constant through the life of a leaf, and it is still poorly understood how trait function varies over time in long-lived leaves. METHODS Here, we compared trait correlations related to resource acquisition and allocation across three different mature frond age cohorts in a tropical fern species, Saccoloma inaequale. RESULTS Fronds exhibited high initial investments of nitrogen and carbon, but with declining return in photosynthetic capacity after the first year. In the youngest fronds, we found water-use efficiency to be significantly lower than in the oldest mature fronds due to increased transpiration rates. Our data suggest that middle-aged fronds are more efficient relative to younger, less water-use efficient fronds and that older fronds exhibit greater nitrogen investments without higher photosynthetic return. In addition, several trait correlations expected under the leaf economics spectrum (LES) do not hold within this species, and some trait correlations only appear in fronds of a specific developmental age. CONCLUSIONS These findings contextualize the relationship between traits and leaf developmental age with those predicted to underlie plant ecological strategy and the LES and are among the first pieces of evidence for when relative physiological trait efficiency is maximized in a tropical fern species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate Seeger
- Department of Biology, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, USA
| | - Courtney Campany
- Department of Biology, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, 25443, USA
| | - James E Watkins
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, 13346, USA
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Li S, Moller CA, Mitchell NG, Martin DG, Sacks EJ, Saikia S, Labonte NR, Baldwin BS, Morrison JI, Ferguson JN, Leakey ADB, Ainsworth EA. The leaf economics spectrum of triploid and tetraploid C 4 grass Miscanthus x giganteus. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:3462-3475. [PMID: 36098093 PMCID: PMC9825850 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) describes multivariate correlations in leaf structural, physiological and chemical traits, originally based on diverse C3 species grown under natural ecosystems. However, the specific contribution of C4 species to the global LES is studied less widely. C4 species have a CO2 concentrating mechanism which drives high rates of photosynthesis and improves resource use efficiency, thus potentially pushing them towards the edge of the LES. Here, we measured foliage morphology, structure, photosynthesis, and nutrient content for hundreds of genotypes of the C4 grass Miscanthus× giganteus grown in two common gardens over two seasons. We show substantial trait variations across M.× giganteus genotypes and robust genotypic trait relationships. Compared to the global LES, M.× giganteus genotypes had higher photosynthetic rates, lower stomatal conductance, and less nitrogen content, indicating greater water and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency in the C4 species. Additionally, tetraploid genotypes produced thicker leaves with greater leaf mass per area and lower leaf density than triploid genotypes. By expanding the LES relationships across C3 species to include C4 crops, these findings highlight that M.× giganteus occupies the boundary of the global LES and suggest the potential for ploidy to alter LES traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Li
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUrbanaUSA
- Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and EnvironmentUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Christopher A. Moller
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUrbanaUSA
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, USDA ARSUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Noah G. Mitchell
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUrbanaUSA
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, USDA ARSUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Duncan G. Martin
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Erik J. Sacks
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Department of Crop SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Sampurna Saikia
- Department of Crop SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Nicholas R. Labonte
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Department of Crop SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Brian S. Baldwin
- Department of Plant and Soil SciencesMississippi State UniversityStarkvilleMississippiUSA
| | - Jesse I. Morrison
- Department of Plant and Soil SciencesMississippi State UniversityStarkvilleMississippiUSA
| | - John N. Ferguson
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUrbanaUSA
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Andrew D. B. Leakey
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUrbanaUSA
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Elizabeth A. Ainsworth
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts InnovationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUrbanaUSA
- Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, USDA ARSUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
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7
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Macklin SC, Mariani RO, Young EN, Kish R, Cathline KA, Robertson G, Martin AR. Intraspecific Leaf Trait Variation across and within Five Common Wine Grape Varieties. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2792. [PMID: 36297816 PMCID: PMC9611564 DOI: 10.3390/plants11202792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Variability in traits forming the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) among and within crop species plays a key role in governing agroecosystem processes. However, studies evaluating the extent, causes, and consequences of within-species variation in LES traits for some of the world's most common crops remain limited. This study quantified variations in nine leaf traits measured across 90 vines of five common wine grape (Vitis vinifera L.) varieties at two growth stages (post-flowering and veraison). Grape traits in these varieties covary along an intraspecific LES, in patterns similar to those documented in wild plants. Across the five varieties evaluated here, high rates of photosynthesis (A) and leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations were coupled with low leaf mass per area (LMA), whereas the opposite suite of traits defined the "resource-conserving end" of this intraspecific LES in grape. Variety identity was the strongest predictor of leaf physiological (A) and morphological traits (i.e., leaf area and leaf mass), whereas leaf chemical traits and LMA were best explained by growth stage. All five varieties expressed greater resource-conserving trait syndromes (i.e., higher LMA, lower N, and lower Amass) later in the growing season. Traits related to leaf hydraulics, including instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUE), were unrelated to LES and other resource capture traits, and were better explained by spatial location. These results highlight the relative contributions of genetic, developmental, and phenotypic factors in structuring trait variation in the five wine grape varieties evaluated here, and point to a key role of domestication in governing trait relationships in the world's crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C. Macklin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Rachel O. Mariani
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Emily N. Young
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Rosalyn Kish
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Kimberley A. Cathline
- Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre, Niagara College, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0, Canada
| | - Gavin Robertson
- Horticultural & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre, Niagara College, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0, Canada
| | - Adam R. Martin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
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8
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Zhang X, Zhao N, Zhou C, Lu J, Wang X. Seedling age of Abies georgei var. smithii reveals functional trait coordination in high-altitude habitats in southeast tibet. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.955663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional trait-based plant ecology is often used to study plant survival strategies and growth processes. In this work, the variation regularity of functional traits and their correlations were studied in Abies georgei var. smithii seedlings of different seedling ages found along the altitude gradient (3,800–4,400 m) in Sejila Mountain, Southeast Tibet. The following functional traits of seedlings in five age classes were determined: above-ground functional traits∼leaf thickness (T), leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC); below-ground functional traits∼specific stem length (SSL), specific root length (SRL), specific root surface area (SRA), root tissue density (RTD), and root dry matter content (RDMC). Results showed that (1) except for LDMC, most of the functional traits of the seedlings at different altitudes showed a regular change trend over time. The changes in traits caused by seedling age had significant effects on other traits (p < 0.05). Altitude only had significant effects on T, LA, SLA, SRA, RTD, and RDMC (p < 0.05). (2) The correlation between the above- and below-ground traits was more significant in 5-6-year-old seedlings than in other age classes (p < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that LA and SLA were the dominant traits of fir seedlings in five age categories Pearson correlation analysis indicated a correlation between RTD and above-ground traits, thus validating the correlation between the above- and below-ground traits of seedlings of Abies georgei var. smithii of different ages. (3) Available potassium, total potassium, and total organic carbon (TOC) had the greatest influence on the traits of 5-6-year-old seedlings. This study revealed that the functional traits of Abies georgei var. smithii seedlings at different altitudesdynamically change with seedling age. The findings help in understanding the growth strategies of seedlings during early development. Future research on the combination of soil factors and seedling traits will provide a theoretical basis for artificial cultivation and protection of native vegetation.
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Westoby M, Schrader J, Falster D. Trait ecology of startup plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:842-847. [PMID: 35488498 PMCID: PMC9325420 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Startup plants include seedlings and basal and epicormic resprouts. It has long been held that startups have different strategies from adult plants, but theory for what trait differences to expect is limited and not yet quantitatively tested. Three applicable concepts are analogous to human startup firms, R-shift, and trait-growth theory. All three suggest startups should be built with lower construction costs than established plants. This appears to be almost always true in terms of leaf mass per area (LMA), though many comparisons are complicated by the startups growing in lower light. Trait-growth theory predicts LMA should increase progressively with height or total leaf area, driven by higher conductive-pathway costs associated with each unit leaf area, and by greater reward from slowing leaf turnover. Basal resprouts often have somewhat higher LMA than seedlings, but possibly this is simply because they are larger. A number of eminently testable questions are identified. Prospects are good for a theoretically cogent and field-tested body of knowledge about plant startups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Westoby
- School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNSW2109Australia
| | - Julian Schrader
- School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNSW2109Australia
- Department of Biodiversity, Macroecology and BiogeographyUniversity of GoettingenGoettingen37073Germany
| | - Daniel Falster
- Evolution & Ecology ResearchUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNSW2052Australia
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10
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Ehleringer JR, Driscoll AW. Intrinsic water-use efficiency influences establishment in Encelia farinosa. Oecologia 2022; 199:563-578. [PMID: 35819533 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05217-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We describe establishment of Encelia farinosa, a drought-deciduous shrub common to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, based on annual observations of two populations between 1980 and 2020. Only 11 establishment events of 50 + yearlings (0.02-0.03 individuals m-2) occurred during this monitoring period; in 68% of the years fewer than 10 yearlings were established. Yearling survival to adulthood (age 4) ranged from 88 to 5% and was significantly related to cumulative precipitation. Juvenile survival rates were lowest during the current megadrought period. We calculated intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and observed the widest variations in iWUE values among the youngest plants. Among juveniles, surviving yearlings with the lowest iWUE values exhibited upward ontogenetic shifts in iWUE values, whereas those yearlings with the highest initial iWUE values exhibited little if any change. Juvenile size, higher iWUE values, and greater likelihood of surviving were all positively related with each other over the past several decades. Furthermore, iWUE and photosynthetic capacity were positively related to each other, providing a mechanistic explanation for why increased iWUE values among juveniles could lead to greater survival rates and to larger plants under water-deficit conditions. We posit that there is bi-directional selection for genotypic variations in iWUE values among E. farinosa and that this variation is selected for because of interannual environmental heterogeneity in precipitation and VPD associated with both high- and low-frequency climate cycles. Extreme drought cycles may favor plants with higher iWUE values, whereas more mesic periods may allow for greater persistence of lower iWUE genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Ehleringer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
| | - Avery W Driscoll
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- Present Address: Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, 301 University Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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11
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Lawrence EH, Springer CJ, Helliker BR, Poethig RS. The carbon economics of vegetative phase change. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:1286-1297. [PMID: 35128680 PMCID: PMC10939109 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Across plant species and biomes, a conserved set of leaf traits govern the economic strategy used to assimilate and invest carbon. As plants age, they face new challenges that may require shifts in this leaf economic strategy. In this study, we investigate the role of the developmental transition, vegetative phase change (VPC), in altering carbon economics as plants age. We used overexpression of microRNA 156 (miR156), the master regulator of VPC, to modulate the timing of VPC in Populus tremula x alba, Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays to understand the impact of this transition on leaf economic traits, including construction cost, payback time and return on investment. Here, we find that VPC causes a shift from a low-cost, quick return juvenile strategy to a high-cost, high-return adult strategy. The juvenile strategy is advantageous in light-limited conditions, whereas the adult strategy provides greater returns in high light. The transition between these strategies is correlated with the developmental decline in the level of miR156, suggesting that is regulated by the miR156/SPL pathway. Our results provide an ecophysiological explanation for the existence of juvenile and adult leaf types and suggest that natural selection for these alternative economic strategies could be an important factor in plant evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica H. Lawrence
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Clint J. Springer
- Department of Biology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Brent R. Helliker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - R. Scott Poethig
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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12
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Leroy C, Maes AQ, Louisanna E, Séjalon‐Delmas N, Erktan A, Schimann H. Ontogenetic changes in root traits and root‐associated fungal community composition in a heteroblastic epiphytic bromeliad. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Céline Leroy
- AMAP, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD Montpellier France
- UMR ECOFOG, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou France
| | - Arthur QuyManh Maes
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Univ. de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse INP Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Eliane Louisanna
- UMR ECOFOG, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou France
| | - Nathalie Séjalon‐Delmas
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Univ. de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse INP Auzeville‐Tolosane France
| | - Amandine Erktan
- J.F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Univ. of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
- Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, IRD, INRAE, CIRAD, Inst. Agro Montpellier France
| | - Heidy Schimann
- UMR ECOFOG, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou France
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Chen L, Luo W, Huang J, Peng S, Xiong D. Leaf photosynthetic plasticity does not predict biomass responses to growth irradiance in rice. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2021; 173:2155-2165. [PMID: 34537975 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity, the capacity of an organism to generate alternative phenotypes in response to different environments, is a particularly important characteristic to enable sessile plants to adapt to rapid changes in their surroundings. Leaf anatomical and physiological traits exhibit plasticity in response to growth irradiances, but it is relatively unclear if the plasticity varies among genotypes for a species. Equally importantly, empirical results on how leaf-level plasticity influences whole-plant growth are largely absent. We conducted an integrated investigation into the light-introduced plasticity by measuring 48 traits involving plant growth, leaf anatomy, leaf biochemistry, and leaf physiology of five rice genotypes grown under two irradiances. More than half of the estimated traits were significantly affected by growth light intensities, and the sizes of the cumulative effect of growth light ranged from -25.04% (stomatal conductance at high measurement light) to 135.2% (tiller number). Growth irradiance levels dramatically shifted the relationship between photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance. However, the relationship between photosynthetic rate and mesophyll conductance was rarely influenced by growth light levels. Importantly, the present study highlights the significant variation in trait plasticity across rice genotypes and that the light-introduced biomass changes were rarely predicted by leaf photosynthetic plasticity. Our findings imply that the genotypes with high productivity at the low growth light conditions do not necessarily have high productivity under high light conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wanzhen Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jianliang Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shaobing Peng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dongliang Xiong
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Growth-defense trade-offs shape population genetic composition in an iconic forest tree species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2103162118. [PMID: 34507992 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103162118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms experience fundamental conflicts between divergent metabolic processes. In plants, a pivotal conflict occurs between allocation to growth, which accelerates resource acquisition, and to defense, which protects existing tissue against herbivory. Trade-offs between growth and defense traits are not universally observed, and a central prediction of plant evolutionary ecology is that context-dependence of these trade-offs contributes to the maintenance of intraspecific variation in defense [Züst and Agrawal, Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 68, 513-534 (2017)]. This prediction has rarely been tested, however, and the evolutionary consequences of growth-defense trade-offs in different environments are poorly understood, especially in long-lived species [Cipollini et al., Annual Plant Reviews (Wiley, 2014), pp. 263-307]. Here we show that intraspecific trait trade-offs, even when fixed across divergent environments, interact with competition to drive natural selection of tree genotypes corresponding to their growth-defense phenotypes. Our results show that a functional trait trade-off, when coupled with environmental variation, causes real-time divergence in the genetic architecture of tree populations in an experimental setting. Specifically, competitive selection for faster growth resulted in dominance by fast-growing tree genotypes that were poorly defended against natural enemies. This outcome is a signature example of eco-evolutionary dynamics: Competitive interactions affected microevolutionary trajectories on a timescale relevant to subsequent ecological interactions [Brunner et al., Funct. Ecol. 33, 7-12 (2019)]. Eco-evolutionary drivers of tree growth and defense are thus critical to stand-level trait variation, which structures communities and ecosystems over expansive spatiotemporal scales.
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Jiang F, Cadotte MW, Jin G. Individual-level leaf trait variation and correlation across biological and spatial scales. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5344-5354. [PMID: 34026011 PMCID: PMC8131770 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Even with increasing interest in the ecological importance of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) for better understanding ecological processes, few studies have quantified ITV in seedlings and assessed constraints imposed by trade-offs and correlations among individual-level leaf traits. Estimating the amount and role of ITV in seedlings is important to understand tree recruitment and long-term forest dynamics. We measured ten different size, economics, and whole leaf traits (lamina and petiole) for more than 2,800 seedlings (height ≥ 10 cm and diameter at breast height < 1 cm) in 283 seedling plots and then quantified the amount of ITV and trait correlations across two biological (intraspecific and interspecific) and spatial (within and among plots) scales. Finally, we explored the effects of trait variance and sample size on the strength of trait correlations. We found about 40% (6%-63%) variation in leaf-level traits was explained by ITV across all traits. Lamina and petiole traits were correlated across biological and spatial scales, whereas leaf size traits (e.g., lamina area) were weakly correlated with economics traits (e.g., specific lamina area); lamina mass ratio was strongly related to the petiole length. Trait correlations varied among species, plots, and different scales but there was no evidence that the strength of trait relationships was stronger at broader than finer biological and spatial scales. While larger trait variance increased the strength of correlations, the sample size was the most important factor that was negatively related to the strength of trait correlations. Our results showed that a large amount of trait variation was explained by ITV, which highlighted the importance of considering ITV when using trait-based approaches in seedling ecology. In addition, sample size was an important factor that influenced the strength of trait correlations, which suggests that comparing trait correlations across studies should consider the differences in sample size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Jiang
- Center for Ecological ResearchNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto ScarboroughTorontoONCanada
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto ScarboroughTorontoONCanada
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - Guangze Jin
- Center for Ecological ResearchNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management‐Ministry of EducationNortheast Forestry UniversityHarbinChina
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Funk JL, Larson JE, Vose G. Leaf traits and performance vary with plant age and water availability in Artemisia californica. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:495-503. [PMID: 32504539 PMCID: PMC7988528 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Leaf functional traits are strongly tied to growth strategies and ecological processes across species, but few efforts have linked intraspecific trait variation to performance across ontogenetic and environmental gradients. Plants are believed to shift towards more resource-conservative traits in stressful environments and as they age. However, uncertainty as to how intraspecific trait variation aligns with plant age and performance in the context of environmental variation may limit our ability to use traits to infer ecological processes at larger scales. METHODS We measured leaf physiological and morphological traits, canopy volume and flowering effort for Artemisia californica (California sagebrush), a dominant shrub species in the coastal sage scrub community, under conditions of 50, 100 and 150 % ambient precipitation for 3 years. KEY RESULTS Plant age was a stronger driver of variation in traits and performance than water availability. Older plants demonstrated trait values consistent with a more conservative resource-use strategy, and trait values were less sensitive to drought. Several trait correlations were consistent across years and treatments; for example, plants with high photosynthetic rates tended to have high stomatal conductance, leaf nitrogen concentration and light-use efficiency. However, the trade-off between leaf construction and leaf nitrogen evident in older plants was absent for first-year plants. While few traits correlated with plant growth and flowering effort, we observed a positive correlation between leaf mass per area and performance in some groups of older plants. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results suggest that trait sensitivity to the environment is most visible during earlier stages of development, after which intraspecific trait variation and relationships may stabilize. While plant age plays a major role in intraspecific trait variation and sensitivity (and thus trait-based inferences), the direct influence of environment on growth and fecundity is just as critical to predicting plant performance in a changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Funk
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, CA, USA
- For correspondence. E-mail
| | - Julie E Larson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Gregory Vose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Westerband AC, Funk JL, Barton KE. Intraspecific trait variation in plants: a renewed focus on its role in ecological processes. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:397-410. [PMID: 33507251 PMCID: PMC7988520 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating the causes and consequences of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in plants is not novel, as it has long been recognized that such variation shapes biotic and abiotic interactions. While evolutionary and population biology have extensively investigated ITV, only in the last 10 years has interest in ITV surged within community and comparative ecology. SCOPE Despite this recent interest, still lacking are thorough descriptions of ITV's extent, the spatial and temporal structure of ITV, and stronger connections between ITV and community and ecosystem properties. Our primary aim in this review is to synthesize the recent literature and ask: (1) How extensive is intraspecific variation in traits across scales, and what underlying mechanisms drive this variation? (2) How does this variation impact higher-order ecological processes (e.g. population dynamics, community assembly, invasion, ecosystem productivity)? (3) What are the consequences of ignoring ITV and how can these be mitigated? and (4) What are the most pressing research questions, and how can current practices be modified to suit our research needs? Our secondary aim is to target diverse and underrepresented traits and plant organs, including anatomy, wood, roots, hydraulics, reproduction and secondary chemistry. In addressing these aims, we showcase papers from the Special Issue. CONCLUSIONS Plant ITV plays a key role in determining individual and population performance, species interactions, community structure and assembly, and ecosystem properties. Its extent varies widely across species, traits and environments, and it remains difficult to develop a predictive model for ITV that is broadly applicable. Systematically characterizing the sources (e.g. ontogeny, population differences) of ITV will be a vital step forward towards identifying generalities and the underlying mechanisms that shape ITV. While the use of species means to link traits to higher-order processes may be appropriate in many cases, such approaches can obscure potentially meaningful variation. We urge the reporting of individual replicates and population means in online data repositories, a greater consideration of the mechanisms that enhance and constrain ITV's extent, and studies that span sub-disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Westerband
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - J L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - K E Barton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
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Martin AR, Isaac ME. The leaf economics spectrum's morning coffee: plant size-dependent changes in leaf traits and reproductive onset in a perennial tree crop. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:483-493. [PMID: 33502446 PMCID: PMC7988517 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Size-dependent changes in plant traits are an important source of intraspecific trait variation. However, there are few studies that have tested if leaf trait co-variation and/or trade-offs follow a within-genotype leaf economics spectrum (LES) related to plant size and reproductive onset. To our knowledge, there are no studies on any plant species that have tested whether or not the shape of a within-genotype LES that describes how traits covary across whole plant sizes, is the same as the shape of a within-genotype LES that represents environmentally driven trait plasticity. METHODS We quantified size-dependent variation in eight leaf traits in a single coffee genotype (Coffea arabica var. Caturra) in managed agroecosystems with different environmental conditions (light and fertilization treatments), and evaluated these patterns with respect to reproductive onset. We also evaluated if trait covariation along a within-genotype plant-size LES differed from a within-genotype environmental LES defined with trait data from coffee growing in different environmental conditions. KEY RESULTS Leaf economics traits related to resource acquisition - maximum photosynthetic rates (A) and mass-based leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations - declined linearly with plant size. Structural traits - leaf mass, leaf thickness, and leaf mass per unit area (LMA) - and leaf area increased with plant size beyond reproductive onset, then declined in larger plants. Three primary LES traits (mass-based A, leaf N and LMA) covaried across a within-genotype plant-size LES, with plants moving towards the 'resource-conserving' end of the LES as they grow larger; in coffee these patterns were nearly identical to a within-genotype environmental LES. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that a plant-size LES exists within a single genotype. Our findings indicate that in managed agroecosystems where resource availability is high the role of reproductive onset in driving within-genotype trait variability, and the strength of covariation and trade-offs among LES traits, are less pronounced compared with plants in natural systems. The consistency in trait covariation in coffee along both plant-size and environmental LES axes indicates strong constraints on leaf form and function that exist within plant genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Martin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Military Trail, Toronto, Canada
| | - Marney E Isaac
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Military Trail, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Critical Development Studies, University of Toronto Scarborough, Military Trail, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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19
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Plant growth drives soil nitrogen cycling and N-related microbial activity through changing root traits. FUNGAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2019.100910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Alves Negrini AC, Evans JR, Kaiser BN, Millar AH, Kariyawasam BC, Atkin OK. Effect of N supply on the carbon economy of barley when accounting for plant size. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2020; 47:368-381. [PMID: 32135075 DOI: 10.1071/fp19025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen availability and ontogeny both affect the relative growth rate (RGR) of plants. In this study of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) we determined which growth parameters are affected by nitrate (N) availability, and whether these were confounded by differences in plant size, reflecting differences in growth. Plants were hydroponically grown on six different nitrate (N) concentrations for 28 days, and nine harvests were performed to assess the effect of N on growth parameters. Most growth parameters showed similar patterns of responses to N supply whether compared at common time points or common plant sizes. N had a significant effect on the biomass allocation: increasing N increased leaf mass ratio (LMR) and decreased root mass ratio (RMR). Specific leaf area (SLA) was not significantly affected by N. RGR increased with increasing N supply up to 1 mM, associated with increases in both LMR and net assimilation rate (NAR). Increases in N supply above 1 mM did not increase RGR as increases in LMR were offset by decreases in NAR. The high RGR at suboptimal N supply suggest a higher nitrogen use efficiency (biomass/N supply). The reasons for the homeostasis of growth under suboptimal N levels are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Clarissa Alves Negrini
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; and Corresponding author.
| | - John R Evans
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Brent N Kaiser
- Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Brownlow Hill, New South Wales 2070, Australia
| | - A Harvey Millar
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Buddhima C Kariyawasam
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Owen K Atkin
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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Lum TD, Barton KE. Ontogenetic variation in salinity tolerance and ecophysiology of coastal dune plants. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:301-314. [PMID: 31162531 PMCID: PMC7442332 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Global climate change includes shifts in temperature and precipitation, increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and sea level rise, which will drastically impact coastal ecosystems. The aim of this study is to quantify salinity tolerance and to identify physiological mechanisms underlying tolerance across wholeplant ontogeny in two widespread native coastal plant species in Hawai'i, Jacquemontia sandwicensis (Convolvulaceae) and Sida fallax (Malvaceae). METHODS At the seed, seedling, juvenile and mature ontogenetic stages, plants were exposed to high salinity watering treatments. Tolerance was assayed as the performance of stressed compared with control plants using multiple fitness metrics, including germination, survival, growth and reproduction. Potential physiological mechanisms underlying salinity tolerance were measured at each ontogenetic stage, including: photosynthesis and stomatal conductance rates, leaf thickness, leaf mass per area and biomass allocation. KEY RESULTS Salinity tolerance varied between species and across ontogeny but, overall, salinity tolerance increased across ontogeny. For both species, salinity exposure delayed flowering. Physiological and morphological leaf traits shifted across plant ontogeny and were highly plastic in response to salinity. Traits enhancing performance under high salinity varied across ontogeny and between species. For J. sandwicensis, water use efficiency enhanced growth for juvenile plants exposed to high salinity, while chlorophyll content positively influenced plant growth under salinity in the mature stage. For S. fallax, transpiration enhanced plant growth only under low salinity early in ontogeny; high transpiration constrained growth under high salinity across all ontogenetic stages. CONCLUSIONS That salinity effects vary across ontogenetic stages indicates that demographic consequences of sea level rise and coastal flooding will influence population dynamics in complex ways. Furthermore, even coastal dune plants presumably adapted to tolerate salinity demonstrate reduced ecophysiological performance, growth and reproduction under increased salinity, highlighting the conservation importance of experimental work to better project climate change effects on plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany D Lum
- Department of Botany, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USA
| | - Kasey E Barton
- Department of Botany, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USA
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Mitchell N, Holsinger KE. Microscale trait-environment associations in two closely-related South African shrubs. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:211-222. [PMID: 30768876 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Plant traits are often associated with the environments in which they occur, but these associations often differ across spatial and phylogenetic scales. Here we study the relationship between microenvironment, microgeographical location, and traits within populations using co-occurring populations of two closely related evergreen shrubs in the genus Protea. METHODS We measured a suite of functional traits on 147 plants along a single steep mountainside where both species occur, and we used data-loggers and soil analyses to characterize the environment at 10 microsites spanning the elevational gradient. We used Bayesian path analyses to detect trait-environment relationships in the field for each species. We used complementary data from greenhouse grown seedlings derived from wild collected seed to determine whether associations detected in the field are the result of genetic differentiation. KEY RESULTS Microenvironmental variables differed substantially across our study site. We found strong evidence for six trait-environment associations, although these differed between species. We were unable to detect similar associations in greenhouse-grown seedlings. CONCLUSIONS Several leaf traits were associated with temperature and soil variation in the field, but the inability to detect these in the greenhouse suggests that differences in the field are not the result of genetic differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Mitchell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, USA
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
| | - Kent E Holsinger
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, USA
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Hayes FJ, Buchanan SW, Coleman B, Gordon AM, Reich PB, Thevathasan NV, Wright IJ, Martin AR. Intraspecific variation in soy across the leaf economics spectrum. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 123:107-120. [PMID: 30107396 PMCID: PMC6344108 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Background and Aims Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is an important dimension of plant ecological diversity, particularly in agroecosystems, where phenotypic ITV (within crop genotypes) is an important correlate of key agroecosystem processes including yield. There are few studies that have evaluated whether plants of the same genotype vary along well-defined axes of biological variation, such as the leaf economics spectrum (LES). There is even less information disentangling environmental and ontogenetic determinants of crop ITV along an intraspecific LES, and whether or not a plant's position along an intraspecific LES is correlated with reproductive output. Methods We sought to capture the extent of phenotypic ITV within a single cultivar of soy (Glycine max) - the world's most commonly cultivated legume - using a data set of nine leaf traits measured on 402 leaves, sampled from 134 plants in both agroforestry and monoculture management systems, across three distinct whole-plant ontogenetic stages (while holding leaf age and canopy position stable). Key Results Leaf traits covaried strongly along an intraspecific LES, in patterns that were largely statistically indistinguishable from the 'universal LES' observed across non-domesticated plants. Whole-plant ontogenetic stage explained the highest proportion of phenotypic ITV in LES traits, with plants progressively expressing more 'resource-conservative' LES syndromes throughout development. Within ontogenetic stages, leaf traits differed systematically across management systems, with plants growing in monoculture expressing more 'resource-conservative' trait syndromes: trends largely owing to an approximately ≥50% increases in leaf mass per area (LMA) in high-light monoculture vs. shaded agroforestry systems. Certain traits, particularly LMA, leaf area and maximum photosynthetic rates, correlated closely with plant-level reproductive output. Conclusions Phenotypic ITV in soy is governed by constraints in trait trade-offs along an intraspecific LES, which in turn (1) underpins plant responses to managed environmental gradients, and (2) reflects shifts in plant functional biology and resource allocation that occur throughout whole-plant ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fallon J Hayes
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
| | - Serra W Buchanan
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
| | - Brent Coleman
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew M Gordon
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Adam R Martin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
- Centre for Critical Development Studies, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
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Dayrell RLC, Arruda AJ, Pierce S, Negreiros D, Meyer PB, Lambers H, Silveira FAO. Ontogenetic shifts in plant ecological strategies. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberta L. C. Dayrell
- Departamento de BotânicaUniversidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) Belo Horizonte Brazil
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western Australia (UWA) Perth Australia
| | - André J. Arruda
- Departamento de BotânicaUniversidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) Belo Horizonte Brazil
- IMBE – Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, IUT d’AvignonAix Marseille Université Avignon France
| | - Simon Pierce
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (DiSAA)University of Milan Milan Italy
| | - Daniel Negreiros
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e SaúdeCentro Universitário UNA Belo Horizonte Brazil
| | - Pablo B. Meyer
- Departamento de BotânicaUniversidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) Belo Horizonte Brazil
| | - Hans Lambers
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western Australia (UWA) Perth Australia
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Messier J, Violle C, Enquist BJ, Lechowicz MJ, McGill BJ. Similarities and differences in intrapopulation trait correlations of co-occurring tree species: consistent water-use relationships amid widely different correlation patterns. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:1477-1490. [PMID: 30216410 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY General relationships among functional traits have been identified across species, but the forces shaping these relationships remain largely unknown. Adopting an approach from evolutionary biology, we studied similarities and differences in intrapopulation trait correlations among locally co-occurring tree species to assess the roles of constraints, phylogeny, and the environmental niche in shaping multivariate phenotypes. We tested the hypotheses (1) that intrapopulation correlations among functional traits are largely shaped by fundamental trade-offs or constraints and (2) that differences among species reflect adaptation to their environmental niches. METHODS We compared pairwise correlations and correlation matrices of 17 key functional traits within and among temperate tree species. These traits describe three well-established trade-off dimensions characterizing interspecific relationships among physiological functions: resource acquisition and conservation; sap transport and mechanical support; and branch architecture. KEY RESULTS Six trait pairs are consistently correlated within populations. Of these, only one involves dimensionally independent traits: LMA-δ13 C. For all other traits, intrapopulation functional trait correlations are weak, are species-specific, and differ from interspecific correlations. Species intrapopulation correlation matrices are related to neither phylogeny nor environmental niche. CONCLUSIONS The results (1) suggest that the functional design of these species is centered on efficient water use, (2) highlight flexibility in plant functional design across species, and (3) suggest that intrapopulation, local interspecific, and global interspecific correlations are shaped by processes acting at each of these scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Messier
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CNRS, CEFE UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry-EPHE, Montpellier, 34293, France
| | - Brian J Enquist
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
| | | | - Brian J McGill
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 04469, USA
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26
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Cui H, Töpper JP, Yang Y, Vandvik V, Wang G. Plastic Population Effects and Conservative Leaf Traits in a Reciprocal Transplant Experiment Simulating Climate Warming in the Himalayas. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1069. [PMID: 30105040 PMCID: PMC6077237 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming poses considerable challenges for alpine plant species, especially for competitively inferior ones with resource-conservative adaptations to cold climates. The Himalayas are warming at rates considerably faster than the global average, so it is particularly important to assess how and through which mechanisms alpine plant species are affected there. We employed a demographic approach in a climate change experiment, where vegetation turfs were transplanted reciprocally between the central parts of the study species' (Viola biflora L. var. rockiana) range and the warmer range margin, with a temperature difference of ca. 1°C. In addition, turfs were also transplanted outside the range to warmer habitats, simulating two different scenarios of climate warming, +1 and +4°C. Transplanting to warmer sites negatively impacted population growth rates (λ), survival and clonality, but did not affect growth and fecundity, while the productivity of the plant community increased. The reciprocal transplants to the colder habitat showed the opposite effects, for both V. biflora and the plant community, indicating plastic responses of the study species, driven by changes in plant-plant competition. However, the leaf traits underlying the modeled population growth rates were origin-site specific and not affected by the climate-change treatments over the study period, suggesting local adaptation of growth form to competition in the warmer range margin, and to climate adversity in the colder range center. The transplants outside the present species' range showed consistently stronger reductions in population growth rate and survival, with mortality of 90-100% in the +4°C treatment. This illustrates that climatic changes beyond species' present climatic ranges pose a serious risk for range contraction and extinction for Himalayan alpine species in the near future. As V. biflora seems mostly limited by competition under warming, its persistence in a future climate may become increasingly dependent on keeping competitive effects from the surrounding community low, for instance by management interventions like grazing and mowing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijun Cui
- National Plateau Wetlands Research Center, College of Wetlands, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Joachim P. Töpper
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Yan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Genxu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
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27
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He D, Yan ER. Size-dependent variations in individual traits and trait scaling relationships within a shade-tolerant evergreen tree species. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:1165-1174. [PMID: 30070684 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF STUDY The plant size-trait relationship is a fundamental dimension in the spectrum of plant form and function. However, it remains unclear whether the trait scaling relationship within species is modified by tree size. Investigating size-dependent trait covariations within species is crucial for understanding the ontogenetic constraints on the intraspecific economic spectrum and, more broadly, the structure and causes of intraspecific trait variations. METHODS We measured eight morphological, stoichiometric, and hydraulic traits for 604 individual plants of a shade-tolerant evergreen tree species, Litsea elongata, in a subtropical evergreen forest of eastern China. Individual trait values were regressed against tree basal diameter to evaluate size-dependent trait variations. Standardized major axis regression was employed to examine trait scaling relationships and to test whether there was a common slope and elevation in the trait scaling relationship across size classes. KEY RESULTS Small trees tended to have larger, thinner leaves and longer, slenderer stems than larger trees, which indicates an acquisitive economic strategy in juvenile trees. Leaf nitrogen concentrations increased with plant size, which was likely due to a high ratio of structural to photosynthetic nitrogen in the evergreen leaves of large trees. Bivariate trait scaling was minimally modified by tree size, although the elevation of some relationships differed between size classes. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that there are common economic and biophysical constraints on intraspecific trait covariation, independent of tree size. Small and large trees tend to be located at opposite ends of an intraspecific plant economic spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong He
- Forest Ecosystem Research and Observation Station in Putuo Island, Tiantong National Station for Forest Ecosystem Research, and Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration; School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - En-Rong Yan
- Forest Ecosystem Research and Observation Station in Putuo Island, Tiantong National Station for Forest Ecosystem Research, and Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration; School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai, 200062, China
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28
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Damián X, Fornoni J, Domínguez CA, Boege K. Ontogenetic changes in the phenotypic integration and modularity of leaf functional traits. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xóchitl Damián
- Instituto de EcologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Juan Fornoni
- Instituto de EcologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - César A. Domínguez
- Instituto de EcologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Karina Boege
- Instituto de EcologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de México Mexico
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29
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Henneron L, Chauvat M, Archaux F, Akpa-Vinceslas M, Bureau F, Dumas Y, Mignot L, Ningre F, Perret S, Richter C, Balandier P, Aubert M. Plant interactions as biotic drivers of plasticity in leaf litter traits and decomposability ofQuercus petraea. ECOL MONOGR 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Henneron
- ECODIV; IRSTEA; Normandie Université; UNIROUEN; FR-76000 Rouen France
- UREP; INRA; F-63039 Clermont-Ferrand France
| | - Matthieu Chauvat
- ECODIV; IRSTEA; Normandie Université; UNIROUEN; FR-76000 Rouen France
| | - Frédéric Archaux
- UR EFNO; IRSTEA; Domaine des Barres F-45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson France
| | | | - Fabrice Bureau
- ECODIV; IRSTEA; Normandie Université; UNIROUEN; FR-76000 Rouen France
| | - Yann Dumas
- UR EFNO; IRSTEA; Domaine des Barres F-45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson France
| | - Laurent Mignot
- ECODIV; IRSTEA; Normandie Université; UNIROUEN; FR-76000 Rouen France
| | - François Ningre
- UMR 1092; LERFoB; INRA; Centre INRA de Nancy; 54280 Champenoux France
| | - Sandrine Perret
- UR EFNO; IRSTEA; Domaine des Barres F-45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson France
| | - Claudine Richter
- Research & Development Department; ONF; Boulevard de Constance 77300 Fontainebleau France
| | | | - Michaël Aubert
- ECODIV; IRSTEA; Normandie Université; UNIROUEN; FR-76000 Rouen France
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30
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Mason CM, Bowsher AW, Crowell BL, Celoy RM, Tsai CJ, Donovan LA. Macroevolution of leaf defenses and secondary metabolites across the genus Helianthus. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 209:1720-33. [PMID: 26583880 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Leaf defenses are widely recognized as key adaptations and drivers of plant evolution. Across environmentally diverse habitats, the macroevolution of leaf defenses can be predicted by the univariate trade-off model, which predicts that defenses are functionally redundant and thus trade off, and the resource availability hypothesis, which predicts that defense investment is determined by inherent growth rate and that higher defense will evolve in lower resource environments. Here, we examined the evolution of leaf physical and chemical defenses and secondary metabolites in relation to environmental characteristics and leaf economic strategy across 28 species of Helianthus (the sunflowers). Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we found few evolutionary trade-offs among defenses and no evidence for defense syndromes. We also found that leaf defenses are strongly related to leaf economic strategy, with higher defense in more resource-conservative species, although there is little support for the evolution of higher defense in low-resource habitats. A wide variety of physical and chemical defenses predict resistance to different insect herbivores, fungal pathogens, and a parasitic plant, suggesting that most sunflower defenses are not redundant in function and that wild Helianthus represents a rich source of variation for the improvement of crop sunflower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase M Mason
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Alan W Bowsher
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Breanna L Crowell
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Rhodesia M Celoy
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Chung-Jui Tsai
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Lisa A Donovan
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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31
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Li S, Feifel M, Karimi Z, Schuldt B, Choat B, Jansen S. Leaf gas exchange performance and the lethal water potential of five European species during drought. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 36:179-92. [PMID: 26614785 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpv117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Establishing physiological thresholds to drought-induced mortality in a range of plant species is crucial in understanding how plants respond to severe drought. Here, five common European tree species were selected (Acer campestre L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Carpinus betulus L., Corylus avellana L. and Fraxinus excelsior L.) to study their hydraulic thresholds to mortality. Photosynthetic parameters during desiccation and the recovery of leaf gas exchange after rewatering were measured. Stem vulnerability curves and leaf pressure-volume curves were investigated to understand the hydraulic coordination of stem and leaf tissue traits. Stem and root samples from well-watered and severely drought-stressed plants of two species were observed using transmission electron microscopy to visualize mortality of cambial cells. The lethal water potential (ψlethal) correlated with stem P99 (i.e., the xylem water potential at 99% loss of hydraulic conductivity, PLC). However, several plants that were stressed beyond the water potential at 100% PLC showed complete recovery during the next spring, which suggests that the ψlethal values were underestimated. Moreover, we observed a 1 : 1 relationship between the xylem water potential at the onset of embolism and stomatal closure, confirming hydraulic coordination between leaf and stem tissues. Finally, ultrastructural changes in the cytoplasm of cambium tissue and mortality of cambial cells are proposed to provide an alternative approach to investigate the point of no return associated with plant death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Li
- Institute for Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Marion Feifel
- Institute for Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Zohreh Karimi
- Institute for Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, D-89081 Ulm, Germany Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Golestan University, 36154 Gorgan, Iran
| | - Bernhard Schuldt
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Brendan Choat
- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Steven Jansen
- Institute for Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
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32
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Fajardo A, Siefert A. Phenological variation of leaf functional traits within species. Oecologia 2016; 180:951-9. [PMID: 26796408 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3545-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A basic assumption of the trait-based approach in plant ecology is that differences in functional trait values are greater between species than within species. We questioned this assumption by assessing (1) the relative extent of inter- and intraspecific leaf trait variation throughout a complete growing season (phenological variation) in a group of deciduous and evergreen woody species, and (2) whether species rankings based on leaf traits were maintained across the growing season. We analysed leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf nutrient concentrations (C, N, P), including the C:N and N:P ratios. Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) due to phenology was significantly greater than interspecific variation for leaf N concentration on a mass basis (Nm; 68.90 %) and for the leaf C:N ratio (60.60 %), whereas interspecific variation was significantly higher than ITV for LMA (62.30 %) and for leaf C concentration on a mass (Cm) and area (Ca) basis (Cm 70.40 %; Ca 65.30 %). ITV was particularly low for LMA (<20 %). Species rankings were highly modified by phenology for a number of leaf traits (Pm, N:P ratio) but were relatively well conserved throughout the growing season for others (LMA, Nm). Patterns of ITV across the growing season differed significantly between deciduous and evergreen species for all traits except leaf P but did not vary between native and exotic species. Overall, our results show that intraspecific phenological variation in leaf traits may be similar to or greater than interspecific variation and that temporal patterns of ITV vary considerably among traits and species, especially for leaf nutrient concentrations, factors which can potentially affect quantitative interspecific relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Fajardo
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP) Conicyt-Regional R10C1003, Universidad Austral de Chile, Camino Baguales s/n, 5951601, Coyhaique, Chile.
| | - Andrew Siefert
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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33
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Mason CM, Goolsby EW, Humphreys DP, Donovan LA. Phylogenetic structural equation modelling reveals no need for an 'origin' of the leaf economics spectrum. Ecol Lett 2015; 19:54-61. [PMID: 26563777 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) is a prominent ecophysiological paradigm that describes global variation in leaf physiology across plant ecological strategies using a handful of key traits. Nearly a decade ago, Shipley et al. (2006) used structural equation modelling to explore the causal functional relationships among LES traits that give rise to their strong global covariation. They concluded that an unmeasured trait drives LES covariation, sparking efforts to identify the latent physiological trait underlying the 'origin' of the LES. Here, we use newly developed phylogenetic structural equation modelling approaches to reassess these conclusions using both global LES data as well as data collected across scales in the genus Helianthus. For global LES data, accounting for phylogenetic non-independence indicates that no additional unmeasured traits are required to explain LES covariation. Across datasets in Helianthus, trait relationships are highly variable, indicating that global-scale models may poorly describe LES covariation at non-global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase M Mason
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Eric W Goolsby
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Devon P Humphreys
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Lisa A Donovan
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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34
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Mason CM, Donovan LA. Evolution of the leaf economics spectrum in herbs: Evidence from environmental divergences in leaf physiology acrossHelianthus(Asteraceae). Evolution 2015; 69:2705-20. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2015] [Revised: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chase M. Mason
- Department of Plant Biology; University of Georgia; Athens Georgia 30602
| | - Lisa A. Donovan
- Department of Plant Biology; University of Georgia; Athens Georgia 30602
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35
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Siefert A, Violle C, Chalmandrier L, Albert CH, Taudiere A, Fajardo A, Aarssen LW, Baraloto C, Carlucci MB, Cianciaruso MV, de L Dantas V, de Bello F, Duarte LDS, Fonseca CR, Freschet GT, Gaucherand S, Gross N, Hikosaka K, Jackson B, Jung V, Kamiyama C, Katabuchi M, Kembel SW, Kichenin E, Kraft NJB, Lagerström A, Bagousse-Pinguet YL, Li Y, Mason N, Messier J, Nakashizuka T, Overton JM, Peltzer DA, Pérez-Ramos IM, Pillar VD, Prentice HC, Richardson S, Sasaki T, Schamp BS, Schöb C, Shipley B, Sundqvist M, Sykes MT, Vandewalle M, Wardle DA. A global meta-analysis of the relative extent of intraspecific trait variation in plant communities. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:1406-19. [PMID: 26415616 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 394] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that accounting for intraspecific trait variation (ITV) may better address major questions in community ecology. However, a general picture of the relative extent of ITV compared to interspecific trait variation in plant communities is still missing. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of the relative extent of ITV within and among plant communities worldwide, using a data set encompassing 629 communities (plots) and 36 functional traits. Overall, ITV accounted for 25% of the total trait variation within communities and 32% of the total trait variation among communities on average. The relative extent of ITV tended to be greater for whole-plant (e.g. plant height) vs. organ-level traits and for leaf chemical (e.g. leaf N and P concentration) vs. leaf morphological (e.g. leaf area and thickness) traits. The relative amount of ITV decreased with increasing species richness and spatial extent, but did not vary with plant growth form or climate. These results highlight global patterns in the relative importance of ITV in plant communities, providing practical guidelines for when researchers should include ITV in trait-based community and ecosystem studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Siefert
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Cyrille Violle
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE - 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Loïc Chalmandrier
- Université Grenoble Alpes, LECA, F-38000, Grenoble, France.,CNRS, LECA, F-3800, Grenoble, France
| | - Cécile H Albert
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, IMBE, 13397, Marseille, France
| | - Adrien Taudiere
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE - 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Alex Fajardo
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP) Conicyt-Regional R10C1003, Universidad Austral de Chile, Camino Baguales s/n, Coyhaique, 5951601, Chile
| | - Lonnie W Aarssen
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.,INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, BP 709, 97387, Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Marcos B Carlucci
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, RS, Brazil.,CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília, DF, 70040-020, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Goiás, 74690-900, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Marcus V Cianciaruso
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, 74690-900, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Vinícius de L Dantas
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Campinas, 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francesco de Bello
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic.,Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Leandro D S Duarte
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, RS, Brazil
| | - Carlos R Fonseca
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, 59092-350, Brazil
| | - Grégoire T Freschet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE - 34293, Montpellier, France.,Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, 901 83, Sweden
| | - Stéphanie Gaucherand
- IRSTEA, Unité de Recherche sur les Ecosystèmes Montagnards, BP 76, 38402, St-Martin d'Hères, cedex, France
| | - Nicolas Gross
- INRA, USC1339 Chizé (CEBC), F-79360, Villiers en Bois, France.,Centre d'étude biologique de Chizé, CNRS - Université La Rochelle (UMR 7372), F-79360, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Kouki Hikosaka
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Benjamin Jackson
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, LA14AP, Lancaster, UK
| | - Vincent Jung
- CNRS UMR 6553, ECOBIO, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, 35042, France
| | - Chiho Kamiyama
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya, 150-8925, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Katabuchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Steven W Kembel
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C3P8, Canada
| | - Emilie Kichenin
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, 901 83, Sweden
| | - Nathan J B Kraft
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Anna Lagerström
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, 901 83, Sweden
| | - Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Yuanzhi Li
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Norman Mason
- Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Julie Messier
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 1041 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Tohru Nakashizuka
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | | | | | - I M Pérez-Ramos
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, 41080, Spain
| | - Valério D Pillar
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, RS, Brazil.,Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Honor C Prentice
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Takehiro Sasaki
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8563, Japan
| | - Brandon S Schamp
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2G4, Canada
| | - Christian Schöb
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bill Shipley
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Maja Sundqvist
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, The Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - Martin T Sykes
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Marie Vandewalle
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - David A Wardle
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, 901 83, Sweden
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Goolsby EW. Phylogenetic Comparative Methods for Evaluating the Evolutionary History of Function-Valued Traits. Syst Biol 2015; 64:568-78. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syv012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eric W. Goolsby
- Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens GA, 30602, USA
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37
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Does investment in leaf defenses drive changes in leaf economic strategy? A focus on whole-plant ontogeny. Oecologia 2014; 177:1053-66. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3177-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/28/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Bucksch A. A practical introduction to skeletons for the plant sciences. APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES 2014; 2:apps1400005. [PMID: 25202645 PMCID: PMC4141711 DOI: 10.3732/apps.1400005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Before the availability of digital photography resulting from the invention of charged couple devices in 1969, the measurement of plant architecture was a manual process either on the plant itself or on traditional photographs. The introduction of cheap digital imaging devices for the consumer market enabled the wide use of digital images to capture the shape of plant networks such as roots, tree crowns, or leaf venation. Plant networks contain geometric traits that can establish links to genetic or physiological characteristics, support plant breeding efforts, drive evolutionary studies, or serve as input to plant growth simulations. Typically, traits are encoded in shape descriptors that are computed from imaging data. Skeletons are one class of shape descriptors that are used to describe the hierarchies and extent of branching and looping plant networks. While the mathematical understanding of skeletons is well developed, their application within the plant sciences remains challenging because the quality of the measurement depends partly on the interpretation of the skeleton. This article is meant to bridge the skeletonization literature in the plant sciences and related technical fields by discussing best practices for deriving diameters and approximating branching hierarchies in a plant network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Bucksch
- School of Biology and School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 USA
- Author for correspondence:
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39
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Sack L, Scoffoni C, John GP, Poorter H, Mason CM, Mendez-Alonzo R, Donovan LA. How do leaf veins influence the worldwide leaf economic spectrum? Review and synthesis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2013; 64:4053-80. [PMID: 24123455 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Leaf vein traits are implicated in the determination of gas exchange rates and plant performance. These traits are increasingly considered as causal factors affecting the 'leaf economic spectrum' (LES), which includes the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis, dark respiration, foliar nitrogen concentration, leaf dry mass per area (LMA) and leaf longevity. This article reviews the support for two contrasting hypotheses regarding a key vein trait, vein length per unit leaf area (VLA). Recently, Blonder et al. (2011, 2013) proposed that vein traits, including VLA, can be described as the 'origin' of the LES by structurally determining LMA and leaf thickness, and thereby vein traits would predict LES traits according to specific equations. Careful re-examination of leaf anatomy, published datasets, and a newly compiled global database for diverse species did not support the 'vein origin' hypothesis, and moreover showed that the apparent power of those equations to predict LES traits arose from circularity. This review provides a 'flux trait network' hypothesis for the effects of vein traits on the LES and on plant performance, based on a synthesis of the previous literature. According to this hypothesis, VLA, while virtually independent of LMA, strongly influences hydraulic conductance, and thus stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate. We also review (i) the specific physiological roles of VLA; (ii) the role of leaf major veins in influencing LES traits; and (iii) the role of VLA in determining photosynthetic rate per leaf dry mass and plant relative growth rate. A clear understanding of leaf vein traits provides a new perspective on plant function independently of the LES and can enhance the ability to explain and predict whole plant performance under dynamic conditions, with applications towards breeding improved crop varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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