scholarly journals Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1626
Author(s):  
Gui-Qing Xu ◽  
Stefan K. Arndt ◽  
Claire Farrell
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Moisture Gradient ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Osmotic Potentials

Identifying the drought-tolerance traits of plant species originating from a moisture gradient will increase our understanding of the differences and similarities in plant drought tolerance. However, which traits can be used to evaluate drought tolerance remain an open question. Here, we conducted a common-garden experiment on 37 shrub species originating from desert to humid regions. The correlations between plant traits and the native environmental conditions were studied. Leaf sizes and Huber values were significantly correlated with most climate variables of the shrubs’ origins. The osmotic potentials at full turgor (π100), turgor loss point (ΨTLP), and midday leaf water potential (Ψmid) were significantly correlated with most climate variables of their origins. We proposed using leaf sizes, Huber values, and ΨTLP as predictors of drought tolerance across shrub species and shrub biomes. Statistically significant correlations were found between π100, ΨTLP, and specific leaf area (SLA). However, owing to the weak correlations between SLA and the climate variables of the shrubs origins and between Huber values and leaf size and turgor loss traits, it was difficult to integrate leaf morphological traits with physiological traits to find a simple way to accurately quantify drought-tolerance-related differences among these shrub species.

scholarly journals Comparisons of stemflow and its bio-/abiotic influential factors between two xerophytic shrub species

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1421-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan Yuan ◽  
Guangyao Gao ◽  
Bojie Fu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Leaf Biomass ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Allocation Pattern ◽  
Plant Trait

Abstract. Stemflow transports nutrient-enriched precipitation to the rhizosphere and functions as an efficient terrestrial flux in water-stressed ecosystems. However, its ecological significance has generally been underestimated because it is relatively limited in amount, and the biotic mechanisms that affect it have not been thoroughly studied at the leaf scale. This study was conducted during the 2014 and 2015 rainy seasons at the northern Loess Plateau of China. We measured the branch stemflow volume (SFb), shrub stemflow equivalent water depth (SFd), stemflow percentage of incident precipitation (SF %), stemflow productivity (SFP), funnelling ratio (FR), the meteorological characteristics and the plant traits of branches and leaves of C. korshinskii and S. psammophila. This study evaluated stemflow efficiency for the first time with the combined results of SFP and FR, and sought to determine the inter- and intra-specific differences of stemflow yield and efficiency between the two species, as well as the specific bio-/abiotic mechanisms that affected stemflow. The results indicated that C. korshinskii had a greater stemflow yield and efficiency at all precipitation levels than that of S. psammophila. The largest inter-specific difference generally occurred at the 5–10 mm branches during rains of  ≤  2 mm. Precipitation amount was the most influential meteorological characteristic that affected stemflow yield and efficiency in these two endemic shrub species. Branch angle was the most influential plant trait on FR. For SFb, stem biomass and leaf biomass were the most influential plant traits for C. korshinskii and S. psammophila, respectively. For SFP of these two shrub species, leaf traits (the individual leaf area) and branch traits (branch size and biomass allocation pattern) had a great influence during lighter rains  ≤  10 mm and heavier rains  >  15 mm, respectively. The lower precipitation threshold to start stemflow allowed C. korshinskii (0.9 mm vs. 2.1 mm for S. psammophila) to employ more rains to harvest water via stemflow. The beneficial leaf traits (e.g., leaf shape, arrangement, area, amount) might partly explain the greater stemflow production of C. korshinskii. Comparison of SFb between the foliated and manually defoliated shrubs during the 2015 rainy season indicated that the newly exposed branch surface at the defoliated period and the resulting rainfall intercepting effects might be an important mechanism affecting stemflow in the dormant season.

scholarly journals Comparisons of stemflow yield and efficiency between two xerophytic shrubs: the effects of leaves and implications in drought tolerance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Yuan ◽  
G. Y. Gao ◽  
B. J. Fu
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Biomass ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Precipitation Threshold ◽  
First Time

Abstract. Stemflow transports enriched precipitation to the rhizosphere and is highly important for the survival of xerophytic shrubs in water-stressed ecosystems. However, its ecological significance has generally been underestimated because it is relatively limited in amount, and the biotic mechanisms that affect it have not been thoroughly studied at the leaf scale. In this study, the branch stemflow volume (SFb), the shrub stemflow equivalent water depth (SFd), the stemflow percentage of incident precipitation (SF%), the stemflow productivity (SFP), the funnelling ratio (FR), the rainfall characteristics and the plant traits of branches and leaves of C. korshinskii and S. psammophila were measured during the 2014 and 2015 rainy seasons in the northern Loess Plateau of China. This study evaluated the stemflow production efficiency for the first time with the combined results of SFP and FR, and sought to determine the inter- and intra-specific differences in stemflow production and production efficiency, as well as the specific bio-/abiotic mechanisms that affected stemflow. The results indicated that precipitation amount was the most influential rainfall characteristic that affected stemflow in these two endemic shrub species and that stem biomass and leaf biomass were the most influential plant traits in C. korshinskii and S. psammophila, respectively. C. korshinskii had a greater stemflow production and production efficiency at all precipitation levels, and the largest inter-specific difference was generally in the 5‒10-mm young shoots during the most frequent rainfall events of ≤2 mm. C. korshinskii had a lower precipitation threshold (0.9 mm vs. 2.1 mm for S. psammophila), which provided more available water from rainfall for stemflow. The leaves affected stemflow production, and the beneficial leaf traits contributed to the higher stemflow production of C. korshinskii. In summary, C. korshinskii might have greater drought tolerance and a competitive edge in a dryland ecosystem because of greater and more efficient stemflow production, a lower precipitation threshold and more advantageous leaf traits.

scholarly journals Leaf Nutrient Relations of Cycads in a Common Garden

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292110365
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Marler ◽  
Anders J. Lindström
Keyword(s):  
Common Garden ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Representative Species ◽  
Nutrient Relations ◽  
Homogeneous Environment ◽  
Dry Combustion

Background and Aims Research required to clarify leaf nutrient relations of cycad species has been inadequate. Common garden studies are useful for determining the influence of genetics on leaf traits because of the homogeneous environment among experimental units. To date, there have been no common garden studies which included all ten genera of cycads. The full phylogenetic breadth has, therefore, not been included in this important area of study. Methods We examined macronutrient and micronutrient content of leaves from one representative species from each of the ten cycad genera at Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Thailand. Nitrogen content was determined by dry combustion, and the remaining nutrients were quantified by spectrometry. Results The least variable elements were nitrogen and phosphorus, and the most variable elements were boron and sodium. Nutrient content based on leaflet area was more variable than based on leaflet mass, reflecting species differences in specific leaf area. There were no universal macronutrient or micronutrient signals indicating clear phylogenetic distinctions. Implications for Conservation: Active management of threatened cycad taxa requires research to develop the knowledge to enable evidence-based decisions. This common garden study inclusive of all 10 cycad genera creates a foundation to determine leaf nutrient sufficiency ranges to inform management decisions.

Diversity of phenolic compounds and plant traits in coexisting Patagonian desert shrub species of Argentina

Plant Ecology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 214 (11) ◽  
pp. 1335-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hebe Saraví Cisneros ◽  
Mónica B. Bertiller ◽  
Analía L. Carrera ◽  
Cecilia Larreguy
Keyword(s):  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Desert Shrub

scholarly journals Linking hydraulic traits to tropical forest function in a size-structured and trait-driven model (TFS v.1-Hydro)

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 4227-4255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley O. Christoffersen ◽  
Manuel Gloor ◽  
Sophie Fauset ◽  
Nikolaos M. Fyllas ◽  
David R. Galbraith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Water Potential ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Leaf Mass Per Area ◽  
Stem Water Potential ◽  
Plant Hydraulics ◽  
Individual Trees

Abstract. Forest ecosystem models based on heuristic water stress functions poorly predict tropical forest response to drought partly because they do not capture the diversity of hydraulic traits (including variation in tree size) observed in tropical forests. We developed a continuous porous media approach to modeling plant hydraulics in which all parameters of the constitutive equations are biologically interpretable and measurable plant hydraulic traits (e.g., turgor loss point πtlp, bulk elastic modulus ε, hydraulic capacitance Cft, xylem hydraulic conductivity ks,max, water potential at 50 % loss of conductivity for both xylem (P50,x) and stomata (P50,gs), and the leaf : sapwood area ratio Al : As). We embedded this plant hydraulics model within a trait forest simulator (TFS) that models light environments of individual trees and their upper boundary conditions (transpiration), as well as providing a means for parameterizing variation in hydraulic traits among individuals. We synthesized literature and existing databases to parameterize all hydraulic traits as a function of stem and leaf traits, including wood density (WD), leaf mass per area (LMA), and photosynthetic capacity (Amax), and evaluated the coupled model (called TFS v.1-Hydro) predictions, against observed diurnal and seasonal variability in stem and leaf water potential as well as stand-scaled sap flux. Our hydraulic trait synthesis revealed coordination among leaf and xylem hydraulic traits and statistically significant relationships of most hydraulic traits with more easily measured plant traits. Using the most informative empirical trait–trait relationships derived from this synthesis, TFS v.1-Hydro successfully captured individual variation in leaf and stem water potential due to increasing tree size and light environment, with model representation of hydraulic architecture and plant traits exerting primary and secondary controls, respectively, on the fidelity of model predictions. The plant hydraulics model made substantial improvements to simulations of total ecosystem transpiration. Remaining uncertainties and limitations of the trait paradigm for plant hydraulics modeling are highlighted.

How well do seed production traits correlate with leaf traits, whole-plant traits and plant ecological strategies?

Plant Ecology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 215 (11) ◽  
pp. 1351-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Pierce ◽  
Arianna Bottinelli ◽  
Ilaria Bassani ◽  
Roberta M. Ceriani ◽  
Bruno E. L. Cerabolini
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Ecological Strategies ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Plant Ecological

scholarly journals Adaptive drought tolerance during germination of Salsola drummondii seeds from saline and nonsaline habitats of the arid Arabian deserts

Botany ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attiat Elnaggar ◽  
Ali El-Keblawy ◽  
Kareem A. Mosa ◽  
Teresa Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Polyethylene Glycol ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Light Regimes ◽  
Saline Habitats ◽  
Population Origin ◽  
Effects Of Temperature ◽  
Osmotic Potentials

The effects of temperature, light, salinity, and drought on germination of halophytes have been extensively studied. However, few studies have focused on the germination of plants that grow well in both saline and nonsaline habitats (i.e., habitat-indifferent halophytes). Here, we assess the impacts of population origin, temperature, and light on drought tolerance, as simulated with polyethylene glycol (PEG), during germination of Salsola drummondii Ulbr., a habitat-indifferent halophyte from the arid Arabian deserts. Seeds were collected from both saline and nonsaline habitats and germinated at six concentrations of PEG at three temperatures and two light regimes. An increase in the concentration of PEG resulted in a significant reduction in seed germination, especially at higher temperatures. Seeds from the nonsaline habitat attained significantly greater germination efficiency at concentrations of PEG up to –1.2 MPa, but there was no difference in germination of seeds between the two habitats at concentrations of –1.5 MPa. Seeds from the saline habitat germinated significantly faster at higher concentrations of PEG. Germination was significantly higher in darkness than in light at –1.5 MPa at the lower temperatures, but the opposite was true for the higher temperatures. Seeds from saline habitats had higher levels of dormancy and faster rates of germination at higher concentrations of PEG because of their adaptation to low osmotic potentials.

scholarly journals Plant Functional Groups Dominate Responses of Plant Adaptive Strategies to Urbanization

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yihua Xiao ◽  
Shirong Liu ◽  
Manyun Zhang ◽  
Fuchun Tong ◽  
Zhihong Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
Resource Acquisition ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Heavy Metal Concentrations ◽  
Suburban Areas

Urbanization causes alteration in atmospheric, soil, and hydrological factors and substantially affects a range of morphological and physiological plant traits. Correspondingly, plants might adopt different strategies to adapt to urbanization promotion or pressure. Understanding of plant traits responding to urbanization will reveal the capacity of plant adaptation and optimize the choice of plant species in urbanization green. In this study, four different functional groups (herbs, shrubs, subcanopies, and canopies, eight plant species totally) located in urban, suburban, and rural areas were selected and eight replicated plants were selected for each species at each site. Their physiological and photosynthetic properties and heavy metal concentrations were quantified to reveal plant adaptive strategies to urbanization. The herb and shrub species had significantly higher starch and soluble sugar contents in urban than in suburban areas. Urbanization decreased the maximum photosynthetic rates and total chlorophyll contents of the canopies (Engelhardtia roxburghiana and Schima superba). The herbs (Lophatherum gracile and Alpinia chinensis) and shrubs (Ardisia quinquegona and Psychotria rubra) species in urban areas had significantly lower nitrogen (N) allocated in the cell wall and leaf δ15N values but higher heavy metal concentrations than those in suburban areas. The canopy and subcanopy (Diospyros morrisiana and Cratoxylum cochinchinense) species adapt to the urbanization via reducing resource acquisition but improving defense capacity, while the herb and shrub species improve resource acquisition to adapt to the urbanization. Our current studies indicated that functional groups affected the responses of plant adaptive strategies to the urbanization.

scholarly journals Data on Herbivore Performance and Plant Herbivore Damage Identify the Same Plant Traits as the Key Drivers of Plant–Herbivore Interaction

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 865
Author(s):  
Zuzana Münzbergová ◽  
Jiří Skuhrovec
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Damage ◽  
Herbivore Damage ◽  
Herbivore Performance ◽  
Physical Defense ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Data on plant herbivore damage as well as on herbivore performance have been previously used to identify key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions. The extent to which the two approaches lead to similar conclusions remains to be explored. We determined the effect of a free-living leaf-chewing generalist caterpillar, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on leaf damage of 24 closely related plant species from the Carduoideae subfamily and the effect of these plant species on caterpillar growth. We used a wide range of physical defense leaf traits and leaf nutrient contents as the plant traits. Herbivore performance and leaf damage were affected by similar plant traits. Traits related to higher caterpillar mortality (higher leaf dissection, number, length and toughness of spines and lower trichome density) also led to higher leaf damage. This fits with the fact that each caterpillar was feeding on a single plant and, thus, had to consume more biomass of the less suitable plants to obtain the same amount of nutrients. The key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions identified based on data on herbivore performance largely corresponded to the traits identified as important based on data on leaf damage. This suggests that both types of data may be used to identify the key plant traits determining plant–herbivore interactions. It is, however, important to carefully distinguish whether the data on leaf damage were obtained in the field or in a controlled feeding experiment, as the patterns expected in the two environments may go in opposite directions.

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