ID:
publications-1815
Type:
Peer reviewed articles
Year:
2020
Authors:
Ning Dong, Iain Colin Prentice, Ian J. Wright, Bradley J. Evans, Henrique F. Togashi, Stefan CaddyâRetalic, Francesca A. McInerney, Ben Sparrow, Emrys Leitch, Andrew J. Lowe
Title:
Components of leafâtrait variation along environmental gradients
Venue/Journal:
New Phytologist
DOI:
10.1111/nph.16558
Research type:
Uncategorized
Water System:
River Basins
Technical Focus:
Abstract:
Summary Leaf area (LA), mass per area (LMA), nitrogen per unit area (Narea) and the leafâinternal to ambient CO2 ratio (Ï) are fundamental traits for plant functional ecology and vegetation modelling. Here we aimed to assess how their variation, within and between species, tracks environmental gradients. Measurements were made on 705 species from 116 sites within a broad northâsouth transect from tropical to temperate Australia. Trait responses to environment were quantified using multiple regression; withinâ and betweenâspecies responses were compared using analysis of covariance and traitâgradient analysis. Leaf area, the leaf economics spectrum (indexed by LMA and Narea) and Ï (from stable carbon isotope ratios) varied almost independently among species. Across sites, however, Ï and LA increased with mean growingâseason temperature (mGDD0) and decreased with vapour pressure deficit (mVPD0) and soil pH. LMA and Narea showed the reverse pattern. Climate responses agreed with expectations based on optimality principles. Withinâspecies variability contributed <Â 10% to geographical variation in LA but >Â 90% for Ï, with LMA and Narea intermediate. These findings support the hypothesis that acclimation within individuals, adaptation within species and selection among species combine to create predictable relationships between traits and environment. However, the contribution of acclimation/adaptation vs species selection differs among traits.
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787203
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