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Liu G, Fu P, Mao Q, Xia J, Zhao W. Effect of life cycle and venation pattern on the coordination between stomatal and vein densities of herbs. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plae007. [PMID: 38435969 PMCID: PMC10908534 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plae007] [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: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Life cycle (annual vs perennial) and leaf venation pattern (parallel and reticular) are known to be related to water use strategies in herb species and critical adaptation to certain climatic conditions. However, the effect of these two traits and how they influence the coordination between vein density (vein length per area, VLA) and stomatal density (SD) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the leaves of 53 herb species from a subtropical botanical garden in Guangdong Province, China, including herbs with different life cycles and leaf venation patterns. We assessed 21 leaf water-related functional traits for all species, including leaf area (LA), major and minor VLA, major and minor vein diameter (VD), SD and stomatal length (SL). The results showed no significant differences in mean SD and SL between either functional group (parallel venation vs reticular venation and annual vs perennial). However, parallel vein herbs and perennial herbs displayed a significantly higher mean LA and minor VD, and lower minor VLA compared to reticular vein herbs and annual herbs, respectively. There was a linear correlation between total VLA and SD in perennial and reticular vein herbs, but this kind of correlation was not found in annual and parallel vein herbs. The major VLA and minor VD were significantly affected by the interaction between life cycle and leaf venation pattern. Our findings suggested that VLA, rather than SD, may serve as a more adaptable structure regulated by herbaceous plants to support the coordination between leaf water supply and demand in the context of different life cycles and leaf venation patterns. The results of the present study provide mechanistic understandings of functional advantages of different leaf types, which may involve in species fitness in community assembly and divergent responses to climate changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guolan Liu
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Shandong University of Aeronautics, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Peili Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jinghong, Yunnan, China
- Ailaoshan Station of Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan, China
| | - Qinggong Mao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetatcion Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jiangbao Xia
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Shandong University of Aeronautics, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Wanli Zhao
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Shandong University of Aeronautics, Binzhou, Shandong, China
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Zhao W, Fu P, Mao Q, Liu G, Li Y, Xia J, Zhao P. Effect of leaf phenology and morphology on the coordination between stomatal and minor vein densities. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1051692. [PMID: 37564389 PMCID: PMC10411352 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1051692] [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: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Leaf phenology (evergreen vs. deciduous) and morphology (simple vs. compound) are known to be related to water use strategies in tree species and critical adaptation to certain climatic conditions. However, the effect of these two traits and their interactions on the coordination between minor vein density (MVD) and stomatal density (SD) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the leaves of 108 tree species from plots in a primary subtropical forest in southern China, including tree species with different leaf morphologies and phenologies. We assessed nine leaf water-related functional traits for all species, including MVD, SD, leaf area (LA), minor vein thickness (MVT), and stomatal length (SL). The results showed no significant differences in mean LA and SD between either functional group (simple vs. compound and evergreen vs. deciduous). However, deciduous trees displayed a significantly higher mean MVD compared to evergreen trees. Similarly, compound-leaved trees have a higher (marginally significant) MVD than simple-leaved trees. Furthermore, we found that leaf morphology and phenology have significantly interactive effects on SL, and the compound-leafed deciduous trees exhibited the largest average SL among the four groups. There were significant correlations between the MVD and SD in all different tree groups; however, the slopes and interceptions differed within both morphology and phenology. Our results indicate that MVD, rather than SD, may be the more flexible structure for supporting the coordination between leaf water supply and demand in different leaf morphologies and phenologies. The results of the present study provide mechanistic understandings of the functional advantages of different leaf types, which may involve species fitness in community assembly and divergent responses to climate changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanli Zhao
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, Shandong, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Peili Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jinghong, Yunnan, China
- Ailaoshan Station of Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan, China
| | - Qinggong Mao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Guolan Liu
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Yuanqiu Li
- Guangdong Shimentai National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Forestry Administration, Qingyuan, Guangdong, China
| | - Jiangbao Xia
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Zhang FP, Feng JQ, Huang JL, Huang W, Fu XW, Hu H, Zhang SB. Floral Longevity of Paphiopedilum and Cypripedium Is Associated With Floral Morphology. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:637236. [PMID: 34135917 PMCID: PMC8200665 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.637236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Floral longevity (FL) is an important trait influencing plant reproductive success by affecting the chance of insect pollination. However, it is still unclear which factors affect FL, and whether FL is evolutionarily associated with structural traits. Since construction costs and water loss by transpiration play a role in leaf longevity, we speculated that floral structures may affect the maintenance and loss of water in flowers and, therefore, FL. Here, we investigated the slipper orchid Paphiopedilum and Cypripedium, which are closely related, but strongly differ in their FL. To understand the evolutionary association of floral anatomical traits with FL, we used a phylogenetic independent comparative method to examine the relationships between 30 floral anatomical traits and FL in 18 species of Paphiopedilum and Cypripedium. Compared with Paphiopedilum species, Cypripedium species have lower values for floral traits related to drought tolerance and water retention capacity. Long FL was basically accompanied by the thicker epidermal and endodermal tissues of the floral stem, the thicker adaxial and abaxial epidermis of the flower, and low floral vein and stomatal densities. Vein density of the dorsal sepals and synsepals was negatively correlated with stomatal density. Our results supported the hypothesis that there was a correlation between FL and floral anatomical traits in slipper orchids. The ability to retain water in the flowers was associated with FL. These findings provide a new insight into the evolutionary association of floral traits with transpirational water loss for orchids under natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Ping Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Dai and Yi Medicines, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jing-Qiu Feng
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Lin Huang
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Xue-Wei Fu
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Hong Hu
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Shi-Bao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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Westbrook AS, McAdam SAM. Stomatal density and mechanics are critical for high productivity: insights from amphibious ferns. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:877-889. [PMID: 32761918 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Angiosperm dominance in terrestrial landscapes is partially attributable to high photosynthetic capacities. Angiosperms benefit from diverse anatomical and physiological adaptations, making it difficult to determine which factors may have been prerequisites for the evolution of enhanced photosynthetic rates in this group. We employed a novel approach to this problem: comparisons between angiosperms and Marsileaceae, a family of semi-aquatic ferns that are among the only land plants to match angiosperm photosynthetic rates. We found that Marsileaceae have very high stomatal densities and, like angiosperms but unlike all other ferns previously studied, exhibit wrong-way stomatal responses to excision. These results suggest that stomatal density and a little-studied angiosperm trait, the capacity for lateral displacement of guard cells into neighboring epidermal cells, are crucial for facilitating high rates of gas exchange. Our analysis also associates these adaptations in Marsileaceae with an increased risk of excessive water loss during drought. Our findings indicate that evolution in stomatal physiology was a prerequisite for high photosynthetic capacities in vascular plants and a key driver of the abrupt Cretaceous rise of the angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S Westbrook
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Scott A M McAdam
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
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