1
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Davrinche A, Haider S. Soil conditions modify species diversity effects on tree functional trait expression. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17114. [PMID: 39048644 PMCID: PMC11269567 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67512-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Examples of positive effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functions have kept accumulating in the last two decades, and functional traits are considered suitable tools to explain their underlying mechanisms. However, traits are rarely studied at the scale where these mechanisms (e.g., complementarity) are likely to originate, that is, between two interacting individuals. In an 18-month greenhouse experiment, we investigated how species diversity (i.e., monospecific or heterospecific tree pairs) affects within-individual leaf traits expression and variation and how this effect is modified by soil conditions. While resource addition through phosphorus fertilization partly strengthened the diversity effects, inoculation of soil microbiota (potentially leading to increased resource accessibility) resulted in counter effects. Hence, in contrast to our expectations, we did not find synergistic effects of the two soil treatments, but we found distinct effects on species following an acquisitive or conservative growth strategy. Overall, our study showed that the effect of species diversity on young trees' adaptability and resource-use strategy needs to be considered alongside soil biotic and abiotic aspects. The influence of soil conditions on species diversity effects is essential to understand mechanisms behind complementarity at the individual level, which ultimately translate to the community scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréa Davrinche
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108, Halle, Germany.
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108, Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Laoué J, Gea-Izquierdo G, Dupouyet S, Conde M, Fernandez C, Ormeño E. Leaf morpho-anatomical adjustments in a Quercus pubescens forest after 10 years of partial rain exclusion in the field. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 44:tpae047. [PMID: 38676920 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpae047] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
In the Mediterranean region, a reduction of annual precipitation and a longer and drier summer season are expected with climate change by the end of the century, eventually endangering forest survival. To cope with such rapid changes, trees may modulate their morpho-anatomical and physiological traits. In the present study, we focused on the variation in leaf gas exchange and different leaf morpho-anatomical functional traits of Quercus pubescens Willd. in summer using a long-term drought experiment in natura consisting of a dynamic rainfall exclusion system where trees have been submitted to amplified drought (AD) (~-30% of annual precipitation) since April 2012 and compared them with trees under natural drought (ND) in a Mediterranean forest. During the study, we analyzed net CO2 assimilation (An), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), water-use efficiency (WUE), stomatal size and density, density of glandular trichomes and non-glandular trichomes, thickness of the different leaf tissues, specific leaf area and leaf surface. Under AD, tree functioning was slightly impacted, since only An exhibited a 49% drop, while gs, E and WUE remained stable. The decrease in An under AD was regulated by concomitant lower stomatal density and reduced leaf thickness. Trees under AD also featured leaves with a higher non-glandular trichome density and a lower glandular trichome density compared with ND, which simultaneously limits transpiration and production costs. This study points out that Q. pubescens exhibits adjustments of leaf morpho-anatomical traits which can help trees to acclimate to AD scenarios as those expected in the future in the Mediterranean region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Laoué
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, IRD, IMBE, University Campus Saint-Jérôme 13013 Marseille, France
| | | | - Sylvie Dupouyet
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, IRD, IMBE, University Campus Saint-Jérôme 13013 Marseille, France
| | - María Conde
- CIFOR-INIA, CSIC, Centro de Investigación Forestal Moncloa - Aravaca 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Catherine Fernandez
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, IRD, IMBE, University Campus Saint-Jérôme 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Elena Ormeño
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Avignon, IRD, IMBE, University Campus Saint-Jérôme 13013 Marseille, France
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3
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Puglielli G, Bricca A, Chelli S, Petruzzellis F, Acosta ATR, Bacaro G, Beccari E, Bernardo L, Bonari G, Bolpagni R, Boscutti F, Calvia G, Campetella G, Cancellieri L, Canullo R, Carbognani M, Carboni M, Carranza ML, Castellani MB, Ciccarelli D, Coppi A, Cutini M, Dalla Vecchia A, Dalle Fratte M, de Francesco MC, De Frenne P, De Sanctis M, de Simone L, Di Cecco V, Fanelli G, Farris E, Ferrara A, Fenu G, Filibeck G, Gasperini C, Gargano D, Kindermann E, La Bella G, Lastrucci L, Lazzaro L, Maccherini S, Marignani M, Mugnai M, Naselli-Flores L, Passalacqua NG, Pavanetto N, Petraglia A, Rota F, Santoianni LA, Schettino A, Selvi F, Stanisci A, Trotta G, Vangansbeke P, Varricchione M, Vuerich M, Wellstein C, Tordoni E. Intraspecific variability of leaf form and function across habitat types. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14396. [PMID: 38456670 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Trait-based ecology has already revealed main independent axes of trait variation defining trait spaces that summarize plant adaptive strategies, but often ignoring intraspecific trait variability (ITV). By using empirical ITV-level data for two independent dimensions of leaf form and function and 167 species across five habitat types (coastal dunes, forests, grasslands, heathlands, wetlands) in the Italian peninsula, we found that ITV: (i) rotated the axes of trait variation that define the trait space; (ii) increased the variance explained by these axes and (iii) affected the functional structure of the target trait space. However, the magnitude of these effects was rather small and depended on the trait and habitat type. Our results reinforce the idea that ITV is context-dependent, calling for careful extrapolations of ITV patterns across traits and spatial scales. Importantly, our study provides a framework that can be used to start integrating ITV into trait space analyses.
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Grants
- Ente Parco Nazionale del Pollino (Rotonda, Italy) in the frame of the project "Un laboratorio naturale permanente nel Parco Nazionale del Pollino"
- National Biodiversity Future Center NBFC, CUP J33C22001190001
- European Union - NextGenerationEU within the framework of National Biodiversity Future Center (Spoke 4, Activity 4)
- NBFC to the University of Florence, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, "Dalla ricerca all'impresa", Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033
- NBFC to University of Roma Tre/Department of Science, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, "Dalla ricerca all'impresa", Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033. Grant of Excellence Departments 2018- 2022, MIUR Italy
- NBFC to University of Molise/Department of Bioscience and Territory, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, "Dalla ricerca all'impresa", Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033, MIUR Italy
- PID2021-122214NA-I00 MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by FEDER "ESF Investing in your future"
- Grant of Excellence Departments 2018- 2022, MIUR Italy
- G.Bo. and SM acknowledge the support of NBFC to University of Siena, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, 'Dalla ricerca all', Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Puglielli
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alessandro Bricca
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Stefano Chelli
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | | | | | - Giovanni Bacaro
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Eleonora Beccari
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liliana Bernardo
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Gianmaria Bonari
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rossano Bolpagni
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesco Boscutti
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Giacomo Calvia
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Giandiego Campetella
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Laura Cancellieri
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Roberto Canullo
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | | | - Marta Carboni
- Department of Sciences, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Laura Carranza
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | | | | | - Andrea Coppi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Alice Dalla Vecchia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Michele Dalle Fratte
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Maria Carla de Francesco
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Michele De Sanctis
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Valter Di Cecco
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Giuliano Fanelli
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Emmanuele Farris
- Department of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Arianna Ferrara
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fenu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Goffredo Filibeck
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Cristina Gasperini
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Domenico Gargano
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Elisabeth Kindermann
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Greta La Bella
- Department of Sciences, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Lorenzo Lazzaro
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Simona Maccherini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Michela Marignani
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michele Mugnai
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Luigi Naselli-Flores
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Pavanetto
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alessandro Petraglia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesco Rota
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Federico Selvi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Angela Stanisci
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Giacomo Trotta
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Pieter Vangansbeke
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Marco Varricchione
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Marco Vuerich
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Camilla Wellstein
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Enrico Tordoni
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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4
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Medeiros JS, Burns JH, Dowrey C, Duong F, Speroff S. Leaf habit and plant architecture integrate whole-plant economics and contextualize trait-climate associations within ecologically diverse genus Rhododendron. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plae005. [PMID: 38406260 PMCID: PMC10888519 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plae005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Plant resource strategies negotiate a trade-off between fast growth and stress resistance, characterized by specific leaf area (SLA). How SLA relates to leaf structure and function or plant climate associations remains open for debate, and leaf habit and plant architecture may alter the costs versus benefits of individual traits. We used phylogenetic canonical correspondence analysis and phylogenetic least squares to understand the relationship of anatomy and gas exchange to published data on root, wood, architectural and leaf economics traits and climate. Leaf anatomy was structured by leaf habit and carbon to nitrogen ratio was a better predictor of gas exchange than SLA. We found significant correspondence of leaf anatomy with branch architecture and wood traits, gas exchange corresponded with climate, while leaf economics corresponded with climate, architecture, wood and root traits. Species from the most seasonal climates had the highest trait-climate correspondence, and different aspects of economics and anatomy reflected leaf carbon uptake versus water use. Our study using phylogenetic comparative methods including plant architecture and leaf habit provides insight into the mechanism of whole-plant functional coordination and contextualizes individual traits in relation to climate, demonstrating the evolutionary and ecological relevance of trait-trait correlations within a genus with high biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean H Burns
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106USA
| | - Callie Dowrey
- Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094, USA
| | - Fiona Duong
- Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094, USA
| | - Sarah Speroff
- New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110USA
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5
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Chaturvedi RK, Pandey SK, Tripathi A, Goparaju L, Raghubanshi AS, Singh JS. Variations in the plasticity of functional traits indicate the differential impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on the structure and growth of trees in tropical dry forest fragments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1181293. [PMID: 38333040 PMCID: PMC10851170 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1181293] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Abiotic and biotic factors have considerable impact on the plasticity of plant functional traits, which influences forest structure and productivity; however, their inter-relationships have not been quantified for fragmented tropical dry forest (TDF) ecosystems. We asked the following questions: (1) what are the variations in the plasticity of functional traits due to soil moisture availability in TDF fragments? (2) what are the roles of soil nutrients and forest disturbances in influencing variations in the plasticity of functional traits in the TDF fragments? and (3) how do the variations in the plasticity of functional traits influence the structure and productivity of TDF fragments? Based on linear mixed-effects results, we observed significant variations among tree species for soil moisture content (SMC) under the canopy and selected functional traits across forest fragments. We categorized tree species across fragments by principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC) analyses into three functional types, viz., low wood density high deciduous (LWHD), high wood density medium deciduous (HWMD), and high wood density low deciduous (HWLD). Assemblage of functional traits suggested that the LWHD functional type exhibits a drought-avoiding strategy, whereas HWMD and HWLD adopt a drought-tolerant strategy. Our study showed that the variations in functional trait plasticity and the structural attributes of trees in the three functional types exhibit contrasting affinity with SMC, soil nutrients, and disturbances, although the LWHD functional type was comparatively more influenced by soil resources and disturbances compared to HWMD and HWLD along the declining SMC and edge distance gradients. Plasticity in functional traits for the LWHD functional type exhibited greater variations in traits associated with the conservation of water and resources, whereas for HWMD and HWLD, the traits exhibiting greater plasticity were linked with higher productivity and water transport. The cumulative influence of SMC, disturbances, and functional trait variations was also visible in the relative abundance of functional types in large and small sized fragments. Our analysis further revealed the critical differences in the responses of functional trait plasticity of the coexisting tree species in TDF, which suggests that important deciduous endemic species with drought-avoiding strategies might be prone to strategic exclusion under expected rises in anthropogenic disturbances, habitat fragmentation, and resource limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Kant Chaturvedi
- Center for Integrative Conservation and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephant, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China
| | - Santosh Kumar Pandey
- Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anshuman Tripathi
- Training, Safety and Environment, National Mineral Development Corporation Limited, Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Laxmi Goparaju
- Forest and Remote Sensing, Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation, Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - J. S. Singh
- Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
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6
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Taichi N, Ushimaru A. Trait variation along an urban-rural gradient in Asian dayflower: the contribution of phenotypic plasticity and genetic divergence. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2024; 26:74-81. [PMID: 37996971 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Environmental changes associated with urbanisation can exert pressure that facilitates both adaptations and plastic responses in plants. Field surveys or common garden experiments (CGE) alone cannot differentiate between the observed phenotypic traits resulting from plastic responses versus evolutionary adaptations to urban environments. We conducted a field survey of habitat environmental factors and four vegetative traits in 12 Commelina communis populations along an urban-rural gradient in the Osaka-Kobe megacity area. We collected seedlings from six of the 12 populations, transplanted them into a greenhouse, and measured six vegetative traits. We investigated correlations between pairs of measured traits in both the field survey and CGE. Plant height and leaf area increased significantly in increasingly developed land areas (DLA) in the field survey, whereas no such variations were found in the CGE, suggesting that the observed phenotypic variation was due to a plastic response to urban eutrophication. Leaf number and specific leaf area (SLA) significantly decreased with increasing DLA in the CGE, suggesting the adaptation of these traits to urban environments. Positive correlations between plant height and leaf area were only observed in urban populations in both the field survey and CGE, indicating the evolution of this trait correlation in urban environments. It has been suggested that urban environments promote both plastic response and genetic divergence of a set of traits in native plants. Our findings suggest that low leaf number, SLA, and positive plant height-leaf area correlations have evolved. In addition, larger plant size is achieved via phenotypic plasticity in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Taichi
- Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - A Ushimaru
- Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
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7
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Lemoine T, Violle C, Montazeaud G, Isaac ME, Rocher A, Fréville H, Fort F. Plant trait relationships are maintained within a major crop species: lack of artificial selection signal and potential for improved agronomic performance. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:2227-2238. [PMID: 37771248 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19279] [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: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The exploration of phenotypic spaces of large sets of plant species has considerably increased our understanding of diversification processes in the plant kingdom. Nevertheless, such advances have predominantly relied on interspecific comparisons that hold several limitations. Here, we grew in the field a unique set of 179 inbred lines of durum wheat, Triticum turgidum spp. durum, characterized by variable degrees of artificial selection. We measured aboveground and belowground traits as well as agronomic traits to explore the functional and agronomic trait spaces and to investigate trait-to-agronomic performance relationships. We showed that the wheat functional trait space shared commonalities with global cross-species spaces previously described, with two main axes of variation: a root foraging axis and a slow-fast trade-off axis. Moreover, we detected a clear signature of artificial selection on the variation of agronomic traits, unlike functional traits. Interestingly, we identified alternative phenotypic combinations that can optimize crop performance. Our work brings insightful knowledge about the structure of phenotypic spaces of domesticated plants and the maintenance of phenotypic trade-offs in response to artificial selection, with implications for trade-off-free and multi-criteria selection in plant breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taïna Lemoine
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, 34000, France
- AGAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, 34000, France
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, 34000, France
| | - Germain Montazeaud
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Marney E Isaac
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, M1C 1A4, ON, Canada
| | - Aline Rocher
- AGAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, 34000, France
| | - Hélène Fréville
- AGAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, 34000, France
| | - Florian Fort
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, Institut Agro, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, 34000, France
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8
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Hai X, Shangguan Z, Peng C, Deng L. Leaf trait responses to global change factors in terrestrial ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 898:165572. [PMID: 37454860 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165572] [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: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Global change influences plant growth by affecting plant morphology and physiology. However, the effects of global change factors vary based on the climate gradient. Here, we established a global database of leaf traits from 192 experiments on elevated CO2 concentrations (eCO2), drought, N deposition, and warming. The results showed that the leaf mass per area (LMA) significantly increased under eCO2 and drought conditions but decreased with N deposition, whereas eCO2 levels and drought conditions reduced stomatal conductance and increased and decreased photosynthetic rates, respectively. Leaf dark respiration (Rd) increased in response to global change, excluding N deposition. Leaf N concentrations declined with eCO2 but increased with N deposition. Leaf area increased with eCO2, N deposition, and warming but decreased with drought. Leaf thickness increased with eCO2 but decreased with warming. eCO2 and N deposition enhanced plant water-use efficiency (WUE), eCO2 and warming increased photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), while N fertilization reduced PNUE significantly. eCO2 produced a positive relationship between WUE and PNUE, which were limited under drought but increased in areas with high humidity and high temperature. Trade-offs were observed between WUE and PNUE under drought, N deposition, and warming. These findings suggest that the effects of global change factors on plants can be altered by complex environmental changes; moreover, diverse plant water and nutrient strategy responses can be interpreted against the background of their functional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuying Hai
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Zhouping Shangguan
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Changhui Peng
- Center of CEF/ESCER, Department of Biological Science, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Lei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of low-carbon green Agriculture in Northwestern China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China.
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9
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Alderotti F, Verdiani E. God save the queen! How and why the dominant evergreen species of the Mediterranean Basin is declining? AOB PLANTS 2023; 15:plad051. [PMID: 37899973 PMCID: PMC10601391 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Quercus ilex may be considered the queen tree of the Mediterranean Basin, dominating coastal forest areas up to 2000 m above sea level at some sites. However, an increase in holm oak decline has been observed in the last decade. In this review, we analysed the current literature to answer the following questions: what are the traits that allow holm oak to thrive in the Mediterranean environment, and what are the main factors that are currently weakening this species? In this framework, we attempt to answer these questions by proposing a triangle as a graphical summary. The first vertex focuses on the main morpho-anatomical, biochemical and physiological traits that allow holm oak to dominate Mediterranean forests. The other two vertices consider abiotic and biotic stressors that are closely related to holm oak decline. Here, we discuss the current evidence of holm oak responses to abiotic and biotic stresses and propose a possible solution to its decline through adequate forest management choices, thus allowing the species to maintain its ecological domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Alderotti
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy
| | - Erika Verdiani
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy
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10
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John GP, Garnica-Díaz CJ. Embracing the complexity of leaf shape: a commentary on 'Anatomical determinants of gas exchange and hydraulics vary with leaf shape in soybean'. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 131:i-iii. [PMID: 37283295 PMCID: PMC10332391 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This article comments on:Bishal G. Tamang, Yanqun Zhang, Michelle A. Zambrano and Elizabeth A. Ainsworth Anatomical determinants of gas exchange and hydraulics vary with leaf shape in soybean, Annals of Botany, Volume 131, Issue 6, 9 May 2023, Pages 909–920, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac118
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace P John
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
| | - Claudia J Garnica-Díaz
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
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11
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Sumida A, Inagaki Y, Kajimoto T, Katsuno-Miyaura M, Komiyama A, Kurachi N, Miyaura T, Hasegawa SF, Hara T, Ono K, Yamada M. Allometry of the quasi-pipe (qPipe) model for estimating tree leaf area and tree leaf mass applied to plant functional types. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9954. [PMID: 37337040 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37112-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The allometry of the pipe model quantifies the approximate proportionality between the tree leaf amount and the stem cross-sectional area at the crown base (ACB). It is useful for estimating and modeling carbon fixation abilities of trees but requires climbing the tree and is thus unsuitable for large-scale studies. Here, we adopted a previously proposed allometry (hereafter the quasi-pipe (qPipe) model allometry) formulating the relationship between the tree leaf amount and a surrogate of ACB, ACB_Est, calculated from tree dimensions measurable from the ground. Using published/unpublished data for 962 trees of 159 species collected between tropical rainforests and boreal forests, we established pipe and qPipe model allometries for evergreen-conifer, deciduous-conifer, evergreen-broadleaf, and deciduous-broadleaf plant functional types (PFTs). For the leaf area per tree (LA), allometric lines on a log-log plane were almost identical among the four PFTs in both models, with slopes of ~ 1. For the leaf mass per tree (LM), however, the allometric lines separated among the four PFTs in both models and had slopes greater than 1, indicating that the proportionality assumed in the pipe model held for LA but not LM. The applicability of the qPipe model in estimating the stand-scale leaf amount was further examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Sumida
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, 1-5 Shimogamohangi, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto, 606-8522, Japan.
| | - Yoshiyuki Inagaki
- Shikoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 2-915 Asakuranishi, Kochi, 780-8077, Japan.
| | - Takuya Kajimoto
- Sado Island Center for Ecological Sustainability, Niigata University, 94-2 Koda, Sado, Niigata, 952-2206, Japan
| | | | | | - Nahoko Kurachi
- Hiraoka Forest Research Institute, Aoyama, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2101, Japan
| | - Tomiyasu Miyaura
- Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Ryukoku University, Seta Oe-Cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2194, Japan
| | - Shigeaki F Hasegawa
- Faculty of Human Sciences and Cultural Studies, Yamanashi Eiwa College, 888 Yokonemachi, Kofu, Yamanashi, 400-8555, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Hara
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, N19W8, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan
| | - Kiyomi Ono
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, N19W8, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan
| | - Masahito Yamada
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, N19W8, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan
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12
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Adams WW, Stewart JJ, Polutchko SK, Cohu CM, Muller O, Demmig-Adams B. Foliar Phenotypic Plasticity Reflects Adaptation to Environmental Variability. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2041. [PMID: 37653958 PMCID: PMC10224448 DOI: 10.3390/plants12102041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes adapted to native habitats with different daylengths, temperatures, and precipitation were grown experimentally under seven combinations of light intensity and leaf temperature to assess their acclimatory phenotypic plasticity in foliar structure and function. There were no differences among ecotypes when plants developed under moderate conditions of 400 µmol photons m-2 s-1 and 25 °C. However, in response to more extreme light or temperature regimes, ecotypes that evolved in habitats with pronounced differences in either the magnitude of changes in daylength or temperature or in precipitation level exhibited pronounced adjustments in photosynthesis and transpiration, as well as anatomical traits supporting these functions. Specifically, when grown under extremes of light intensity (100 versus 1000 µmol photons m-2 s-1) or temperature (8 °C versus 35 °C), ecotypes from sites with the greatest range of daylengths and temperature over the growing season exhibited the greatest differences in functional and structural features related to photosynthesis (light- and CO2-saturated capacity of oxygen evolution, leaf dry mass per area or thickness, phloem cells per minor vein, and water-use efficiency of CO2 uptake). On the other hand, the ecotype from the habitat with the lowest precipitation showed the greatest plasticity in features related to water transport and loss (vein density, ratio of water to sugar conduits in foliar minor veins, and transpiration rate). Despite these differences, common structure-function relationships existed across all ecotypes and growth conditions, with significant positive, linear correlations (i) between photosynthetic capacity (ranging from 10 to 110 µmol O2 m-2 s-1) and leaf dry mass per area (from 10 to 75 g m-2), leaf thickness (from 170 to 500 µm), and carbohydrate-export infrastructure (from 6 to 14 sieve elements per minor vein, from 2.5 to 8 µm2 cross-sectional area per sieve element, and from 16 to 82 µm2 cross-sectional area of sieve elements per minor vein); (ii) between transpiration rate (from 1 to 17 mmol H2O m-2 s-1) and water-transport infrastructure (from 3.5 to 8 tracheary elements per minor vein, from 13.5 to 28 µm2 cross-sectional area per tracheary element, and from 55 to 200 µm2 cross-sectional area of tracheary elements per minor vein); (iii) between the ratio of transpirational water loss to CO2 fixation (from 0.2 to 0.7 mol H2O to mmol-1 CO2) and the ratio of water to sugar conduits in minor veins (from 0.4 to 1.1 tracheary to sieve elements, from 4 to 6 µm2 cross-sectional area of tracheary to sieve elements, and from 2 to 6 µm2 cross-sectional area of tracheary elements to sieve elements per minor vein); (iv) between sugar conduits and sugar-loading cells; and (v) between water conducting and sugar conducting cells. Additionally, the proportion of water conduits to sugar conduits was greater for all ecotypes grown experimentally under warm-to-hot versus cold temperature. Thus, developmental acclimation to the growth environment included ecotype-dependent foliar structural and functional adjustments resulting in multiple common structural and functional relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- William W. Adams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USA; (J.J.S.); (S.K.P.); (B.D.-A.)
| | - Jared J. Stewart
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USA; (J.J.S.); (S.K.P.); (B.D.-A.)
| | - Stephanie K. Polutchko
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USA; (J.J.S.); (S.K.P.); (B.D.-A.)
| | - Christopher M. Cohu
- Environmental Science and Technology, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO 81502, USA;
| | - Onno Muller
- Pflanzenwissenschaften (IBG-2), Institut für Bio- und Geowissenschaften, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany;
| | - Barbara Demmig-Adams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USA; (J.J.S.); (S.K.P.); (B.D.-A.)
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Wang X, Ji M, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Akram MA, Dong L, Hu W, Xiong J, Sun Y, Li H, Degen AA, Ran J, Deng J. Plant trait networks reveal adaptation strategies in the drylands of China. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:266. [PMID: 37202776 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04273-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plants accomplish multiple functions by the interrelationships between functional traits. Clarifying the complex relationships between plant traits would enable us to better understand how plants employ different strategies to adapt to the environment. Although increasing attention is being paid to plant traits, few studies focused on the adaptation to aridity through the relationship among multiple traits. We established plant trait networks (PTNs) to explore the interdependence of sixteen plant traits across drylands. RESULTS Our results revealed significant differences in PTNs among different plant life-forms and different levels of aridity. Trait relationships for woody plants were weaker, but were more modularized than for herbs. Woody plants were more connected in economic traits, whereas herbs were more connected in structural traits to reduce damage caused by drought. Furthermore, the correlations between traits were tighter with higher edge density in semi-arid than in arid regions, suggesting that resource sharing and trait coordination are more advantageous under low drought conditions. Importantly, our results demonstrated that stem phosphorus concentration (SPC) was a hub trait correlated with other traits across drylands. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that plants exhibited adaptations to the arid environment by adjusting trait modules through alternative strategies. PTNs provide a new insight into understanding the adaptation strategies of plants to drought stress based on the interdependence among plant functional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Mingfei Ji
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Security for Water Source Region of Mid-Route Project of South-North Water Diversion of Henan Province, College of Water Resource and Environment Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, 473061, China
| | - Yahui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Adnan Akram
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Longwei Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Weigang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Junlan Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ying Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Hailin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Abraham Allan Degen
- Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of Negev, Beer Sheva, 8410500, Israel
| | - Jinzhi Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jianming Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
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Yin XH, Hao GY, Sterck F. Ring- and diffuse-porous tree species from a cold temperate forest diverge in stem hydraulic traits, leaf photosynthetic traits, growth rate and altitudinal distribution. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 43:722-736. [PMID: 36715627 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
In cold and humid temperate forests, low temperature, late frost and frequent freeze-thaw cycles are the main factors limiting tree growth and survival. Ring- and diffuse-porous tree species differing in xylem anatomy coexist in these forests, but their divergent adaptations to these factors have been poorly explored. To fill this knowledge gap, we compared four ring-porous and four diffuse-porous tree species from the same temperate forest in Northeast China by quantifying their leaf and stem functional traits, their stem growth rates using tree ring analysis and their resistance to cold represented by upper altitude species distribution borders from survey data. We found that the ring-porous trees were characterized by traits related to more rapid water transport, carbon gain and stem growth rates than those of the diffuse-porous species. Compared with the diffuse-porous species, the ring-porous species had a significantly higher shoot hydraulic conductance (Ks-shoot, 0.52 vs 1.03 kg m-1 s-1 MPa-1), leaf photosynthetic rate (An, 11.28 vs 15.83 μmol m-2 s-1), relative basal area increment (BAIr, 2.28 vs 0.72 cm year-1) and stem biomass increment (M, 0.34 vs 0.09 kg year-1 m-1). However, the observed upper elevational distribution limit of the diffuse-porous species was higher than that of the ring-porous species and was associated with higher values of conservative traits, such as longer leaf life span (R2 = 0.52). Correspondingly, BAIr and M showed significant positive correlations with acquisitive traits such as Ks-shoot (R2 = 0.77) and leaf photosynthetic rate (R2 = 0.73) across the eight species, with the ring-porous species occurring at the fast-acquisitive side of the spectrum and the diffuse-porous species located on the opposite side. The observed contrasts in functional traits between the two species groups improved our understanding of their differences in terms of growth strategies and adaptive capabilities in the cold, humid temperate forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Han Yin
- Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Guang-You Hao
- Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Frank Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
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15
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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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Zhou F, Matthew C, Yang P, Huang Y, Nie B, Nan Z. Leaf morphology, functional trait and altitude response in perennial vetch (Vicia unijuga A. Braun), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.). PLANTA 2023; 257:75. [PMID: 36879140 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04098-z] [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: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Species have plasticity across altitude gradients in leaf morphology and function, and their response to high altitude conditions was mainly reflected in leaf cell metabolism and gas exchange. Leaf morphological and functional adaptation to altitude has received research attention in recent years, but there are no studies for forage legumes. Here we report differences in 39 leaf morphology and functional traits of three leguminous forages (alfalfa, sainfoin and perennial vetch) at three sites in Gansu Province, China, ranging from 1768 to 3074 m altitude to provide information for potential use in breeding programmes. With increasing altitude, plant water status increased, reflecting increase in soil water content and decreased average temperature, which lead to leaf intercellular CO2 concentration. Stomatal conductance and evapotranspiration increased significantly but water-use efficiency decreased. At high altitude, ΦPSII decreased but non-photochemical quenching and chlorophyll a:b ratio increased while spongy mesophyll tissue and leaf thickness increased. These changes may be due to UV or low-temperature damage of leaf protein and metabolic cost of plant protection or defence responses. Contrary to many other studies, leaf mass per area decreased significantly at higher altitude. This was consistent with predictions under the worldwide leaf economic spectrum on the basis that soil nutrients increased with increasing altitude. The key species differences were more irregularly shaped epidermal cells and larger stomatal size in perennial vetch compared to alfalfa or sainfoin that enhanced gas exchange and photosynthesis by generating mechanical force, increasing guard cell turgor, and promoting stomatal operation. The lower adaxial stomatal density also enhanced water-use efficiency. These adaptations might confer perennial vetch an advantage in environments with extreme diurnal temperature fluctuation or in frigid conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, Gansu, China
| | - Cory Matthew
- School of Agriculture and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Pengfei Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, Gansu, China
| | - Yafeng Huang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
| | - Bin Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, Gansu, China
| | - Zhibiao Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, Gansu, China.
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17
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Haldan K, Kuprina K, Haase MI, Kieckhäfer F, Schade L, Schmoldt J, Schock LS, Stein M, Wille A, Schnittler M, Bog M, Kreyling J. Choose Wisely: Great Variation among Genotypes of Promising Paludiculture Crop Phragmites australis. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1045. [PMID: 36903906 PMCID: PMC10004764 DOI: 10.3390/plants12051045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Measures mitigating the climate crisis, such as paludiculture, which is the agriculture on rewetted peatlands, are urgently needed. The cosmopolitan species Phragmites australis has the potential to be used in paludiculture worldwide but is known for its high intraspecific variation. This raises the questions of whether (i) P. australis genotypes differ even at a regional scale, making them differently well suited for paludiculture and (ii) P. australis performance can be predicted by linking the variation in genotypes to strategies in the plant economics spectrum. Five P. australis genotypes from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were cultivated in two 10-month mesocosm experiments along gradients of water level and nutrient addition. We compared growth, morphology (height, growing density), above- and belowground biomass, functional and ecophysiological traits (SLA, LDMC, SRL, RDMC, root porosity, photosynthetic rate) as well as gene expression. Our results demonstrate a high variability of P. australis genotypes even at a regional scale, revealing genotype-specific productivity, morphology, and gene expression and implying that the selection of suitable genotypes will be crucial for the success of a paludiculture. However, trait covariation did not indicate distinct plant economic strategies to predict genotype performance. Instead, large-scale genotype trials are needed to select suitable genotypes for paludiculture.
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18
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Weithmann G, Schuldt B, Link RM, Heil D, Hoeber S, John H, Müller-Haubold H, Schüller LM, Schumann K, Leuschner C. Leaf trait modification in European beech trees in response to climatic and edaphic drought. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2022; 24:1272-1286. [PMID: 34854183 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Leaf morphological and physiological traits control the carbon and water relations of mature trees and are determinants of drought tolerance, but it is not well understood how they are modified in response to water deficits. We analysed five sun-canopy leaf traits (mean leaf size (LS), specific leaf area (SLA), Huber value (HV), water potential at turgor loss point (Ψtlp ) and foliar carbon isotope signature (δ13 C)) in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) across three precipitation gradients sampled in moist (2010), dry (2019) and very dry (2018) summers, and tested their response to short-term water deficits (climatic water balance (CWB) preceding sample collection) and long-term water availability (mean annual precipitation (MAP), plant-available soil water capacity (AWC) and neighbourhood competition). Across the 34 sites, LS varied seven-fold (3.9-27.0 cm2 ), SLA four-fold (77.1-306.9 cm²·g-1 ) and HV six-fold (1.0-6.65 cm2 ·m-2 ). In the 2018 dataset, LS showed a negative and HV a positive relationship to MAP, which contradicts relations found in multi-species samples. Average Ψtlp ranged from -1.90 to -2.62 MPa and decreased across the sites with decreasing CWB in the month prior to measurement, as well as with decreasing MAP and AWC in 2019. Studied leaf traits varied considerably between years, suggesting that mast fruiting and the severe 2018 drought caused the formation of smaller leaves. We conclude that sun-canopy leaf traits of European beech exhibit considerable plasticity in response to climatic and edaphic aridity, and that osmotic adjustment may be an important element in the drought response strategy of this anisohydric tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Weithmann
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - B Schuldt
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - R M Link
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - D Heil
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - S Hoeber
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - H John
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - H Müller-Haubold
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - L-M Schüller
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - K Schumann
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - C Leuschner
- Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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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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20
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Du FK, Qi M, Zhang YY, Petit RJ. Asymmetric character displacement in mixed oak stands. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 236:1212-1224. [PMID: 35706383 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ecological character displacement (ECD) refers to a pattern of increased divergence at sites where species ranges overlap caused by competition for resources. Although ECD is believed to be common, there are few in-depth studies that clearly establish its existence, especially in plants. Thus, we have compared leaf traits in allopatric and sympatric populations of two East Asian deciduous oaks: Quercus dentata and Quercus aliena. In contrast to previous studies, we define sympatry and allopatry at a local scale, thereby comparing populations that can or cannot directly interact. Using genetic markers, we found greater genetic divergence between the two oak species growing in mixed stands and inferred that long-term gene flow has predominantly occurred asymmetrically from the cold-tolerant species (Q. dentata) to the warm-demanding later colonizing species (Q. aliena). Analysis of leaf traits revealed greater divergence in mixed than in pure oak stands. This was mostly due to the later colonizing species being characterized by more resource-conservative traits in the presence of the other species. Controlling for relevant environmental differences did not alter these conclusions. These results suggest that asymmetric trait divergence can take place where species coexist, possibly due to the imbalance in demographic history of species resulting in asymmetric inter-specific selection pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang K Du
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Min Qi
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yuan-Ye Zhang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, China
| | - Rémy J Petit
- Université de Bordeaux, INRAE, BIOGECO, F-33610, Cestas, France
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21
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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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22
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Giraldo‐Kalil LJ, Campo J, Paz H, Núñez‐Farfán J. Patterns of leaf trait variation underlie ecological differences among sympatric tree species of Damburneya in a tropical rainforest. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1394-1409. [PMID: 36031775 PMCID: PMC9826457 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Although ecological differentiation driven by altitude and soil is hypothesized to promote coexistence of sympatric tree species of Damburneya (Lauraceae), the mechanistic role of leaf functional variation on ecological differentiation among co-occurring species remains unexplored. We aimed to determine whether the patterns of leaf trait variation reflect ecological differences among sympatric Damburneya species. We tested whether trait correlations underlying functional strategies and average species traits vary in response to local soil heterogeneity along an altitudinal gradient, potentially affecting species distributions. METHODS At two contrasting altitudes (100, 1100 m a.s.l.) in a Mexican tropical rainforest, we characterized soil chemical and physical properties and sampled four Damburneya species to quantify five leaf functional traits. We used linear models to analyze paired and multivariate trait correlations, spatial and interspecific effects on trait variation, and trait response to local soil heterogeneity. Relative contributions of intra- and interspecific variation to local trait variability were quantified with an ANOVA. RESULTS Soil nutrient availability was higher at low altitude, but all species had a high leaf N:P ratio across altitudes suggesting a limited P supply for plants. Species distribution differed altitudinally, with some species constrained to low or high altitude, potentially reflecting soil nutrient availability. Leaf traits responded to altitude and local soil properties, suggesting interspecific differences in functional strategies according to the leaf economics spectrum (conservative vs. acquisitive). CONCLUSIONS The interspecific divergence in functional strategies in response to local environmental conditions suggests that trait variation could underlie ecological differentiation among Damburneya sympatric species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J. Giraldo‐Kalil
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)Ciudad de MéxicoMéxico
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Circuito de Posgrados, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)Coyoacán, C. P. 04510, Ciudad de MéxicoMéxico
| | - Julio Campo
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)Ciudad de MéxicoMéxico
| | - Horacio Paz
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y SustentabilidadUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)MoreliaMéxico
| | - Juan Núñez‐Farfán
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)Ciudad de MéxicoMéxico
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Early Differentiation of the Phenotypic Space and Performance of Juniperus thurifera Across Woodland-Expanding Areas. Ecosystems 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-022-00782-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractForest expansion after rural abandonment is changing landscapes, bringing new challenges and opportunities. Juvenile performance has an effect in the establishment of new forests and the subsequent acclimation of adult trees. However, most studies have focused on the performance of adult trees. Here, we analysed differences in the phenotypic trait space of juveniles across gradients of Juniperus thurifera woodland expansion and explored which traits shape juveniles’ performance, seeking specific drivers of such differentiation and the role of the ontogeny. Thus, we surveyed functional leaf and plant-size traits in 180 juveniles growing in 18 plots at three different tree density stages (mature woodland, recently established area and a transition zone between both) and recorded local environmental conditions around each individual. We also estimated their radial growth and resilience to drought (in terms of resistance, recovery and resilience) as performance indicators. We found no relevant effects of the study environmental variables, but we did find a shift in the phenotypic space among juveniles across the gradient, with taller crowns and higher amount of leaf N and δ13C at the expanding edge. This trait differentiation across the gradient implied higher performance of young trees growing in old agricultural fields, both in growth rate and drought resilience terms. Our results showed a relevant land-use legacy on early trait differentiation that shapes more efficient phenotypes in the expanding edge compared to those in mature woodlands, suggesting that the future of these new forests is not compromised under current conditions.
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Wang J, Ouyang F, An S, Wang L, Xu N, Ma J, Wang J, Zhang H, Kong L. Variation, coordination, and trade-offs between needle structures and photosynthetic-related traits across five Picea species: consequences on plant growth. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:242. [PMID: 35581540 PMCID: PMC9112436 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03593-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Picea species are distributed and planted world-wide due to their great ecological and economic values. It has been reported that Picea species vary widely in growth traits in a given environment, which reflects genetic and phenotypic differences among species. However, key physiological processes underlying tree growth and the influencing factors on them are still unknown. RESULTS Here, we examined needle structures, needle chemical components, physiological characteristics and growth traits across five Picea species in a common garden in Tianshui, Gansu province in China: Picea glauca, P. mariana, P. likiangensis, P. koraiensis, and P. crassifolia, among which P. glauca and P. mariana were introduced from North America, P. likiangensis was from Lijiang, Yunan province in China, P. koraiensis was from Yichun, Heilongjiang province in China, and P. crassifolia was native to the experimental site. It was found that nearly all traits varied significantly among species. Tissue-level anatomical characteristics and leaf mass per area (LMA) were affected by needle size, but the variations of them were not associated with the variations in photosynthetic and biochemical capacity among species. Variations in area-based maximum photosynthesis (Pnmax) were affected by stomatal conductance (gs), mesophyll conductance (gm) and biochemical parameters including maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax), and maximum electron transport rate (Jmax). The fraction of N allocated to different photosynthetic apparatus displayed contrasting values among species, which contributed to the species variations in photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) and Pnmax. Additionally, all growth traits were positively correlated with Pnmax and PNUE. CONCLUSION Needle structures are less important than needle biochemical parameters in determining the variations in photosynthetic capacity across the five Picea species. Pnmax and PNUE are closedly associated with the fraction of N allocated to photosynthetic apparatus (Pphoto) compared with leaf N content per area (Narea). The tremendous growth differences among the five Picea species were substantially related to the interspecies variation in Pnmax and PNUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, People's Republic of China
| | - Fangqun Ouyang
- Beijing Floriculture Engineering Technology Research Centre, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China.
| | - Sanping An
- Research Institute of Forestry of Xiaolong Mountain, Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Secondary Forest Cultivation, Tianshui, 741022, People's Republic of China
| | - Lifang Wang
- Research Institute of Forestry of Xiaolong Mountain, Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Secondary Forest Cultivation, Tianshui, 741022, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Xu
- Research Institute of Forestry of Xiaolong Mountain, Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Secondary Forest Cultivation, Tianshui, 741022, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianwei Ma
- Research Institute of Forestry of Xiaolong Mountain, Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Secondary Forest Cultivation, Tianshui, 741022, People's Republic of China
| | - Junhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hanguo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, People's Republic of China
| | - Lisheng Kong
- Department of Biology, Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
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25
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Gorné LD, Díaz S, Minden V, Onoda Y, Kramer K, Muir C, Michaletz ST, Lavorel S, Sharpe J, Jansen S, Slot M, Chacon E, Boenisch G. The acquisitive-conservative axis of leaf trait variation emerges even in homogeneous environments. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 129:709-722. [PMID: 33245747 PMCID: PMC9113165 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The acquisitive-conservative axis of plant ecological strategies results in a pattern of leaf trait covariation that captures the balance between leaf construction costs and plant growth potential. Studies evaluating trait covariation within species are scarcer, and have mostly dealt with variation in response to environmental gradients. Little work has been published on intraspecific patterns of leaf trait covariation in the absence of strong environmental variation. METHODS We analysed covariation of four leaf functional traits [specific leaf area (SLA) leaf dry matter content (LDMC), force to tear (Ft) and leaf nitrogen content (Nm)] in six Poaceae and four Fabaceae species common in the dry Chaco forest of Central Argentina, growing in the field and in a common garden. We compared intraspecific covariation patterns (slopes, correlation and effect size) of leaf functional traits with global interspecific covariation patterns. Additionally, we checked for possible climatic and edaphic factors that could affect the intraspecific covariation pattern. KEY RESULTS We found negative correlations for the LDMC-SLA, Ft-SLA, LDMC-Nm and Ft-Nm trait pairs. This intraspecific covariation pattern found both in the field and in the common garden and not explained by climatic or edaphic variation in the field follows the expected acquisitive-conservative axis. At the same time, we found quantitative differences in slopes among different species, and between these intraspecific patterns and the interspecific ones. Many of these differences seem to be idiosyncratic, but some appear consistent among species (e.g. all the intraspecific LDMC-SLA and LDMC-Nm slopes tend to be shallower than the global pattern). CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that the acquisitive-conservative leaf functional trait covariation pattern occurs at the intraspecific level even in the absence of relevant environmental variation in the field. This suggests a high degree of variation-covariation in leaf functional traits not driven by environmental variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas D Gorné
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, IMBiV, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Sandra Díaz
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, IMBiV, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Vanessa Minden
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Landscape Ecology Group, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake, Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Koen Kramer
- Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sean T Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Steven Jansen
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Martijn Slot
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
| | - Eduardo Chacon
- School of Biology, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
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Zang X, Luo X, Hou E, Zhang G, Zhang X, Xiao M, Wen D, Zhang L. Effects of elevated CO2 concentration and nitrogen addition on the chemical compositions, construction cost and payback time of subtropical trees in Cd-contaminated mesocosm soil. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 42:1002-1015. [PMID: 34875097 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpab163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) and nitrogen (N) deposition are changing plant growth, physiological characteristics and chemical compositions; however, few studies have explored such impacts in a heavy metal-contaminated environment. In this study, we conducted an open-top chamber experiment to explore the impacts of 2 years of elevated atmospheric [CO2] and N addition on the growth, physiological characteristics and chemical compositions of five subtropical tree species in a cadmium (Cd)-contaminated environment. Results showed that N addition significantly increased concentration of leaf N and protein in five tree species and also decreased payback time (PBT) and leaf carbon:nitrogen ratios and increased tree relative height growth rate (RGR-H) and basal diameter growth rate (RGR-B) in Liquidambar formosana Hance and Syzygium hainanense Chang et Miau. Elevated [CO2] increased leaf maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax) and concentration of total non-structural carbohydrates and shortened PBT to offset the negative effect of Cd contamination on RGR-B in Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. The combined effects of elevated [CO2] and N addition did not exceed their separate effects on RGR-H and RGR-B in Castanopsis hystrix Hook. f. & Thomson ex A. DC. and Cinnamomum camphora (L.) presl. The addition of N significantly increased the concentration of leaf Cd by 162.1% and 338.0%, and plant Cd bio-concentration factor by 464% and 861% in C. hystrix and C. camphora, respectively, compared with only Cd addition. Among the five tree species, the decrease in PBT and the increase in Amax, RGR-B and concentrations of leaf protein in response to N and Cd addition under elevated [CO2] were on average 86.7% higher in A. auriculiformis than other species, suggesting that the mitigation of the negative effects of Cd pollution by elevated [CO2] and N addition among five species was species-specific. Overall, we concluded that N addition and elevated [CO2] reduced Cd toxicity and increased the growth rate in A. auriculiformis, S. hainanense and L. formosana, while it maintained the growth rate in C. hystrix and C. camphora by differently increasing photosynthetic rate, altering the leaf chemical compositions and shortening PBT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Zang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xianzhen Luo
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Enqing Hou
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Guihua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Meijuan Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dazhi Wen
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.723, Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 511458, China
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27
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Huang G, Fang Q, Peng S, Li Y. Genotypic variation of plant biomass under nitrogen deficiency is positively correlated with conservative economic traits in wheat. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2175-2189. [PMID: 34897456 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant functional traits, including leaf and root economic traits, are important for understanding the composition and function of ecosystems. However, plant functional traits of crop species and the relationships between them, and their responses to environmental variations are not fully understood. In the present study, the traits in the leaf and root economics spectrum (LES and RES) and plant biomass were investigated in 14 wheat genotypes grown with sufficient or limited nitrogen (N) supply. We found that N had significant impacts on the LES and RES traits and on the relationships among them. Our results generally supported the hypothesized LES, but did not support the RES or plant economics spectrum concept among wheat plants regardless of N treatment. More importantly, we found that more conservative leaf and root economic traits are beneficial for shoot biomass accumulation in wheat plants grown with limited N supply, and for the improvement in the tolerance of wheat to N stress. The data presented suggest that growth conditions should be accounted for when studying trait-to-trait relationships, and that more conservative resource use strategies could be used as promising targets for wheat breeding programs with limited N input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanjun Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qing Fang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shaobing Peng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yong Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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28
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Solé-Medina A, Robledo-Arnuncio JJ, Ramírez-Valiente JA. Multi-trait genetic variation in resource-use strategies and phenotypic plasticity correlates with local climate across the range of a Mediterranean oak (Quercus faginea). THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 234:462-478. [PMID: 35028942 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Resource-use strategies are hypothesized to evolve along climatic gradients. However, our understanding of the environmental factors driving divergent evolution of resource-use strategies and the relationship between trait genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity is far from complete. Using the Mediterranean tree Quercus faginea as study system, we tested the hypothesis that a conservative resource-use strategy with increased drought tolerance and reduced phenotypic plasticity has evolved in areas with longer and more severe dry seasons. We conducted a glasshouse experiment in which we measured leaf morphological, physiological, growth and allocation traits in seedlings from 10 range-wide climatically contrasting populations, grown under two different watering treatments. Both univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a genetic gradient of resource-use strategies and phenotypic plasticity associated with provenance climate. In particular, populations from harsher (drier and colder) environments had more sclerophyllous leaves, lower growth rates, better physiological performance under dry conditions and reduced multi-trait phenotypic plasticity compared to populations from more mesic and milder environments. Our results suggest that contrasting precipitation and temperature regimes play an important role in the adaptive intraspecific evolution of multivariate phenotypes and their plasticity, resulting in coordinated morphology, physiology, growth and allometry according to alternative resource-use strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Solé-Medina
- Department of Forest Ecology & Genetics, Forest Research Centre (INIA, CSIC), Ctra. de la Coruña km 7.5, Madrid, 28040, Spain
- Escuela Internacional de Doctorado, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - Juan José Robledo-Arnuncio
- Department of Forest Ecology & Genetics, Forest Research Centre (INIA, CSIC), Ctra. de la Coruña km 7.5, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - José Alberto Ramírez-Valiente
- Department of Forest Ecology & Genetics, Forest Research Centre (INIA, CSIC), Ctra. de la Coruña km 7.5, Madrid, 28040, Spain
- Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) 10 Edifici C, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Spain
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Burchard-Levine V, Nieto H, Riaño D, Kustas WP, Migliavacca M, El-Madany TS, Nelson JA, Andreu A, Carrara A, Beringer J, Baldocchi D, Martín MP. A remote sensing-based three-source energy balance model to improve global estimations of evapotranspiration in semi-arid tree-grass ecosystems. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:1493-1515. [PMID: 34799950 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16002] [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: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
It is well documented that energy balance and other remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (ET) models face greater uncertainty over water-limited tree-grass ecosystems (TGEs), representing nearly 1/6th of the global land surface. Their dual vegetation strata, the grass-dominated understory and tree-dominated overstory, make for distinct structural, physiological and phenological characteristics, which challenge models compared to more homogeneous and energy-limited ecosystems. Along with this, the contribution of grasses and trees to total transpiration (T), along with their different climatic drivers, is still largely unknown nor quantified in TGEs. This study proposes a thermal-based three-source energy balance (3SEB) model, accommodating an additional vegetation source within the well-known two-source energy balance (TSEB) model. The model was implemented at both tower and continental scales using eddy-covariance (EC) TGE sites, with variable tree canopy cover and rainfall (P) regimes and Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) images. 3SEB robustly simulated latent heat (LE) and related energy fluxes in all sites (Tower: LE RMSD ~60 W/m2 ; MSG: LE RMSD ~90 W/m2 ), improving over both TSEB and seasonally changing TSEB (TSEB-2S) models. In addition, 3SEB inherently partitions water fluxes between the tree, grass and soil sources. The modelled T correlated well with EC T estimates (r > .76), derived from a machine learning ET partitioning method. The T/ET was found positively related to both P and leaf area index, especially compared to the decomposed grass understory T/ET. However, trees and grasses had contrasting relations with respect to monthly P. These results demonstrate the importance in decomposing total ET into the different vegetation sources, as they have distinct climatic drivers, and hence, different relations to seasonal water availability. These promising results improved ET and energy flux estimations over complex TGEs, which may contribute to enhance global drought monitoring and understanding, and their responses to climate change feedbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Burchard-Levine
- Environmental Remote Sensing and Spectroscopy Laboratory (SpecLab), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Héctor Nieto
- Complutum Tecnologías de la Información Geográfica S.L. (COMPLUTIG), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - David Riaño
- Environmental Remote Sensing and Spectroscopy Laboratory (SpecLab), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing (CSTARS), John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Wiliam P Kustas
- Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
| | - Mirco Migliavacca
- Department Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Tarek S El-Madany
- Department Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Jacob A Nelson
- Department Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Ana Andreu
- IFAPA - Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Arnaud Carrara
- Fundación Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), Valencia, Spain
| | - Jason Beringer
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Australia
| | - Dennis Baldocchi
- Ecosystem Sciences Division, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - M Pilar Martín
- Environmental Remote Sensing and Spectroscopy Laboratory (SpecLab), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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Zhou J, Cieraad E, van Bodegom PM. Global analysis of trait-trait relationships within and between species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:1643-1656. [PMID: 34821399 PMCID: PMC9299860 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Some commonly reported trait-trait relationships between species, including the leaf economic spectrum (LES), are regarded as important plant strategies but whether these relationships represent plant strategies in reality remains unclear. We propose a novel approach to distinguish trait-trait relationships between species that may represent plant strategies vs those relationships that are the result of common drivers, by comparing the direction and strength of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) vs interspecific trait variation. We applied this framework using a unique global ITV database that we compiled, which included 11 traits related to LES, size and roots, and observations from 2064 species occurring in 1068 communities across 19 countries. Generally, compared to between species, trait-trait relationships within species were much weaker or totally disappeared. Almost only within the LES traits, the between-species trait-trait relationships were translated into positive relationships within species, which suggests that they may represent plant strategies. Moreover, the frequent coincidental trait-trait relationships between species, driven by co-varying common drivers, imply that in future research, decoupling of trait-trait relationships should be considered seriously in model projections of ecosystem functioning. Our study emphasizes the importance of describing the mechanisms behind trait-trait relationships, both between and within species, for deepening our understanding of general plant strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhong Zhou
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)Leiden University2333 CCLeidenthe Netherlands
| | - Ellen Cieraad
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)Leiden University2333 CCLeidenthe Netherlands
- Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology322 Hardy StreetNelson7010New Zealand
| | - Peter M. van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)Leiden University2333 CCLeidenthe Netherlands
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31
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Rawat M, Arunachalam K, Arunachalam A, Alatalo JM, Pandey R. Assessment of leaf morphological, physiological, chemical and stoichiometry functional traits for understanding the functioning of Himalayan temperate forest ecosystem. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23807. [PMID: 34893677 PMCID: PMC8664835 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03235-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Leaf functional traits support plant survival and growth in different stress and disturbed conditions and respond according to leaf habit. The present study examined 13 leaf traits (3 morphological, 3 chemical, 5 physiological, and 2 stoichiometry) of nine dominant forest tree species (3 coniferous, 3 deciduous broad-leaved, 3 evergreen broad-leafed) to understand the varied response of leaf habits. The hypothesis was to test if functional traits of the conifers, deciduous and evergreen differ significantly in the temperate forest and to determine the applicability of leaf economic theory i.e., conservative vs. acquisitive resource investment, in the temperate Himalayan region. The attributes of the functional traits i.e., leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf water content (LWC), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration (E) followed the order deciduous > evergreen > coniferous. Leaf carbon and leaf C/N ratio showed the opposite pattern, coniferous > evergreen > deciduous. Chlorophyll (Chl) and photosynthetic rate (A) were highest for evergreen species, followed by deciduous and coniferous species. Also, structural equation modelling determined that morphological factors were negatively related to physiological and positively with chemical factors. Nevertheless, physiological and chemical factors were positively related to each other. The physiological traits were mainly regulated by stomatal conductance (Gs) however the morphological traits were determined by LDMC. Stoichiometry traits, such as leaf C/N, were found to be positively related to leaf carbon, and leaf N/P was found to be positively related to leaf nitrogen. The result of the leaf functional traits relationship would lead to precise prediction for the functionality of the temperate forest ecosystem at the regional scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Rawat
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, Doon University, Dehradun, 248001, India. .,Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun, India.
| | - Kusum Arunachalam
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, Doon University, Dehradun, 248001, India
| | - Ayyandar Arunachalam
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, 110001, India
| | - Juha M Alatalo
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Rajiv Pandey
- Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun, India
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Zhu J, Xu C. Intraspecific differences in plant functional traits are related to urban atmospheric particulate matter. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 21:430. [PMID: 34551719 PMCID: PMC8456647 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03207-y] [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: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional trait-based ecological research has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of environmental changes. It is still, however, unclear how the functional traits of urban plants respond to atmospheric particulate matter, and which trade-off strategies are shown. In order to explore the variation of plant functional traits with the gradient of urban atmospheric particulate matter, we divided atmospheric particulate matter into three levels according to road distance, and measured the variation of six essential leaf functional traits and their trade-off strategies. RESULTS Here, we show that the functional traits of plants can be used as predictors of plant response to urban atmospheric particulate matter. Within the study, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density, stomatal density were positively correlated with atmospheric particulate matter. On the contrary, chlorophyll content index and specific leaf area were negatively correlated with atmospheric particulate matter. Plants can improve the efficiency of gas exchange by optimizing the spatial distribution of leaf stomata. Under the atmospheric particulate matter environment, urban plants show a trade-off relationship of economics spectrum traits at the intraspecific level. CONCLUSION Under the influence of urban atmospheric particulate matter, urban plant shows a "slow investment-return" type in the leaf economics spectrum at the intraspecific level, with lower specific leaf area, lower chlorophyll content index, ticker leaves, higher leaf dry matter content, higher leaf tissue density and higher stomatal density. This finding provides a new perspective for understanding the resource trades-off strategy of plants adapting to atmospheric particulate matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyou Zhu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation ofMinistry of Education, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Chengyang Xu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation ofMinistry of Education, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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33
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He D. Leaf economic strategies of a sclerophyllous plant (Eurya japonica): commonalities and particularities of trait correlation structures in low-moisture and low-phosphorus habitats. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2021; 48:1017-1028. [PMID: 34266540 DOI: 10.1071/fp21119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sclerophylly proves an advantageous strategy in a variety of stressful environments. However, it is less clear how multiple phenotypic traits in sclerophyllous plants are integrated to accomplish proper functions under specific stressors. This study measured 10 leaf traits in a sclerophyllous species, Eurya japonica Thunb., in the Zhoushan Archipelago, eastern China, to examine how the structures of trait correlation (i.e. phenotypic integration) vary between two habitats with contrasting moisture and phosphorus (P) availability. Overall, the trait correlation matrices were similar between the two habitats under study (Mantel r > 0.5), reflecting a consistent trade-off between leaf outspreading (i.e. leaf area/mass ratio) and water-use efficiency (measured by δ13C). Stomatal conductance was correlated with leaf area, thickness and area/mass ratio only in the dry, P-rich habitat, whereas it was robustly correlated with leaf P per unit area in the wet, P-poor habitat. Moreover, leaf water-use efficiency was robustly correlated with leaf P and N per unit area in the dry habitat, but not so in the low-P one. These differences in trait correlation structures illustrate that the pathways of strategic compromise under contrasting stressors were locally specialised. This study highlights the importance of phenotypic integration as an emergent 'trait' in sustaining viable strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong He
- Putuo Island Ecosystem Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
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34
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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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Wakatsuki Y, Nishizawa K, Mori AS. Leaf trait variability explains how plant community composition changes under the intense pressure of deer herbivory. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Wakatsuki
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences Yokohama National University Yokohama Japan
| | - Keita Nishizawa
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences Yokohama National University Yokohama Japan
| | - Akira S. Mori
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences Yokohama National University Yokohama Japan
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Westerband AC, Knight TM, Barton KE. Intraspecific trait variation and reversals of trait strategies across key climate gradients in native Hawaiian plants and non-native invaders. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:553-564. [PMID: 32211761 PMCID: PMC7988522 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Displacement of native plant species by non-native invaders may result from differences in their carbon economy, yet little is known regarding how variation in leaf traits influences native-invader dynamics across climate gradients. In Hawaii, one of the most heavily invaded biodiversity hotspots in the world, strong spatial variation in climate results from the complex topography, which underlies variation in traits that probably drives shifts in species interactions. METHODS Using one of the most comprehensive trait data sets for Hawaii to date (91 species and four islands), we determined the extent and sources of variation (climate, species and species origin) in leaf traits, and used mixed models to examine differences between natives and non-native invasives. KEY RESULTS We detected significant differences in trait means, such that invasives were more resource acquisitive than natives over most of the climate gradients. However, we also detected trait convergence and a rank reversal (natives more resource acquisitive than invasives) in a sub-set of conditions. There was significant intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in leaf traits of natives and invasives, although invasives expressed significantly greater ITV than natives in water loss and photosynthesis. Species accounted for more trait variation than did climate for invasives, while the reverse was true for natives. Incorporating this climate-driven trait variation significantly improved the fit of models that compared natives and invasives. Lastly, in invasives, ITV was most strongly explained by spatial heterogeneity in moisture, whereas solar energy explains more ITV in natives. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that trait expression and ITV vary significantly between natives and invasives, and that this is mediated by climate. These findings suggest that although natives and invasives are functionally similar at the regional scale, invader success at local scales is contingent on climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Westerband
- Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kasey E Barton
- Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI, USA
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DeLaMater DS, Couture JJ, Puzey JR, Dalgleish HJ. Range-wide variations in common milkweed traits and their effect on monarch larvae. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:388-401. [PMID: 33792047 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1630] [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: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Leaf economic spectrum (LES) theory has historically been employed to inform vegetation models of ecosystem processes, but largely neglects intraspecific variation and biotic interactions. We attempt to integrate across environment-plant trait-herbivore interactions within a species at a range-wide scale. METHODS We measured traits in 53 populations spanning the range of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and used a common garden to determine the role of environment in driving patterns of intraspecific variation. We used a feeding trial to determine the role of plant traits in monarch (Danaus plexippus) larval development. RESULTS Trait-trait relationships largely followed interspecific patterns in LES theory and persisted in a common garden when individual traits change. Common milkweed showed intraspecific variation and biogeographic clines in traits. Clines did not persist in a common garden. Larvae ate more and grew larger when fed plants with more nitrogen. A longitudinal environmental gradient in precipitation corresponded to a resource gradient in plant nitrogen, which produces a gradient in larval performance. CONCLUSIONS Biogeographic patterns in common milkweed traits can sometimes be predicted from LES, are largely driven by environmental conditions, and have consequences for monarch larval performance. Changes to nutrient dynamics of landscapes with common milkweed could potentially influence monarch population dynamics. We show how biogeographic trends in intraspecific variation can influence key ecological interactions, especially in common species with large distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S DeLaMater
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, 540 Landrum Drive, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - John J Couture
- Departments of Entomology and Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 170 S. University Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Joshua R Puzey
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, 540 Landrum Drive, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Harmony J Dalgleish
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, 540 Landrum Drive, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
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A Review of Remote Sensing Challenges for Food Security with Respect to Salinity and Drought Threats. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Drought and salinity stress are considered to be the two main factors limiting crop productivity. With climate change, these stresses are projected to increase, further exacerbating the risks to global food security. Consequently, to tackle this problem, better agricultural management is required on the basis of improved drought and salinity stress monitoring capabilities. Remote sensing makes it possible to monitor crop health at various spatiotemporal scales and extents. However, remote sensing has not yet been used to monitor both drought and salinity stresses simultaneously. The aim of this paper is to review the current ability of remote sensing to detect the impact of these stresses on vegetation indices (VIs) and crop trait responses. We found that VIs are insufficiently accurate (0.02 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.80) to characterize the crop health under drought and salinity stress. In contrast, we found that plant functional traits have a high potential to monitor the impacts of such stresses on crop health, as they are more in line with the vegetation processes. However, we also found that further investigations are needed to achieve this potential. Specifically, we found that the spectral signals concerning drought and salinity stress were inconsistent for the various crop traits. This inconsistency was present (a) between studies utilizing similar crops and (b) between investigations studying different crops. Moreover, the response signals for joint drought and salinity stress overlapped spectrally, thereby significantly limiting the application of remote sensing to monitor these separately. Therefore, to consistently monitor crop responses to drought and salinity, we need to resolve the current indeterminacy of the relationships between crop traits and spectrum and evaluate multiple traits simultaneously. Using radiative transfer models (RTMs) and multi-sensor frameworks allow monitoring multiple crop traits and may constitute a way forward toward evaluating drought and salinity impacts.
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Southeastern Rear Edge Populations of Quercus suber L. Showed Two Alternative Strategies to Cope with Water Stress. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11121344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Climate change models predict an increase in aridity, especially in the regions under Mediterranean-type climates such as the Mediterranean Basin. However, there is a lack of ecophysiological studies supporting the selection of the more drought-adapted ecotypes for reforestation programs. In this study, we analyzed the anatomical and functional adaptations of 18-month-old seedlings to drought on 16 Quercus suber L. populations from the southeastern rear edge of the species distribution in northern Tunisia growing in a common garden, in order to identify the most appropriate material to use in reforestations. The results evidenced that populations from more xeric habitats displayed the highest leaf dry mass per area (LMA) and lowest leaf area (LA) values, together with the largest increase in the bulk modulus of elasticity (Δε) in response to drought (i.e., elastic adjustment). On the other hand, some populations with intermediate values of aridity, LMA and LA displayed the sharpest increase in proline concentration (ΔPro), with a concomitant increase in osmotic potential at full turgor (Δπo) (i.e., osmotic adjustment). Therefore, two different strategies seem to drive the within-species variation of the studied Q. suber populations in response to water scarcity: (i) a water saver strategy for improving water stress tolerance through the maximization of the elastic adjustment; and (ii) a water spender strategy for maintaining water absorption and photosynthetic activity under moderate water stress through the maximization of the osmotic adjustment. We concluded that the higher elastic adjustment, together with reduced LA and increased LMA, implied a better performance under drought stress in the populations of Q. suber from more xeric habitats, which can be considered the most drought-adapted ecotypes and, consequently, the most appropriate for reforestation programs under an eventual increase in aridity.
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40
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Variation and Genetic Parameters of Leaf Morphological Traits of Eight Families from Populus simonii × P. nigra. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11121319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Leaf morphology in Populus L. varies extensively among sections, species and clones under strong genetic control. P. nigra L. (section Aigeiros), with large and triangular leaves, is a commercial forest tree of economic importance for fast growth and high yield in Europe. P. simonii Carr. (section Tacamahaca) with small land rhomboid ovate leaves performs cold and dry resistance/tolerance in the semi-arid region of Northern China. Leaf morphological traits could be used as early indicators to improve the efficiency of selection. In order to investigate the genetic variation pattern of leaf morphology traits, estimate breeding values (combining ability), as well as evaluate crossing combinations of parents, 1872 intersectional progenies from eight families (P. simonii × P. nigra) and their parents were planted with cuttings for the clonal replicate field trial in Northern China. Four leaf size traits (area, perimeter, length, width) and roundness were measured with leaf samples from the 1-year-old clonal plantation. Significant differences regarding leaf traits were found between and among three female clones of P. simonii from Inner Mongolia, China and six male clones of P. nigra from Casale Monferrato, Italy. The genetic variation coefficient, heritability and genetic variance component of most traits in male parents were greater than these of female parents. Heritability estimates of male and female parents were above 0.56 and 0.17, respectively. Plentiful leaf variations with normal and continuous distributions exited in the hybrid progenies among and within families with the genetic variation coefficient and heritability above 28.49 and 0.24, respectively. Heritability estimates showed that leaf area was the most heritable trait, followed by leaf width. The breeding value ranking of parents allowed us to select the parental clones for new crosses and extend the mating design. Two male parental clones (N430 and N429) had greater breeding values (general combining ability, GCA) of leaf size traits than other clones. The special combining ability (SCA) of the crossing combination between P. simonii cl. ZL-3 and P. nigra cl. N430 was greater than that of others. Eight putatively superior genotypes, most combined with the female parental clone ZL-3, can be selected for future testing under near-commercial conditions. Significant genetic and phenotypic correlations were found between five leaf morphology traits with the coefficients above 0.9, except for leaf roundness. The results showed that leaf morphology traits were under strong genetic control and the parental clones with high GCA and SCA effects could be utilized in heterosis breeding, which will provide a starting point for devising a new selection strategy of parents and progenies.
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Hoshika Y, Haworth M, Watanabe M, Koike T. Interactive effect of leaf age and ozone on mesophyll conductance in Siebold's beech. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2020; 170:172-186. [PMID: 32394437 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mesophyll conductance (Gm ) is one of the most important factors determining photosynthesis. Tropospheric ozone (O3 ) is known to accelerate leaf senescence and causes a decline of photosynthetic activity in leaves. However, the effects of age-related variation of O3 on Gm have not been well investigated, and we, therefore, analysed leaf gas exchange data in a free-air O3 exposure experiment on Siebold's beech with two levels (ambient and elevated O3 : 28 and 62 nmol mol-1 as daylight average, respectively). In addition, we examined whether O3 -induced changes on leaf morphology (leaf mass per area, leaf density and leaf thickness) may affect CO2 diffusion inside leaves. We found that O3 damaged the photosynthetic biochemistry progressively during the growing season. The Gm was associated with a reduced photosynthesis in O3 -fumigated Siebold's beech in August. The O3 -induced reduction of Gm was negatively correlated with leaf density, which was increased by elevated O3 , suggesting that the reduction of Gm was accompanied by changes in the physical structure of mesophyll cells. On the other hand, in October, the O3 -induced decrease of Gm was diminished because Gm decreased due to leaf senescence regardless of O3 treatment. The reduction of photosynthesis in senescent leaves after O3 exposure was mainly due to a decrease of maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax ) and/or maximum electron transport rate (Jmax ) rather than diffusive limitations to CO2 transport such as Gm . A leaf age×O3 interaction of photosynthetic response will be a key for modelling photosynthesis in O3 -polluted environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasutomo Hoshika
- Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019, Italy
| | - Matthew Haworth
- Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano, Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019, Italy
| | - Makoto Watanabe
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Koike
- Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8689, Japan
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Ramírez-Valiente JA, López R, Hipp AL, Aranda I. Correlated evolution of morphology, gas exchange, growth rates and hydraulics as a response to precipitation and temperature regimes in oaks (Quercus). THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:794-809. [PMID: 31733106 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
It is hypothesised that tree distributions in Europe are largely limited by their ability to cope with the summer drought imposed by the Mediterranean climate in the southern areas and by their competitive potential in central regions with more mesic conditions. We investigated the extent to which leaf and plant morphology, gas exchange, leaf and stem hydraulics and growth rates have evolved in a coordinated way in oaks (Quercus) as a result of adaptation to contrasting environmental conditions in this region. We implemented an experiment in which seedlings of 12 European/North African oaks were grown under two watering treatments, a well-watered treatment and a drought treatment in which plants were subjected to three cycles of drought. Consistent with our hypothesis, species from drier summers had traits conferring more tolerance to drought such as small sclerophyllous leaves and lower percent loss of hydraulic conductivity. However, these species did not have lower growth rates as expected by a trade-off with drought tolerance. Overall, our results revealed that climate is an important driver of functional strategies in oaks and that traits have evolved along two coordinated functional axes to adapt to different precipitation and temperature regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alberto Ramírez-Valiente
- Centro de Investigación Forestal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Carretera de La Coruña Km 7.5, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Rosana López
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Andrew L Hipp
- The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, 60532-1293, USA
- The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Ismael Aranda
- Centro de Investigación Forestal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Carretera de La Coruña Km 7.5, Madrid, 28040, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Agroambientales y de Economía del Agua (INAGEA), Carretera de Valldemossa, Palma de Mallorca, 07122, Spain
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Fan XY, Liu WY, Song L, Liu S, Shi XM, Yuan GD. A combination of morphological and photosynthetic functional traits maintains the vertical distribution of bryophytes in a subtropical cloud forest. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2020; 107:761-772. [PMID: 32452016 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1474] [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: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE The distribution and performance of bryophyte species vary with vertical gradients, as a result of changes in environmental factors, especially light. However, the morphological and physiological drivers of bryophyte distribution along forest vertical gradients are poorly understood. METHODS For 18 species of mosses and liverworts distributed among three vertical microhabitats (ground, tree trunk, and branch, variance in 28 morphological and photosynthetic functional traits was comparatively analyzed among the microhabitats and bryophyte life-forms in a subtropical cloud forest in Ailao Mountain, Yunnan, southwestern China. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to summarize trait differences among bryophyte species. RESULTS In contrast to trunk and ground dwellers, branch dwellers tended to reduce light interception (smaller leaf and cell sizes, lower chlorophyll content), protect against damage from intense irradiation (higher ratios of carotenoids to chlorophyll), raise light energy use (higher photosynthetic capacity), and cope with lower environmental moisture (pendant life-forms, thicker cell walls). The PCA showed that ecological strategies of bryophytes in response to levels of irradiation were specialized in branch dwellers, although those of ground and trunk dwellers were less distinct. CONCLUSIONS Environmental filtering shaped the combination of functional traits and the spatial distribution of bryophytes along the vertical gradients. Bryophyte species from the upper canopy of cloud forests show narrow variation in functional traits in high-light intensity, whereas species in the lower vertical strata associated with low-light intensity used contrasting, but more diverse ecological strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Yang Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wen-Yao Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, China
| | - Liang Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- College of Life Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui Province, 241000, China
| | - Xian-Meng Shi
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, Henan Province, 476000, China
| | - Guo-Di Yuan
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650031, China
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Levionnois S, Coste S, Nicolini E, Stahl C, Morel H, Heuret P. Scaling of petiole anatomies, mechanics and vasculatures with leaf size in the widespread Neotropical pioneer tree species Cecropia obtusa Trécul (Urticaceae). TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 40:245-258. [PMID: 31976541 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpz136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Although the leaf economic spectrum has deepened our understanding of leaf trait variability, little is known about how leaf traits scale with leaf area. This uncertainty has resulted in the assumption that leaf traits should vary by keeping the same pace of variation with increases in leaf area across the leaf size range. We evaluated the scaling of morphological, tissue-surface and vascular traits with overall leaf area, and the functional significance of such scaling. We examined 1,271 leaves for morphological traits, and 124 leaves for anatomical and hydraulic traits, from 38 trees of Cecropia obtusa Trécul (Urticaceae) in French Guiana. Cecropia is a Neotropical genus of pioneer trees that can exhibit large laminas (0.4 m2 for C. obtusa), with leaf size ranging by two orders of magnitude. We measured (i) tissue fractions within petioles and their second moment of area, (ii) theoretical xylem hydraulic efficiency of petioles and (iii) the extent of leaf vessel widening within the hydraulic path. We found that different scaling of morphological trait variability allows for optimisation of lamina display among larger leaves, especially the positive allometric relationship between lamina area and petiole cross-sectional area. Increasing the fraction of pith is a key factor that increases the geometrical effect of supportive tissues on mechanical rigidity and thereby increases carbon-use efficiency. We found that increasing xylem hydraulic efficiency with vessel size results in lower leaf lamina area: xylem ratios, which also results in potential carbon savings for large leaves. We found that the vessel widening is consistent with hydraulic optimisation models. Leaf size variability modifies scaling of leaf traits in this large-leaved species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Levionnois
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, UA, UG, 97379 Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Sabrina Coste
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, UA, UG, 97379 Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Eric Nicolini
- UMR AMAP, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Université de Montpellier, 34398 Montpellier, France
| | - Clément Stahl
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, UA, UG, 97379 Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Hélène Morel
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, UA, UG, 97379 Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Patrick Heuret
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, UA, UG, 97379 Kourou Cedex, France
- UMR AMAP, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Université de Montpellier, 34398 Montpellier, France
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Carvalho B, Bastias CC, Escudero A, Valladares F, Benavides R. Intraspecific perspective of phenotypic coordination of functional traits in Scots pine. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228539. [PMID: 32053614 PMCID: PMC7018023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional traits have emerged as a key to understand species responses to environmental conditions. The concerted expression of multiple traits gives rise to the phenotype of each individual, which is the one interacting with the environment and evolving. However, patterns of trait covariation and how they vary in response to environmental conditions remain poorly understood, particularly at the intraspecific scale. Here, we have measured traits at different scales and in different organs, and analysed their covariation in a large number of conspecifics distributed in two contrasting environments. We expected significant correlations among traits, not only within clusters of traits as found in global, multispecies studies, but also among clusters, with more relationships within clusters, due to genetic constraints, and among clusters due to more coordinated phenotypes than community level, multispecies studies. We surveyed 100 Pinus sylvestris trees in a Mediterranean mountainous area distributed in two contrasting elevations. We measured 13 functional traits, in three clusters (leaf, stem and whole-plant traits), and analysed their variation and coordination. We found significant coordination among traits belonging to different clusters that reveals coordinated phenotypes. However, we found fewer correlations within trait clusters than initially expected. Trait correlation structures (number, intensity and type of correlations among traits) differed among individuals at different elevations. We observed more correlations within trait clusters at low elevation compared to those at high elevation. Moreover, the higher number of correlations among different trait clusters and the lower trait variation at the higher elevation suggests that variability decreases under more stressful conditions. Altogether, our results reveal that traits at intraspecific scale are coordinated in a broad network and not only within clusters of traits but also that this trait covariation is significantly affected by environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Carvalho
- Departamento Biogeografía y Cambio Global, LINCGlobal, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina C. Bastias
- Departamento Biogeografía y Cambio Global, LINCGlobal, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Departamento Biogeografía y Cambio Global, LINCGlobal, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Benavides
- Departamento Biogeografía y Cambio Global, LINCGlobal, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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Moore TE, Jones CS, Chong C, Schlichting CD. Impact of rainfall seasonality on intraspecific trait variation in a shrub from a Mediterranean climate. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy E. Moore
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
| | - Cynthia S. Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
| | - Caroline Chong
- Species Conservation, Flora and Fauna Division Department of Environment and Natural Resources Northern Territory Government Palmerston NT Australia
| | - Carl D. Schlichting
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
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Agrawal AA. A scale‐dependent framework for trade‐offs, syndromes, and specialization in organismal biology. Ecology 2020; 101:e02924. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anurag A. Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca New York 14853 USA
- Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca New York 14853 USA
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Ji W, LaZerte SE, Waterway MJ, Lechowicz MJ. Functional ecology of congeneric variation in the leaf economics spectrum. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 225:196-208. [PMID: 31400239 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Variation in resource availability can lead to phenotypic plasticity in the traits comprising the world-wide leaf economics spectrum (LES), potentially impairing plant function and complicating the use of tabulated values for LES traits in ecological studies. We compared 14 Carex (Cyperaceae) species in a factorial experiment (unshaded/shaded × sufficient/insufficient P) to analyze how changes in the network of allometric scaling relationships among LES traits influenced growth under favorable and resource-limited conditions. Changes in leaf mass per area (LMA) shifted the scaling relationships among LES traits expressed per unit area vs mass in ways that helped to sustain growth under resource limitation. Increases in area-normalized photosynthetic capacity and foliar nitrogen (N) were correlated with increased growth, offsetting losses associated with mass-normalized dark respiration and foliar N. These shifts increased the contributions to growth associated with photosynthetic N-use efficiency and the N : P ratio. Plasticity in LMA is at the hub of the functional role of the LES as an integrated and resilient complex system that balances the relationships among area- and mass-based aspects of gas exchange and foliar nutrient traits to sustain at least some degree of plant growth under differing availabilities of above- and below-ground resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenli Ji
- College of Landscape Architecture and Arts, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Stefanie E LaZerte
- Department of Biology, Brandon University, 270 - 18th Street, Brandon, Manitoba, R7A 6A9, Canada
| | - Marcia J Waterway
- Department of Plant Science, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Martin J Lechowicz
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
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Li S, Hao GY, Niinemets Ü, Harley PC, Wanke S, Lens F, Zhang YJ, Cao KF. The effects of intervessel pit characteristics on xylem hydraulic efficiency and photosynthesis in hemiepiphytic and non-hemiepiphytic Ficus species. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2019; 167:661-675. [PMID: 30637766 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Xylem vulnerability to cavitation and hydraulic efficiency are directly linked to fine-scale bordered pit features in water-conducting cells of vascular plants. However, it is unclear how pit characteristics influence water transport and carbon economy in tropical species. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate functional implications of changes in pit characteristics for water relations and photosynthetic traits in tropical Ficus species with different growth forms (i.e. hemiepiphytic and non-hemiepiphytic) grown under common conditions. Intervessel pit characteristics were measured using scanning electron microscopy in five hemiepiphytic and five non-hemiepiphytic Ficus species to determine whether these traits were related to hydraulics, leaf photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and wood density. Ficus species varied greatly in intervessel pit structure, hydraulic conductivity and leaf physiology, and clear differences were observed between the two growth forms. The area and diameter of pit aperture were negatively correlated with sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity, mass-based net assimilation rate, stomatal conductance (gs ), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci ) and the petiole vessel lumen diameters (Dv ), but positively correlated with wood density. Pit morphology was only negatively correlated with sapwood- and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity and Dv . Pit density was positively correlated with gs , Ci and Dv , but negatively with intrinsic leaf water-use efficiency. Pit and pit aperture shape were not significantly correlated with any of the physiological traits. These findings indicate a significant role of pit characteristics in xylem water transport, carbon assimilation and ecophysiological adaptation of Ficus species in tropical rain forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Li
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Guang-You Hao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Liaoning, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
| | - Peter C Harley
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
| | - Stefan Wanke
- Institut für Botanik, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01062, Germany
| | - Frederic Lens
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden University, PO Box 9517, 2300RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yong-Jiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA
| | - Kun-Fang Cao
- College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Plant Ecophysiology and Evolution Group, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
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Thyroff EC, Burney OT, Mickelbart MV, Jacobs DF. Unraveling Shade Tolerance and Plasticity of Semi-Evergreen Oaks: Insights From Maritime Forest Live Oak Restoration. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1526. [PMID: 31824542 PMCID: PMC6879670 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Quercus spp. (oaks) are generally intermediate in shade tolerance, yet there is large variation within the genus in shade tolerance and plasticity in response to varying resource availability. Ecophysiological knowledge specific to semi-evergreen Quercus spp. from subtropical maritime forests is lacking relative to temperate deciduous oaks. We studied the influence of light availability and plant competition on leaf physiology and performance of semi-evergreen Quercus virginiana on a barrier island along the US southern Atlantic coast. Seedlings were underplanted in pine (Pinus taeda) plantation stands with varying overstory density (clear-cut, heavy thin, light thin, and non-thinned; creating a gradient of understory light availability) and vegetation (no competition removal or herbaceous competition removal) treatments. After 2 years, seedling survival was higher with increasing light availability (clear-cut = heavy thin > light thin > non-thinned). Seedling growth (i.e., diameter, height, and crown width) increased similarly with increasing thinning intensity, while vegetation control was mainly beneficial to seedling growth in clear-cuts. These responses were partially explained by foliar nitrogen and leaf trait measurements, which followed the same pattern. Q. virginiana seedlings demonstrated high plasticity in their ability to acclimate to varying resource availability, as indicated by light response curves, specific leaf area, stomatal density, stomatal pore index, and maximum theoretical stomatal conductance. Light compensation and saturation points illustrated seedling capacity to increase net CO2 assimilation with increased light availability. Leaves on trees in the high light environment had the highest net CO2 assimilation, stomatal density, stomatal pore index, maximum theoretical stomatal conductance, and lowest specific leaf area. Although we demonstrated the relative shade tolerance of Q. virginiana in lower light environments (i.e., heavy and light thin plots), this semi-evergreen species shows high plasticity in capacity to respond to varying resource availability, similar to other Quercus spp. from mesic and Mediterranean environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Thyroff
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Owen T. Burney
- John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Michael V. Mickelbart
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Douglass F. Jacobs
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
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