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Chen X, Li J, Peñuelas J, Li X, Hu D, Wang M, Zhong Q, Cheng D. Temperature dependence of carbon metabolism in the leaves in sun and shade in a subtropical forest. Oecologia 2024; 204:59-69. [PMID: 38091103 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05487-7] [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: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Rising temperatures pose a threat to the stability of climate regulation by carbon metabolism in subtropical forests. Although the effects of temperature on leaf carbon metabolism traits in sun-exposed leaves are well understood, there is limited knowledge about its impacts on shade leaves and the implications for ecosystem-climate feedbacks. In this study, we measured temperature response curves of photosynthesis and respiration for 62 woody species in summer (including both evergreen and deciduous species) and 20 evergreen species in winter. The aim was to uncover the temperature dependence of carbon metabolism in both sun and shade leaves in subtropical forests. Our findings reveal that shade had no significant effects on the mean optimum photosynthetic temperatures (TOpt) or temperature range (T90). However, there were decreases observed in mean stomatal conductance, mean area-based photosynthetic rates at TOpt and 25 °C, as well as mean area-based dark respiration rates at 25 °C in both evergreen and deciduous species. Moreover, the respiration-temperature sensitivity (Q10) of sun leaves was higher than that of shade leaves in winter, with the reverse being true in summer. Leaf economics spectrum traits, such as leaf mass per area, and leaf concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus across species, proved to be good predictors of TOpt, T90, mass-based photosynthetic rate at TOpt, and mass-based photosynthetic and respiration rate at 25 °C. However, Q10 was poorly predicted by these leaf economics spectrum traits except for shade leaves in winter. Our results suggest that model estimates of carbon metabolism in multilayered subtropical forest canopies do not necessitate independent parameterization of T90 and TOpt temperature responses in sun and shade leaves. Nevertheless, a deeper understanding and quantification of canopy variations in Q10 responses to temperature are necessary to confirm the generality of temperature-carbon metabolism trait responses and enhance ecosystem model estimates of carbon dynamics under future climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Chen
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- College of Tourism, Resources and Environment, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jinlong Li
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- Global Ecology Unit, CSIC, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Xueqin Li
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Dandan Hu
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mantang Wang
- College of Tourism, Resources and Environment, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong, China
| | - Quanlin Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Dongliang Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
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Chen X, Sun J, Wang M, Lyu M, Niklas KJ, Michaletz ST, Zhong Q, Cheng D. The Leaf Economics Spectrum Constrains Phenotypic Plasticity Across a Light Gradient. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:735. [PMID: 32595665 PMCID: PMC7300261 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) characterizes multivariate correlations that confine the global diversity of leaf functional traits onto a single axis of variation. Although LES is well established for traits of sun leaves, it is unclear how well LES characterizes the diversity of traits for shade leaves. Here, we evaluate LES using the sun and shade leaves of 75 woody species sampled at the extremes of a within-canopy light gradient in a subtropical forest. Shading significantly decreased the mean values of LMA and the rates of photosynthesis and dark respiration, but had no discernable effect on nitrogen and phosphorus content. Sun and shade leaves manifested the same relationships among N mass, P mass, A mass, and R mass (i.e., the slopes of log-log scaling relations of LES traits did not differ between sun and shade leaves). However, the difference between the normalization constants of shade and sun leaves was correlated with functional trait plasticity. Although the generality of this finding should be evaluated further using larger datasets comprising more phylogenetically diverse taxa and biomes, these findings support a unified LES across shade as well as sun leaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Chen
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jun Sun
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mantang Wang
- School of City and Architecture Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, China
| | - Min Lyu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Karl J. Niklas
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Sean T. Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Quanlin Zhong
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Dongliang Cheng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
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Sendall KM, Lusk CH, Reich PB. Becoming less tolerant with age: sugar maple, shade, and ontogeny. Oecologia 2015; 179:1011-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3428-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Ishihara MI. Role of axis reversal from the short-shoot to long-shoot habit for crown maintenance in slow-growing Betula maximowicziana trees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2013; 100:346-356. [PMID: 23306938 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1200443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Branch growth and its spatial arrangement determine crown architecture, leaf display, and, thus, the productivity of trees. Branch axes elongate by the sequential production of shoots with differing morphology and function, such as short shoots and long shoots. This study investigated ontogenetic changes in axis growth in Betula maximowicziana and quantified the role of axis reversal between the short-shoot and long-shoot habits, particularly reversal from the short-shoot to the long-shoot habit. METHODS From 8 trees with varying levels of growth vigor, 716 branch axes forming the basic crown architecture were sampled. Past growth of the branch axes was reconstructed from leaf and bud scale scars and compared between slow-growing and vigorously growing trees. KEY RESULTS Branch axes reversed more frequently between the long- and short-shoot habits in slow-growing trees than in vigorously growing trees. Short-shoot-origin axes that reversed to the long-shoot habit lived for longer periods and grew larger than axes that remained in the short-shoot habit. Short-shoot-origin axes reversed as they grew away from branch apices, typically >6 yr after they had originated. CONCLUSIONS Reversal of short-shoot-origin axes to the long-shoot habit is an endogenous growth process of trees with reduced vigor. Like epicormic branching, the reversal may contribute to the maintenance of productivity of large old trees by prolonging axis longevity and filling the inner part of the crown. This study presents an ontogenetic change in branch growth, which broadens our perspectives on the growth and survival of long-living trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masae Iwamoto Ishihara
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
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Niklas KJ, Christianson ML. Differences in the scaling of area and mass of Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae) leaves and their relevance to the study of specific leaf area. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2011; 98:1381-6. [PMID: 21821596 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1100106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The manner in which the area of the leaf lamina (A) scales with respect to the dry mass of the lamina (M) is an important functional trait that is correlated with whole-plant growth rates and habitat preferences across diverse species. However, the extent to which the scaling between these two variables differs among leaves collected from different types of shoots within the canopy of a tree is poorly understood. Should they exist, significant differences in the A vs. M scaling relationship within canopies would raise a number of important questions, in particular what constitutes an adequate sampling procedure to determine the whole-canopy A vs. M relationship. METHODS To address this issue, we used a large data set representing 13 biologically distinct categories of leaves sampled from mega- and microsporangiate trees of the dioecious gymnosperm Ginkgo biloba. KEY RESULTS Analyses of the data for these 13 categories of leaves identify seven statistically significantly different modes of A vs. M scaling that result in significant differences in how specific leaf area (SLA) changes as M varies within the canopies of Ginkgo. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the protocols used to sample leaves for the analysis of foliar functional traits such as specific leaf area need to acknowledge and cope with the effects of leaf and shoot polymorphisms on the quantification of functional traits (and on the construction and testing of hypotheses about these traits).
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl J Niklas
- Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
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Christianson ML, Niklas KJ. Patterns of diversity in leaves from canopies of Ginkgo biloba are revealed using Specific Leaf Area as a morphological character. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2011; 98:1068-76. [PMID: 21712418 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1000452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The difference reported in the literature for the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm(2)/g) of leaves on short- and long-shoots of Acer rubrum could mean that SLA can serve as a quantitative morphological trait. Our survey of SLA in canopies of Ginkgo biloba sampled a different clade of seed plants to investigate this morphological phenomenon. Such a survey in this dioecious taxon, and one in which a single canopy may have juvenile and reproductive portions, as well as one where canopies bear leaves of several shapes, examine these additional morphological factors as well as any long-shoot short-shoot differences. METHODS We measured SLA for a set of 642 dried leaves, a sampling across all morphological levels in canopies of large landscape specimens. The tabulated values were analyzed as distributions. KEY RESULTS Populations of leaves of G. biloba, sorted by morphological features of canopy structure, differ between long- and short-shoots (175%), on the two genders of tree (131%), in the juvenile and reproductive portions of a canopy (183%), and with the presence or absence of seed on short-shoots in the reproductive portion of megasporangiate canopies (114%). Basipetal leaves of long-shoots and leaves of short-shoots have similar values of SLA. CONCLUSIONS With the exception of the acropetal decrease in SLA along long-shoots, the differences among the several classes of leaf seem to reflect local sink strength, even though the sink itself develops after leaves mature. The large overall range in the values of SLA in Ginkgo underscores the relevance of the details of canopy structure to parsing ecological phenomena.
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Nicotra AB, Leigh A, Boyce CK, Jones CS, Niklas KJ, Royer DL, Tsukaya H. The evolution and functional significance of leaf shape in the angiosperms. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2011; 38:535-552. [PMID: 32480907 DOI: 10.1071/fp11057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 05/30/2011] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Angiosperm leaves manifest a remarkable diversity of shapes that range from developmental sequences within a shoot and within crown response to microenvironment to variation among species within and between communities and among orders or families. It is generally assumed that because photosynthetic leaves are critical to plant growth and survival, variation in their shape reflects natural selection operating on function. Several non-mutually exclusive theories have been proposed to explain leaf shape diversity. These include: thermoregulation of leaves especially in arid and hot environments, hydraulic constraints, patterns of leaf expansion in deciduous species, biomechanical constraints, adaptations to avoid herbivory, adaptations to optimise light interception and even that leaf shape variation is a response to selection on flower form. However, the relative importance, or likelihood, of each of these factors is unclear. Here we review the evolutionary context of leaf shape diversification, discuss the proximal mechanisms that generate the diversity in extant systems, and consider the evidence for each the above hypotheses in the context of the functional significance of leaf shape. The synthesis of these broad ranging areas helps to identify points of conceptual convergence for ongoing discussion and integrated directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne B Nicotra
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Andrea Leigh
- School of the Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - C Kevin Boyce
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, 5734 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Cynthia S Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Road, Unit-3043, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Karl J Niklas
- Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, 412 Mann Library Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Dana L Royer
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, 265 Church Street, Middletown, CT 06459, USA
| | - Hirokazu Tsukaya
- Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Science Build #2, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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de Casas RR, Vargas P, Pérez-Corona E, Manrique E, García-Verdugo C, Balaguer L. Sun and shade leaves of Olea europaea respond differently to plant size, light availability and genetic variation. Funct Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01851.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Leigh A, Zwieniecki MA, Rockwell FE, Boyce CK, Nicotra AB, Holbrook NM. Structural and hydraulic correlates of heterophylly in Ginkgo biloba. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2011; 189:459-70. [PMID: 20880226 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03476.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the functional significance of heterophylly in Ginkgo biloba, where leaves borne on short shoots are ontogenetically distinct from those on long shoots. Short shoots are compact, with minimal internodal elongation; their leaves are supplied with water through mature branches. Long shoots extend the canopy and have significant internodal elongation; their expanding leaves receive water from a shoot that is itself maturing. Morphology, stomatal traits, hydraulic architecture, Huber values, water transport efficiency, in situ gas exchange and laboratory-based steady-state hydraulic conductance were examined for each leaf type. Both structure and physiology differed markedly between the two leaf types. Short-shoot leaves were thinner and had higher vein density, lower stomatal pore index, smaller bundle sheath extensions and lower hydraulic conductance than long-shoot leaves. Long shoots had lower xylem area:leaf area ratios than short shoots during leaf expansion, but this ratio was reversed at shoot maturity. Long-shoot leaves had higher rates of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration than short-shoot leaves. We propose that structural differences between the two G. biloba leaf types reflect greater hydraulic limitation of long-shoot leaves during expansion. In turn, differences in physiological performance of short- and long-shoot leaves correspond to their distinct ontogeny and architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Leigh
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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