Overwintering evergreen oaks reverse typical relationships between leaf traits in a species spectrum

The leaf economics spectrum has given us a fundamental understanding of the species variations in leaf variables. Across plant species, tight correlations among leaf mass per area (LMA), mass-based nitrogen ( N m ) and photosynthetic rate ( A m ) and leaf lifespan have been well known as trade-offs in leaf carbon economy. However, the regional or biome-level correlations may not be necessary to correspond with the global-scale analysis. Here, we show that almost all leaf variables in overwintering evergreen oaks in Japan were relatively well included within the evergreen-broadleaved trees in worldwide temperate forests, but N m was more consistent with that in deciduous broadleaved trees. Contrary to the universal correlations, the correlation between A m and N m among the evergreen oaks was negative and the correlation between A m and LMA disappeared. The unique performance was due to specific nitrogen allocation within leaves, i.e. the evergreen oaks with later leaf maturation had lower N m but higher nitrogen allocation to photosynthetic enzymes within leaves, to enhance carbon gain against the delayed leaf maturation and the shortened photosynthetic period due to cold winters. Our data demonstrate that correlations between leaf variables in a local scale are occasionally different from averaged global-scale datasets, because of the constraints in each biome.

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Global patterns of the leaf economics spectrum in wetlands

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-18354-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yingji Pan ◽

Ellen Cieraad ◽

Jean Armstrong ◽

William Armstrong ◽

Beverley R. Clarkson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leaf Traits ◽

Global Scale ◽

Wetland Plants ◽

Leaf Mass Per Area ◽

Leaf Life Span ◽

Wetland Ecology ◽

Plant Strategies ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Leaf Economics

Abstract The leaf economics spectrum (LES) describes consistent correlations among a variety of leaf traits that reflect a gradient from conservative to acquisitive plant strategies. So far, whether the LES holds in wetland plants at a global scale has been unclear. Using data on 365 wetland species from 151 studies, we find that wetland plants in general show a shift within trait space along the same common slope as observed in non-wetland plants, with lower leaf mass per area, higher leaf nitrogen and phosphorus, faster photosynthetic rates, and shorter leaf life span compared to non-wetland plants. We conclude that wetland plants tend to cluster at the acquisitive end of the LES. The presented global quantifications of the LES in wetland plants enhance our understanding of wetland plant strategies in terms of resources acquisition and allocation, and provide a stepping-stone to developing trait-based approaches for wetland ecology.

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The leaf economics spectrum’s morning coffee: plant size-dependent changes in leaf traits and reproductive onset in a perennial tree crop

Annals of Botany ◽

10.1093/aob/mcaa199 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Adam R Martin ◽

Marney E Isaac

Keyword(s):

Environmental Conditions ◽

Plant Traits ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Plant Size ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Size Dependent ◽

Leaf Mass ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Reproductive Onset ◽

Leaf Economics

Abstract Background and Aims Size-dependent changes in plant traits are an important source of intraspecific trait variation. However, there are few studies that have tested if leaf trait co-variation and/or trade-offs follow a within-genotype leaf economics spectrum (LES) related to plant size and reproductive onset. To our knowledge, there are no studies on any plant species that have tested whether or not the shape of a within-genotype LES that describes how traits covary across whole plant sizes, is the same as the shape of a within-genotype LES that represents environmentally driven trait plasticity. Methods We quantified size-dependent variation in eight leaf traits in a single coffee genotype (Coffea arabica var. Caturra) in managed agroecosystems with different environmental conditions (light and fertilization treatments), and evaluated these patterns with respect to reproductive onset. We also evaluated if trait covariation along a within-genotype plant-size LES differed from a within-genotype environmental LES defined with trait data from coffee growing in different environmental conditions. Key Results Leaf economics traits related to resource acquisition – maximum photosynthetic rates (A) and mass-based leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations – declined linearly with plant size. Structural traits – leaf mass, leaf thickness, and leaf mass per unit area (LMA) – and leaf area increased with plant size beyond reproductive onset, then declined in larger plants. Three primary LES traits (mass-based A, leaf N and LMA) covaried across a within-genotype plant-size LES, with plants moving towards the ‘resource-conserving’ end of the LES as they grow larger; in coffee these patterns were nearly identical to a within-genotype environmental LES. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that a plant-size LES exists within a single genotype. Our findings indicate that in managed agroecosystems where resource availability is high the role of reproductive onset in driving within-genotype trait variability, and the strength of covariation and trade-offs among LES traits, are less pronounced compared with plants in natural systems. The consistency in trait covariation in coffee along both plant-size and environmental LES axes indicates strong constraints on leaf form and function that exist within plant genotypes.

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Large-scale climatic and geophysical controls on the leaf economics spectrum

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1604863113 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 113 (28) ◽

pp. E4043-E4051 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Gregory P. Asner ◽

David E. Knapp ◽

Christopher B. Anderson ◽

Roberta E. Martin ◽

Nicholas Vaughn

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Plant Traits ◽

Imaging Spectroscopy ◽

Leaf Mass Per Area ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Leaf Trait ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Airborne Imaging ◽

Spatially Explicit Data ◽

Leaf Economics

Leaf economics spectrum (LES) theory suggests a universal trade-off between resource acquisition and storage strategies in plants, expressed in relationships between foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), leaf mass per area (LMA), and photosynthesis. However, how environmental conditions mediate LES trait interrelationships, particularly at large biospheric scales, remains unknown because of a lack of spatially explicit data, which ultimately limits our understanding of ecosystem processes, such as primary productivity and biogeochemical cycles. We used airborne imaging spectroscopy and geospatial modeling to generate, to our knowledge, the first biospheric maps of LES traits, here centered on 76 million ha of Andean and Amazonian forest, to assess climatic and geophysical determinants of LES traits and their interrelationships. Elevation and substrate were codominant drivers of leaf trait distributions. Multiple additional climatic and geophysical factors were secondary determinants of plant traits. Anticorrelations between N and LMA followed general LES theory, but topo-edaphic conditions strongly mediated and, at times, eliminated this classic relationship. We found no evidence for simple P–LMA or N–P trade-offs in forest canopies; rather, we mapped a continuum of N–P–LMA interactions that are sensitive to elevation and temperature. Our results reveal nested climatic and geophysical filtering of LES traits and their interrelationships, with important implications for predictions of forest productivity and acclimation to rapid climate change.

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FUNDAMENTAL TRADE-OFFS GENERATING THE WORLDWIDE LEAF ECONOMICS SPECTRUM

Ecology ◽

10.1890/05-1051 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 87 (3) ◽

pp. 535-541 ◽

Cited By ~ 305

Author(s):

Bill Shipley ◽

Martin J. Lechowicz ◽

Ian Wright ◽

Peter B. Reich

Keyword(s):

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Leaf Economics

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Relationships among leaf traits of Australian arid zone plants: alternative modes of thermal protection

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt11284 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 60 (6) ◽

pp. 471 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Ellen M. Curtis ◽

Andrea Leigh ◽

Scott Rayburg

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Structural Damage ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Thermal Protection ◽

Arid Zone ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Leaf Mass Per Area ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Leaf Trait ◽

Leaf Mass

Despite the importance of leaf traits that protect against critically high leaf temperatures, relationships among such traits have not been investigated. Further, while some leaf trait relationships are well documented across biomes, little is known about such associations within a biome. This study investigated relationships between nine leaf traits that protect leaves against excessively high temperatures in 95 Australian arid zone species. Seven morphological traits were measured: leaf area, length, width, thickness, leaf mass per area, water content, and an inverse measure of pendulousness. Two spectral properties were measured: reflectance of visible and near-infrared radiation. Three key findings emerged: (1) leaf pendulousness increased with leaf size and leaf mass per area, the former relationship suggesting that pendulousness affords thermal protection when leaves are large; (2) leaf mass per area increased with thickness and decreased with water content, indicating alternative means for protection through increasing thermal mass; (3) spectral reflectance increased with leaf mass per area and thickness and decreased with water content. The consistent co-variation of thermal protective traits with leaf mass per area, a trait not usually associated with thermal protection, suggests that these traits fall along the leaf economics spectrum, with leaf longevity increasing through protection not only against structural damage but also against heat stress.

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Leaf economics explained by optimality principles

10.1101/2021.02.07.430028 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Han Wang ◽

I. Colin Prentice ◽

Ian J. Wright ◽

Shengchao Qiao ◽

Xiangtao Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Empirical Support ◽

Woody Species ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Carbon Gain ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Leaf Trait ◽

Growing Season Length ◽

Environmental Selection ◽

Optimality Principles ◽

Leaf Economics

SUMMARYThe worldwide leaf economics spectrum relates leaf lifespan (LL) to leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA)1. By combining three well-supported principles2–4, we show that an isometric relationship between these two quantities maximizes the leaf’s net carbon gain. This theory predicts a spectrum of equally competent LMA-LL combinations in any given environment, and how their optimal ratio varies across environments. By analysing two large, independent leaf-trait datasets for woody species1,5, we provide quantitative empirical support for the predicted dependencies of LL on LMA and environment in evergreen plants, and for the distinct predicted dependencies of LMA on light, temperature, growing-season length and aridity in evergreen and deciduous plants. We thereby resolve the long-standing question of why deciduous LMA tends to increase (with increasing LL) towards the equator, while evergreen LMA and LL decrease6. We also show how the statistical distribution of LMA within communities can be modelled as an outcome of environmental selection on the global pool of species with diverse values of LMA and LL.

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Highly Species-Specific Foliar Metabolomes of Diverse Woody Species and Relationships with the Leaf Economics Spectrum

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10030644 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 644

Author(s):

Rabea Schweiger ◽

Eva Castells ◽

Luca Da Sois ◽

Jordi Martínez-Vilalta ◽

Caroline Müller

Keyword(s):

Woody Species ◽

Common Garden ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Specialized Metabolites ◽

Carbon Nitrogen Ratio ◽

Nitrogen Ratio ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Species Specific ◽

Leaf Economics

Plants show an extraordinary diversity in chemical composition and are characterized by different functional traits. However, relationships between the foliar primary and specialized metabolism in terms of metabolite numbers and composition as well as links with the leaf economics spectrum have rarely been explored. We investigated these relationships in leaves of 20 woody species from the Mediterranean region grown as saplings in a common garden, using a comparative ecometabolomics approach that included (semi-)polar primary and specialized metabolites. Our analyses revealed significant positive correlations between both the numbers and relative composition of primary and specialized metabolites. The leaf metabolomes were highly species-specific but in addition showed some phylogenetic imprints. Moreover, metabolomes of deciduous species were distinct from those of evergreens. Significant relationships were found between the primary metabolome and nitrogen content and carbon/nitrogen ratio, important traits of the leaf economics spectrum, ranging from acquisitive (mostly deciduous) to conservative (evergreen) leaves. A comprehensive understanding of various leaf traits and their coordination in different plant species may facilitate our understanding of plant functioning in ecosystems. Chemodiversity is thereby an important component of biodiversity.

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Trade-offs between water loss and carbon gain in a subtropical primary forest on Karst soils in China

10.5194/bg-2018-44 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jing Wang ◽

Xuefa Wen ◽

Xinyu Zhang ◽

Shenggong Li

Keyword(s):

Water Loss ◽

Southwestern China ◽

Carbon Gain ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Leaf Mass Per Area ◽

Response Curves ◽

Carboxylase Activity ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Little attention has been given to plants's trade-off between carbon gain and water loss in Karst Critical Zone in southwestern China with low soil nutrient and water availability. An advanced understanding of the impact of CO2 diffusion and maximum carboxylase activity of Rubisco (Vcmax) on the light-saturated net photosynthesis (A) and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) in Karst plants can provide insight into physiological strategies used in adaptation to harsh environments. We selected six plant life forms (63 species) in a subtropical Karst primary forest in southwestern China, and measured CO2 response curves, and calculated corresponding stomatal conductance to CO2 (gs), mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm), and Vcmax. The results showed that gs varied from 0.05 to 0.38 mol CO2 m−2 s−1, gm varied from 0.02 to 0.69 mol CO2 m−2 s−1, and gm was positively related to gs; foliar A was co-limited by gs, gm, and Vcmax in trees, tree/shrubs, and shrubs with relatively high leaf mass per area (LMA), and mainly constrained by gm in grasses, vines, and ferns with relatively low LMA; and iWUE varied from 29.52 to 88.92 μmol CO2 mol−1 H2O across all species, and was significantly correlated with gs, gm/gs, and Vcmax/gs. These results indicated that Karst plants maintained relatively high A and low iWUE through the co-variation of gs, gm, and Vcmax as adaptation to Karst environment.

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