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Sharma P, Rathee S, Ahmad M, Siddiqui MH, Alamri S, Kaur S, Kohli RK, Singh HP, Batish DR. Leaf functional traits and resource use strategies facilitate the spread of invasive plant Parthenium hysterophorus across an elevational gradient in western Himalayas. BMC Plant Biol 2024; 24:234. [PMID: 38561674 PMCID: PMC10985864 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-04904-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) is a highly prevalent invasive species in subtropical regions across the world. It has recently been seen to shift from low (subtropical) to high (sub-temperate) elevations. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research investigating the adaptive responses and the significance of leaf functional traits in promoting the expansion to high elevations. The current study investigated the variations and trade-offs among 14 leaf traits (structural, photosynthetic, and nutrient content) of P. hysterophorus across different elevations in the western Himalayas, India. Plots measuring 20 × 40 m were established at different elevations (700 m, 1100 m, 1400 m, and 1800 m) to collect leaf trait data for P. hysterophorus. Along the elevational gradient, significant variations were noticed in leaf morphological parameters, leaf nutrient content, and leaf photosynthetic parameters. Significant increases were observed in the specific leaf area, leaf thickness, and chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll and carotenoid content, as well as leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content with elevation. On the other hand, there were reductions in the amount of chlorophyll b, photosynthetic efficiency, leaf dry matter content, leaf mass per area, and leaf water content. The trait-trait relationships between leaf water content and dry weight and between leaf area and dry weight were stronger at higher elevations. The results show that leaf trait variability and trait-trait correlations are very important for sustaining plant fitness and growth rates in low-temperature, high-irradiance, resource-limited environments at relatively high elevations. To summarise, the findings suggest that P. hysterophorus can expand its range to higher elevations by broadening its functional niche through changes in leaf traits and resource utilisation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Padma Sharma
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Sonia Rathee
- Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Mustaqeem Ahmad
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Manzer H Siddiqui
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saud Alamri
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shalinder Kaur
- Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
| | - Ravinder K Kohli
- Amity University, Sector 82A, IT City, International Airport Road, Mohali, 140 306, India
| | - Harminder Pal Singh
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Daizy R Batish
- Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
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Zhang C, Huang N, Zhang F, Wu T, He X, Wang J, Li Y. Intraspecific variations of leaf hydraulic, economic, and anatomical traits in Cinnamomum camphora along an urban-rural gradient. Sci Total Environ 2023; 904:166741. [PMID: 37659523 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization brings numerous benefits to residents, but it also introduces complex, variable, and heterogeneous habitat conditions to urban plants, resulting in an arid and hot urban environment that decreases tree growth and the ecological service capacity of trees. In this study, we evaluated leaf hydraulic, economic, and anatomical traits and their covariations of Cinnamomum camphora along an urban-rural gradient in Hefei, Eastern China. We found that Cinnamomum camphora in urban adopted a conservative hydraulic strategy with low leaf turgor loss point (Tlp), leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf), and leaf water potential resulting in 50 % loss of hydraulic conductance (P50), as well as a quick investment-return economic strategy with low unit leaf dry matter content (LMA) and high leaf nitrogen content (Leaf N). P50, Kleaf and LMA were significantly positively correlated with the urban-rural gradient (PC1urban-rural gradient), while Leaf N exhibited a negative correlation with it. The results showed a trade-off between intraspecific safety and efficiency in leaf hydraulic traits along the urban-rural gradient and an intraspecific coordinated variation in leaf hydraulic and economic traits. In addition, based on the analysis of a trait coordination network, it was revealed that leaf mesophyll and stomata were key structures for trait adjustment and coordination. Furthermore, our findings offer a significant theoretical underpinning for the effective management of landscape trees and the strategic planning of urban tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Zhang
- School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Nuo Huang
- School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Fengyu Zhang
- School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Ting Wu
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia; Global Centre for Land-based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Xianjin He
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 91191, France
| | - Jianan Wang
- School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China; Anhui Hefei Urban Ecosystem Research Station, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Yiyong Li
- School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China; Anhui Hefei Urban Ecosystem Research Station, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Changjiang West Road 130, Shushan District, Hefei 230036, China.
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Zhang X, Li B, Peñuelas J, Sardans J, Cheng D, Yu H, Zhong Q. Resource-acquisitive species have greater plasticity in leaf functional traits than resource-conservative species in response to nitrogen addition in subtropical China. Science of The Total Environment 2023; 903:166177. [PMID: 37572896 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The evergreen broad-leaf forest is subtropical zonal vegetation in China, and its species diversity and stability are crucial for maintaining forest ecosystem functions. The region is generally affected by global changes such as high levels of nitrogen deposition. Therefore, it is critical to determine the adaptation strategies of subtropical dominant species under nitrogen addition. Here, we conducted two-year field experiments with nitrogen addition levels as 0 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (CK), 50 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (LN) and 100 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (HN). We investigated the effects of nitrogen addition on leaf functional traits (including nutrition, structural and physiological characteristics) of five dominant species in subtropical evergreen broad-leaf forest. Results suggested that the effect of nitrogen addition on leaf functional traits was species-specific. Contrary to Rhododendron delavayi and Eurya muricata, Quercus glauca, Schima superba and Castanopsis eyrei all responded more to the HN treatment than LN treatment. Compared to other leaf functional traits, leaf anatomical structure traits had the highest average plasticity (0.246), and the relative effect of leaf photosynthetic property was highest (7.785) under N addition. Among the five species, S. superba was highest in terms of the index of plasticity for leaf functional traits under nitrogen addition, followed by Q. glauca, E. muricata, C. eyrei and R. delavayi. The major leaf functional traits representing the economic spectrum of leaves (LES) showed resource acquisitive strategy (high SLA, LNC, LPC, Pn) and conservative strategy (high LTD, LDMC, C/N) clustering on the opposite ends of the PCA axis. The PCA analysis indicated that species with high leaf plasticity adopt resource acquisitive strategy (S. superba and Q. glauca), whereas species with low leaf plasticity adopt resource conservative strategy (E. muricata, C. eyrei and R. delavayi). In aggregate, resource-acquisitive species benefit from nitrogen addition more than resource-conservative species, suggesting that S. superba and Q. glauca will occupy the dominant position in community succession under persistently elevated nitrogen deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Baoyin Li
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province funded), Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- Global Ecology Unit, CSIC, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Sardans
- Global Ecology Unit, CSIC, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Dongliang Cheng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province funded), Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Hua Yu
- Ocean College, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Quanlin Zhong
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province funded), Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China.
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Zhao C, Lin Q, Tian D, Ji C, Shen H, Fan D, Wang X, Fang J. Nitrogen addition promotes conservative resource-use strategies via aggravating phosphorus limitation of evergreen trees in subtropical forest. Sci Total Environ 2023; 889:164047. [PMID: 37187388 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Changti Zhao
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Quanhong Lin
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Di Tian
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Chengjun Ji
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Haihua Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.
| | - Dayong Fan
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Xiangping Wang
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jingyun Fang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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Yu X, Ji R, Li M, Xia X, Yin W, Liu C. Geographical variation in functional traits of leaves of Caryopteris mongholica and the role of climate. BMC Plant Biol 2023; 23:394. [PMID: 37580656 PMCID: PMC10426221 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04410-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quantifying intra-specific variation in leaf functional traits along environmental gradients is important for understanding species' responses to climate change. In this study, we assessed the degree of among and within populations variation in leaf functional traits and explored leaf response to geographic and climate change using Caryopteris mongholica as material, which has a wide range of distribution environments. RESULTS We selected 40 natural populations of C. mongholica, measured 8 leaf functional traits, analyzed the extent of trait variation among and within populations, and developed geographic and climatic models to explain trait variation between populations. Our results showed that the variation in leaf functional traits of C. mongholica was primarily lower within populations compared to among populations. Specifically, the leaf area (LA) exhibited higher variability both among and within populations, whereas leaf carbon content (LC) exhibited lower variation within populations but greater variation among populations. We observed a specific covariation pattern among traits and a strong linkage between morphological, economic, and mechanical traits. Increasing minimum temperature, precipitation of month, and seasonal precipitation differences all limited the growth and development of C. mongholica. However, it was observed that an increase in mean annual precipitation positively influenced the morphological development of its leaf. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate the response of intra-specific trait variation to the environment and provide valuable insights into the adaptation of intra-specific leaf functional traits under changing climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Yu
- National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ruoxuan Ji
- National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Mingming Li
- National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xinli Xia
- National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Weilun Yin
- National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Chao Liu
- National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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Sun K, Sun R, Li Y, Ji H, Jia B, Xu Z. Plant economic strategies in two contrasting forests. BMC Plant Biol 2023; 23:366. [PMID: 37479980 PMCID: PMC10362557 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04375-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predicting relationships between plant functional traits and environmental effects in their habitats is a central issue in terms of classic ecological theories. Yet, only weak correlation with functional trait composition of local plant communities may occur, implying that some essential information might be ignored. In this study, to address this uncertainty, the objective of the study is to test whether and how the consistency of trait relationships occurs by analyzing broad variation in eight traits related to leaf morphological structure, nutrition status and physiological activity, within a large number of plant species in two distinctive but comparable harsh habitats (high-cold alpine fir forest vs. north-cold boreal coniferous forest). RESULTS The contrasting and/or consistent relationships between leaf functional traits in the two distinctive climate regions were observed. Higher specific leaf area, photosynthetic rate, and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) with lower N concentration occurred in north-cold boreal forest rather than in high-cold alpine forest, indicating the acquisitive vs. conservative resource utilizing strategies in both habitats. The principal component analysis illuminated the divergent distributions of herb and xylophyta groups at both sites. Herbs tend to have a resource acquisition strategy, particularly in boreal forest. The structural equation modeling revealed that leaf density had an indirect effect on PNUE, primarily mediated by leaf structure and photosynthesis. Most of the traits were strongly correlated with each other, highlighting the coordination and/or trade-offs. CONCLUSIONS We can conclude that the variations in leaf functional traits in north-cold boreal forest were largely distributed in the resource-acquisitive strategy spectrum, a quick investment-return behavior; while those in the high-cold alpine forest tended to be mainly placed at the resource-conservative strategy end. The habitat specificity for the relationships between key functional traits could be a critical determinant of local plant communities. Therefore, elucidating plant economic spectrum derived from variation in major functional traits can provide a fundamental insight into how plants cope with ecological adaptation and evolutionary strategies under environmental changes, particularly in these specific habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ruojun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yibo Li
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hongchao Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bingrui Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhenzhu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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Shi XM, Qi JH, Liu AX, Zakari S, Song L. Leaf phenotypic plasticity coupled with integration facilitates the adaptation of plants to enhanced N deposition. Environ Pollut 2023; 327:121570. [PMID: 37023888 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The response of leaf functional traits can provide vital insight into the adaptive strategies of plants under global change. However, empirical knowledge on the acclimation of functional coordination between phenotypic plasticity and integration to increased nitrogen (N) deposition is still scarce. The variation of leaf functional traits of two dominant seedling species, Machilus gamblei and Neolitsea polycarpa, across four N deposition rates (0, 3, 6, and 12 kg N ha-1yr-1), along with the relationship between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration were investigated in a subtropical montane forest. We found that enhanced N deposition promoted the development of seedling traits toward the direction of resource acquisition, including improved leaf N content, specific leaf area and photosynthetic performance. Appropriate N deposition (≤6 kg N ha-1 yr-1) might induce the optimization of leaf functional traits to promote the capability and efficiency of nutrient use and photosynthesis in seedlings. However, excessive N deposition (12 kg N ha-1 yr-1) would result in detrimental effects on leaf morphological and physiological traits, thus inhibiting the efficiency in resource acquisition. A positive relationship occurred between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration in both seedling species, implied that higher plasticity of leaf functional traits likely led to better integration with other traits under N deposition. Overall, our study emphasized that leaf functional traits could rapidly respond to changes in N resource, while the coordination between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration can facilitate the adaptation of tree seedlings in coping with enhanced N deposition. Further studies are still needed on the role of leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration in plant fitness for predicting ecosystem functioning and forest dynamics, especially in the context of future high N deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Meng Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China; College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Henan, 476000, China
| | - Jin-Hua Qi
- Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan, 676209, China
| | - An-Xin Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Sissou Zakari
- Laboratory of Hydraulics and Environmental Modeling, Faculté D'Agronomie, Université de Parakou, Parakou, 03, BP 351, Benin
| | - Liang Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China; Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan, 676209, China.
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Yu H, Chen Y, Zhou G, Xu Z. Coordination of leaf functional traits under climatic warming in an arid ecosystem. BMC Plant Biol 2022; 22:439. [PMID: 36100908 PMCID: PMC9472406 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03818-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climatic warming is increasing regionally and globally, and results concerning warming and its consequent drought impacts have been reported extensively. However, due to a lack of quantitative analysis of warming severities, it is still unclear how warming and warming-induced drought influence leaf functional traits, particularly how the traits coordinate with each other to cope with climatic change. To address these uncertainties, we performed a field experiment with ambient, moderate and severe warming regimes in an arid ecosystem over 4 years. RESULTS Severe warming significantly reduced the specific leaf area and net photosynthetic rate with a relatively stable change and even enhancement under moderate warming, especially showing species-specific performance. The current results largely indicate that a coordinated trade-off can exist between plant functional traits in plant communities in a dryland ecosystem under ambient temperature conditions, which is strongly amplified by moderate warming but diminished or even eliminated by severe warming. Based on the present findings and recent results in the relevant literature, we advance the ecological conceptual models (e.g., LES and CSR) in the response to climatic warming in arid grassland communities, where the few key species play a crucial role by balancing their functional performances to cope with environmental change. CONCLUSION Our results highlight the importance of coordination and/or trade-off between leaf functional traits for understanding patterns of climatic change-induced vegetation degradation and suggest that the plant community composition in these drylands could be shifted under future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongying Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yingting Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Jiyang College of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Zhuji, 311800, China
| | - Guangsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
| | - Zhenzhu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
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Vitale E, Velikova V, Tsonev T, Costanzo G, Paradiso R, Arena C. Manipulation of light quality is an effective tool to regulate photosynthetic capacity and fruit antioxidant properties of Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. 'Microtom' in a controlled environment. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13677. [PMID: 35795173 PMCID: PMC9252183 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Light quality plays an essential role in setting plant structural and functional traits, including antioxidant compounds. This paper aimed to assess how manipulating the light spectrum during growth may regulate the photosynthetic activity and fruit bioactive compound synthesis in Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. 'Microtom' to improve plant physiological performance and fruit nutritional value. Plants were cultivated under three light quality regimes: red-green-blue LEDs (RGB), red-blue LEDs (RB) and white fluorescent lamps (FL), from sowing to fruit ripening. Leaf functional traits, photosynthetic efficiency, Rubisco and D1 protein expression, and antioxidant production in fruits were analyzed. Compared to FL, RGB and RB regimes reduced height and increased leaf number and specific leaf area, enhancing plant dwarf growth. The RGB regime improved photosynthesis and stomatal conductance despite lower biomass, favoring Rubisco synthesis and carboxylation rate than RB and FL regimes. The RB light produced plants with fewer flowers and fruits with a lower ascorbic acid amount but the highest polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity and SOD and CAT activities. Our data indicate that the high percentage of the green wavelength in the RGB regime promoted photosynthesis and reduced plant reproductive capacity compared to FL and RB. Conversely, the RB regime was the best in favoring the production of health-promoting compounds in tomato berries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Violeta Velikova
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tsonko Tsonev
- Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Giulia Costanzo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberta Paradiso
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Carmen Arena
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy,BAT Center-Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology, Portici, Italy
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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. Ann Bot 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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
- For correspondence. E-mail
| | - 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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11
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Chi D, Van Meerbeek K, Yu K, Degerickx J, Somers B. Foliar optical traits capture physiological and phenological leaf plasticity in Tilia×euchlora in the urban environment. Sci Total Environ 2022; 805:150219. [PMID: 34536866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge on the response of trees to the urban heat island (UHI) effect and soil sealing is currently limited, yet of vital importance in an era characterized by both climate change and urbanization. We investigated the physiological and phenological leaf plasticity of Tilia×euchlora trees to the UHI effect and soil sealing and explored the potential of leaf optical traits to quantify the magnitude of leaf plasticity. Temporal changes of leaf water content (LWC), specific leaf area (SLA), total chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) content, Car:Chl ratio and leaf reflectance for 46 Tilia×euchlora trees were measured along a soil sealing and urbanization gradient. The leaf functional traits displayed trait-specific temporal patterns during the growing season. We observed higher LWC and SLA but lower Chl and Car contents in the coolest zones. We found earlier autumn downregulation in Chl and Car content at paved sites compared to unsealed sites (maximum difference = 13 days). The magnitude of plasticity in relation to the UHI and soil sealing varied in leaf functional traits with largest variation observed in Chl (38%), followed by Car:Chl (31%), Car (29%), SLA (26%) and LWC (8%). The proposed spectral indices calculated using leaf reflectance measurements were able to track the spatiotemporal variations and phenology in the leaf functional traits. Our results clearly demonstrate the leaf plasticity of Tilia×euchlora trees, which provides Tilia×euchlora trees the necessary capacity to adapt to rapid changes in the urban environment. More importantly, we demonstrated the suitability of leaf optical traits to serve as a proxy of leaf functional traits for studying the spatiotemporal response of urban trees to environmental factors, which opens up new possibilities for large scale ecological studies using remote sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengkai Chi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
| | | | - Kang Yu
- Department of Life Science Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Jeroen Degerickx
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research-VITO NV, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
| | - Ben Somers
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
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12
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Zhu J, Cao Y, He W, Xu Q, Xu C, Zhang X. Leaf functional traits differentiation in relation to covering materials of urban tree pits. BMC Plant Biol 2021; 21:556. [PMID: 34814837 PMCID: PMC8609817 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03316-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the ecological strategies of urban trees to the urban environment is crucial to the selection and management of urban trees. However, it is still unclear whether urban tree pit cover will affect plant functional traits. Here, we study the response of urban trees to different tree pit covers, analyzed the effects of different cover types on soil properties and their trade-off strategies based on leaf functional traits. RESULTS We found that there were obvious differences in the physical properties of the soil in different tree pit covers. Under the different tree pit cover types, soil bulk density and soil porosity reached the maximum under cement cover and turf cover, respectively. We found that tree pit cover significantly affected the leaf properties of urban trees. Leaf thickness, chlorophyll content index and stomatal density were mainly affected by soil bulk density and non-capillary porosity in a positive direction, and were affected by soil total porosity and capillary porosity in a negative direction. Leaf dry matter content and stomata area were mainly negatively affected by soil bulk density and non-capillary porosity, and positively affected by soil total porosity and capillary porosity. Covering materials of tree pits promoted the functional adjustment of plants and form the best combination of functions. CONCLUSION Under the influence of tree pit cover, plant have low specific leaf area, stomata density, high leaf thickness, chlorophyll content index, leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density and stomata area, which belong to "quick investment-return" type in the leaf economics spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyou Zhu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yujuan Cao
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Weijun He
- Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, 510520, Guangdong, China
| | - Qing Xu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry 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 of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Xinna Zhang
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry 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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13
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Zhu J, Xu J, Cao Y, Fu J, Li B, Sun G, Zhang X, Xu C. Leaf reflectance and functional traits as environmental indicators of urban dust deposition. BMC Plant Biol 2021; 21:533. [PMID: 34773986 PMCID: PMC8590267 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03308-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND How to quickly predict and evaluate urban dust deposition is the key to the control of urban atmospheric environment. Here, we focus on changes of plant reflectance and plant functional traits due to dust deposition, and develop a prediction model of dust deposition based on these traits. RESULTS The results showed that (1) The average dust deposition per unit area of Ligustrum quihoui leaves was significantly different among urban environments (street (18.1001 g/m2), community (14.5597 g/m2) and park (9.7661 g/m2)). Among different urban environments, leaf reflectance curves tends to be consistent, but there were significant differences in leaf reflectance values (park (0.052-0.585) > community (0.028-0.477) > street (0.025-0.203)). (2) There were five major reflection peaks and five major absorption valleys. (3) The spectral reflectances before and after dust removal were significantly different (clean leaves > dust-stagnant leaves). 695 ~ 1400 nm was the sensitive range of spectral response. (4) Dust deposition has significant influence on slope and position of red edge. Red edge slope was park > community > street. After dust deposition, the red edge position has obviously "blue shift". The moving distance of the red edge position increases with the increase of dust deposition. The forecast model of dust deposition amount established by simple ratio index (y = 2.517x + 0.381, R2 = 0.787, RMSE (root-mean-square error) = 0.187. In the model, y refers to dust retention, x refers to simple ratio index.) has an average accuracy of 99.98%. (5) With the increase of dust deposition, the specific leaf area and chlorophyll content index decreased gradually. The leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density and leaf thickness increased gradually. CONCLUSION In the dust-polluted environment, L. quihoui generally presents a combination of characters with lower specific leaf area, chlorophyll content index, and higher leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density and leaf thickness. Leaf reflectance spectroscopy and functional traits have been proved to be effective in evaluating the changes of urban dust deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyou Zhu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration , Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jingliang Xu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration , Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yujuan Cao
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration , Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jing Fu
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration , Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Benling Li
- Production and Operation Management Department, China Communications Construction Company, Beijing, 100088, China
| | - Guangpeng Sun
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration , Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xinna Zhang
- Research Center for Urban Forestry, The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, 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 of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Forest Ecosystem of State Forestry and Grassland Administration , Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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14
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Du B, Zhu Y, Kang H, Liu C. Spatial variations in stomatal traits and their coordination with leaf traits in Quercus variabilis across Eastern Asia. Sci Total Environ 2021; 789:147757. [PMID: 34058578 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The stomatal traits influence ecosystem carbon-water fluxes and play essential roles that enable plants to adapt to changing environmental conditions. However, how stomatal traits vary along a large climate gradient and whether stomatal traits coordinated with other leaf functional traits in response to environmental changes remain unclear. We investigated the stomatal density (SD), stomatal size (SS), and leaf traits (leaf area (LA), leaf mass per area (LMA), and vein density (VD)) of 44 in situ Quercus variabilis populations across Eastern Asia (24 to 51.8°N, 99 to 137°E) and 15 populations grown in a common garden, and evaluated their relationships with environmental factors. Stepwise multiple regression showed that the SD was significantly associated with mean annual precipitation (MAP), LMA, and VD, and the SS with latitude, mean annual temperature (MAT), mean monthly solar radiation (MMSR), and VD. The SD was positively correlated with the LMA, while the SS was negatively correlated with the VD. The SD and LMA increased with decreasing precipitation, which indicated that they may coordinate to commonly enhance plant resistance against drought. The SS decreased; however, the VD increased with temperature. This implied that plants might further reduce their SS by increasing VD limitations under global warming. In the common garden, plants exhibited a higher SD and VD and lower SS and LA compared to those in the field; however, no relation between the stomatal and leaf traits was observed. Our results suggested that stomatal traits have high environmental plasticity and are highly coordinated with other leaf functional traits in response to environmental changes. Nevertheless, this coordination may have been formed through long-term adaptations, rather than over short time spans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoming Du
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yanhua Zhu
- Instrumental Analysis Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Hongzhang Kang
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Chunjiang Liu
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Shanghai Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, State Forestry Administration, Shanghai 200240, China; Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Eco-environmental Change and Management Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200240, China.
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15
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Zhu J, Xu C. Intraspecific differences in plant functional traits are related to urban atmospheric particulate matter. BMC Plant Biol 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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16
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Togashi A, Oikawa S. Leaf productivity and persistence have been improved during soybean (Glycine max) domestication and evolution. J Plant Res 2021; 134:223-233. [PMID: 33576933 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-021-01263-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Artificial and natural selection improved the leaf photosynthetic rate of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. subsp. max). This change may be accompanied by unconscious, undesired changes in other leaf traits, such as decreased leaf persistence, if a finite resource was shared by two or more leaf traits-i.e., if they were traded off. We investigated leaf traits related to productivity (leaf photosynthetic rate, leaf nitrogen content, and stomatal conductance) and those related to persistence (leaf lifespan, leaf mass per unit area, and leaf bulk density) in one wild soybean line and three domesticated soybean lines (a landrace, an old cultivar, and a modern cultivar) in a three year experiment. Some leaf trait values increased while others did not change significantly during domestication and evolution. These results indicate that productivity-related leaf traits and persistence-related leaf traits are not negatively correlated. It was also found that the changes in productivity-related leaf traits and persistence-related leaf traits occurred at different times. Our results indicate that the productivity-related leaf traits and the persistence-related leaf traits have been independently selected for in soybean, and that they were not traded off. Combination of high leaf productivity and high leaf persistence would lead to higher lifetime leaf carbon gain and increased soybean yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Togashi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, Mito, 310-0056, Japan
| | - Shimpei Oikawa
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, Mito, 310-0056, Japan.
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17
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de Souza BC, Carvalho ECD, Oliveira RS, de Araujo FS, de Lima ALA, Rodal MJN. Drought response strategies of deciduous and evergreen woody species in a seasonally dry neotropical forest. Oecologia 2020; 194:221-236. [PMID: 32965523 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04760-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Deciduous and evergreen trees are usually considered the main coexisting functional groups in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF). We compared leaf and stem traits of 22 woody species in the Brazilian Caatinga to investigate whether deciduous (DC) and evergreen (EV) species have divergent water-use strategies. Our hypothesis was that DC trees compensate for their short leaf longevity by being less conservative in water use and showing higher variation in the seasonal water potential after leaf shedding. Evergreen species should exhibit a highly conservative water use strategy, which reduces variations in seasonal water potential and the negative effects of desiccation. Our leaf dynamics results indicate that the crown area of DC trees is more sensitive to air and soil drought, whereas EV trees are only sensitive to soil drought. Deciduous species exhibit differences in a set of leaf traits confirming their acquisitive strategy, which contrasts with evergreen species. However, when stomatal traits are considered, we found that DC and EV have similar stomatal regulation strategies (partially isohydric). We also found divergent physiological strategies within DC. For high wood density DC, the xylem water potential (Ψxylem) continued to drop during the dry season. We also found a negative linear relationship between leaf life span (LL) and the transpiration rate per unit of hydraulic conductivity (Λ), indicating that species with high LL are less vulnerable to hydraulic conductivity loss than early-deciduous species. Collectively, our results indicate divergence in the physiology of deciduous species, which suggests that categorizing species based solely on their leaf phenology may be an oversimplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Cruz de Souza
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Natural Resources, Science Center, Department of Biology, Federal University of Ceará - UFC, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Brazil.
| | - Ellen Cristina Dantas Carvalho
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Natural Resources, Science Center, Department of Biology, Federal University of Ceará - UFC, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Brazil
| | - Rafael S Oliveira
- Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil.
| | | | - André Luiz Alves de Lima
- Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Campus of Serra Talhada, Serra Talhada, 56909-535, Brazil
| | - Maria Jesus Nogueira Rodal
- Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Botany Sector, Recife, 52171-900, Brazil.
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18
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Michelaki C, Fyllas NM, Galanidis A, Aloupi M, Evangelou E, Arianoutsou M, Dimitrakopoulos PG. Adaptive flammability syndromes in thermo-Mediterranean vegetation, captured by alternative resource-use strategies. Sci Total Environ 2020; 718:137437. [PMID: 32325621 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fire affects and is affected by leaf functional traits indicative of resource allocation trade-offs. Global change drivers constrain both the resource-use strategies and flammability of coexisting species. However, small attention has been given in identifying links among flammability and plant economics. Ambiguity comes from the fact that flammability is a multidimensional trait. Different flammability attributes (i.e. ignitibility, sustainability, combustibility and consumability) have been used to classify species, but no widely-accepted relationships exist between attributes. We hypothesised that flammability is a spectrum (defined by its four attributes) and the alternative flammability syndromes of coexisting species can be captured by their resource-use strategies. Furthermore, we argue that flammability syndromes are adaptive strategies that ensure persistence in the post-fire community. We conducted a large-scale study to estimate all flammability attributes on leaves from nine, dominant, thermo-Mediterranean species with alternative resource-use and fire-response strategies across a wide environmental and geographic gradient. We assessed the interdependence among attributes, and their variation across ecological scales (genus, species, individual, site and region). Furthermore, we collected 10 leaf functional traits, conducted a soil study and extracted long-term climatological data to quantify their effect on flammability attributes. We found that leaf flammability in thermo-Mediterranean vegetation is a continuous two-dimensional spectrum. The first dimension, driven by leaf shape and size, represents heat release rate (combustibility vs. sustainability), while the second, controlled by leaf economics, presents ignition delay and total heat release (i.e. consumability). Alternative flammability syndromes can increase fitness in fire-prone communities by offering qualitative differences in survival or reproduction. Trade-offs and constraints that control the distribution of resource-use strategies across environmental gradients appeared to drive leaf flammability syndromes as well. Tying the flammability spectrum with resource allocation trade-offs on a global scale can help us predict future ecosystem properties and fire regimes and illustrate evolutionary constraints on flammability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrysanthi Michelaki
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece.
| | - Nikolaos M Fyllas
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece
| | - Alexandros Galanidis
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece
| | - Maria Aloupi
- Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece
| | | | - Margarita Arianoutsou
- Department of Ecology and Systematics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Greece
| | - Panayiotis G Dimitrakopoulos
- Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece
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Mukherjee A, Agrawal M. The influence of urban stress factors on responses of ground cover vegetation. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018; 25:36194-36206. [PMID: 30362039 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3437-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ambient air pollution, land use, and soil properties on ground cover vegetation in the urban area of Varanasi city, situated in the Indo Gangetic Plain of India. Twelve leaf functional traits were assessed on eight most dominant herbaceous species belonging to four angiospermic families in three different land uses with varying air pollution loads and soil properties. Particulate matter (PM10 and TSP), gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO2, and O3), land uses (built-up area, shrub, and grass cover), and soil properties showed significant variability among the land uses. Air pollution was identified as the major stress factor which influenced leaf functional traits of ground cover vegetation followed by soil properties and land uses. Among the plants, Croton sparsiflorus was found to be the most responsive plants to all the factors. Plants responded differently under varying environmental factors as Euphorbia hirta was maximally influenced by air pollution, whereas the effect of land use was maximum in C. sparsiflorus. Influence of soil properties was highest in Digitaria ciliaris and Scoparia dulcis. All the environmental factors in combination maximally influenced non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid and polyphenolics) followed by photosynthetic pigments among the different leaf functional traits. Among the environmental factors, NO2 and PM were identified as the most influencing factors regulating leaf functional traits followed by K level in soil and shrub cover. It can be concluded that responses of different leaf functional traits of ground cover vegetation varied with different environmental factors and responses were mostly species specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arideep Mukherjee
- Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India
| | - Madhoolika Agrawal
- Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India.
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Li S, Wu J. Community assembly and functional leaf traits mediate precipitation use efficiency of alpine grasslands along environmental gradients on the Tibetan Plateau. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2680. [PMID: 27843716 PMCID: PMC5103816 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau are sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. However, it is still unknown how precipitation use efficiency (PUE), the ratio of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) to precipitation, is related to community assembly of plant species, functional groups or traits for the Tibetan alpine grasslands along actual environmental gradients. We conducted a multi-site field survey at grazing-excluded pastures across meadow, steppe and desert-steppe to measure aboveground biomass (AGB) in August, 2010. We used species richness (SR), the Shannon diversity index, and cover-weighted functional group composition (FGC) of 1-xerophytes, 2-mesophytes, and 3-hygrophytes to describe community assembly at the species level; and chose community-level leaf area index (LAIc), specific leaf area (SLAc), and species-mixed foliar δ13C to quantify community assembly at the functional trait level. Our results showed that PUE decreased with increasing accumulated active temperatures (AccT) when daily temperature average is higher than 5 °C, but increased with increasing climatic moisture index (CMI), which was demined as the ratio of growing season precipitation (GSP) to AccT. We also found that PUE increased with increasing SR, the Shannon diversity index, FGC and LAIc, decreased with increasing foliar δ13C, and had no relation with SLAc at the regional scale. Neither soil total nitrogen (STN) nor organic carbon has no influence on PUE at the regional scale. The community assembly of the Shannon index, LAIc and SLAc together accounted for 46.3% of variance in PUE, whilst CMI accounted for 47.9% of variance in PUE at the regional scale. This implies that community structural properties and plant functional traits can mediate the sensitivity of alpine grassland productivity in response to climate change. Thus, a long-term observation on community structural and functional changes is recommended for better understanding the response of alpine ecosystems to regional climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaowei Li
- Lhasa National Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Jianshuang Wu
- Lhasa National Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Functional Biodiversity, Dahlem Center of Plant Sciences, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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