scholarly journals Intraspecific variability of leaf traits and functional strategy of Himantoglossum adriaticum H. Baumann

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Mattia Baltieri ◽  
Edy Fantinato ◽  
Silvia Del Vecchio ◽  
Gabriella Buffa
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
General Validity ◽  
Dry Grasslands ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Community Interest ◽  
Csr Strategy

Trait-based studies have become extremely common in plant ecology. In this work we analysed intraspecific trait variation of Himantoglossum adriaticum, a European endemic orchid species of Community interest, to investigate whether different populations growing on managed and abandoned semi-natural dry grasslands show differences in the CSR strategy. In seven populations occurring in Veneto Region (NE Italy), we measured H. adriaticum maximum vegetative height, leaf traits (LA, LDMC, SLA) and calculated the CSR strategy. Through CCA we investigated the relationship between plant traits and both plant community attributes (cover and height of herbs and shrubs), and geomorphologic features (aspects and slope). PERMANOVA test was used to investigate if the CSR strategy of H. adriaticum varied according to the management regime. Results showed that individuals of H. adriaticum develop different strategies when growing in different habitats. Specifically, individuals growing in managed fully sunny dry grasslands reached higher vegetative height (MH), had lower values of SLA and a higher relative contribution of the C parameter than individuals growing in abandoned dry grasslands, which, on the contrary, were shorter, had higher values of SLA (and correspondingly lower values of LDMC) and a higher relative contribution of the R parameter. Further data on reproductive traits (e.g. fruit and seed-set) may corroborate our results. Although the number of individuals addressed in this study is rather low, and our conclusions may not be considered of general validity for the species, our study demonstrated the applicability of the CSR strategy scheme in detecting functional strategies at intraspecific level.

scholarly journals Leaf trait variability between and within subalpine grassland species differs depending on site conditions and herbivory

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1907) ◽  
pp. 20190429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Firn ◽  
Huong Nguyen ◽  
Martin Schütz ◽  
Anita C. Risch
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Phosphorus Concentration ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Leaf Trait ◽  
Interspecific Variability ◽  
Herbivore Exclusion ◽  
Trait Variability

Plant traits are commonly used to predict ecosystem-level processes, but the validity of such predictions is dependent on the assumption that trait variability between species is greater than trait variability within a species—the robustness assumption. Here, we compare leaf trait intraspecific and interspecific variability depending on geographical differences between sites and 5 years of experimental herbivore exclusion in two vegetation types of subalpine grasslands in Switzerland. Four leaf traits were measured from eight herbaceous species common to all 18 sites. Intraspecific trait variability differed significantly depending on site and herbivory. However, the amount and structure of variability depended on the trait measured and whether considering leaf traits separately or multiple leaf traits simultaneously. Leaf phosphorus concentration showed the highest intraspecific variability, while specific leaf area showed the highest interspecific variability and displayed intraspecific variability only in response to herbivore exclusion. Species identity based on multiple traits was not predictable. We find intraspecific variability is an essential consideration when using plant functional traits as a common currency not just species mean traits. This is particularly true for leaf nutrient concentrations, which showed high intraspecific variability in response to site differences and herbivore exclusion, a finding which suggests that the robustness assumption does not always hold.

scholarly journals Impacts of intraspecific variability and local adaptation on the ecophysiology of mosses: an example with Sphagnum magellanicum

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobi A. Oke ◽  
Merritt R. Turetsky ◽  
David J. Weston ◽  
A. Jonathan Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Plant Group ◽  
Diverse Plant ◽  
Sphagnum Magellanicum

AbstractBackgroundBryophytes are a diverse plant group and are functionally different from vascular plants. Yet, plant ecology theories and hypotheses are often presented in an inclusive term. The trait-based approach to ecology is no exception; largely focusing on vascular plant traits and almost exclusively on interspecific traits. Currently, we lack information about the magnitude and the importance of intraspecific variability to the ecophysiology of bryophytes and how these might translate to local adaptation—a prerequisite for adaptive evolution.MethodWe used transplant and factorial experiments involving moisture and light to ask whether variability in traits between morphologically distinct individuals of Sphagnum magellanicum from habitat extremes was due to phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation and the implications for the ecophysiology of the species.Key ResultsWe found that the factors that discriminated between the plant origins in the field did not translate to their ecophysiological functioning and the pattern of variability changed with the treatments, which suggests that the trait responses were due largely to phenotypic plasticity. The trait responses suggest that the need for mosses to grow in clumps where they maintain a uniform growth rate may have an overriding effect on responses to environmental heterogeneity, and therefore a constraint for local adaptation.ConclusionThe circumstances under which local adaptation would be beneficial in this plant group is not clear. We conclude that extending the trait-based framework to mosses or making comparisons between mosses and vascular plants under any theoretical framework would only be meaningful to the extent that growth form and dispersal strategies are considered.

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 Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. e0219908
Author(s):  
Jalal Kassout ◽  
Jean-Frederic Terral ◽  
John G. Hodgson ◽  
Mohammed Ater
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Wild Olive ◽  
Climate Studies

scholarly journals Integrating Multiple Lines of Evidence to Explore Intraspecific Variability in a Rare Endemic Alpine Plant and Implications for Its Conservation

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1160
Author(s):  
Martino Adamo ◽  
Stefano Mammola ◽  
Virgile Noble ◽  
Marco Mucciarelli
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Nominal Species ◽  
Peripheral Populations ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality

We studied the ecology, distribution, and phylogeography of Tephroseris balbisiana, a rare plant whose range is centered to the South-Western Alps. Our aim was to assess the extent of intraspecific variability within the nominal species and the conservation status of isolated populations. We studied genetic diversity across the whole species range. We analyzed leaf traits, which are distinctive morphological characters within the Tephroseris genus. A clear pattern of genetic variation was found among populations of T. balbisiana, which clustered according to their geographic position. On the contrary, there was a strong overlap in the morphological space of individuals across the species’ range, with few peripheral populations diverging in their leaf morphology. Studying habitat suitability by means of species distribution models, we observed that T. balbisiana range is primarily explained by solar radiation and precipitation seasonality. Environmental requirements could explain the genetic and morphological uniformity of T. balbisiana in its core distribution area and justify genetic, morphological, and ecological divergences found among the isolated populations of the Apennines. Our findings emphasize the need to account for the whole diversity of a species, comprising peripheral populations, in order to better estimate its status and to prioritize areas for its conservation.

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.

scholarly journals Relative importance of transpiration rate and leaf morphological traits for the regulation of leaf temperature

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madalena Vaz Monteiro ◽  
Tijana Blanuša ◽  
Anne Verhoef ◽  
Paul Hadley ◽  
Ross W. F. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Water Loss ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Leaf Temperature ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Plant Structure ◽  
Leaf Colour

Urban greening solutions such as green roofs help improve residents’ thermal comfort and building insulation. However, not all plants provide the same level of cooling. This is partially due to differences in plant structure and function, including different mechanisms that plants employ to regulate leaf temperature. Ranking of multiple leaf and plant traits involved in the regulation of leaf temperature (and, consequently, plants’ cooling ‘service’) is not well understood. We, therefore, investigated the relative importance of water loss, leaf colour, thickness and extent of pubescence for the regulation of leaf temperature, in the context of species for semi-extensive green roofs. Leaf temperature was measured with an infrared imaging camera in a range of contrasting genotypes within three plant genera (Heuchera, Salvia and Sempervivum). In three glasshouse experiments (each evaluating three or four genotypes of each genus), we varied water availability to the plants and assessed how leaf temperature altered depending on water loss and specific leaf traits. Greatest reductions in leaf temperature were closely associated with higher water loss. Additionally, in non-succulents (Heuchera, Salvia), lighter leaf colour and longer hair length (on pubescent leaves) both contributed to reduced leaf temperature. However, in succulent Sempervivum, colour and pubescence made no significant contribution; leaf thickness and rate of water loss were the key regulating factors. We propose that this can lead to different plant types having significantly different potentials for cooling. We suggest that maintaining transpirational water loss by sustainable irrigation and selecting urban plants with favourable morphological traits are the key to maximising thermal benefits provided by applications such as green roofs.

scholarly journals New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Pérez-Harguindeguy ◽  
S. Díaz ◽  
E. Garnier ◽  
S. Lavorel ◽  
H. Poorter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Ecosystem Properties ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Wide Range

Plant functional traits are the features (morphological, physiological, phenological) that represent ecological strategies and determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels and influence ecosystem properties. Variation in plant functional traits, and trait syndromes, has proven useful for tackling many important ecological questions at a range of scales, giving rise to a demand for standardised ways to measure ecologically meaningful plant traits. This line of research has been among the most fruitful avenues for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes. It also has the potential both to build a predictive set of local, regional and global relationships between plants and environment and to quantify a wide range of natural and human-driven processes, including changes in biodiversity, the impacts of species invasions, alterations in biogeochemical processes and vegetation–atmosphere interactions. The importance of these topics dictates the urgent need for more and better data, and increases the value of standardised protocols for quantifying trait variation of different species, in particular for traits with power to predict plant- and ecosystem-level processes, and for traits that can be measured relatively easily. Updated and expanded from the widely used previous version, this handbook retains the focus on clearly presented, widely applicable, step-by-step recipes, with a minimum of text on theory, and not only includes updated methods for the traits previously covered, but also introduces many new protocols for further traits. This new handbook has a better balance between whole-plant traits, leaf traits, root and stem traits and regenerative traits, and puts particular emphasis on traits important for predicting species’ effects on key ecosystem properties. We hope this new handbook becomes a standard companion in local and global efforts to learn about the responses and impacts of different plant species with respect to environmental changes in the present, past and future.

scholarly journals Fossil Angiosperm Leaves: Paleobotany's Difficult Children Prove Themselves

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 319-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Wilf
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Feeding Damage ◽  
Leaf Architecture ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Fossil Leaves ◽  
Past Climate Change ◽  
Scientific Value ◽  
Time Extinction

The great bulk of the angiosperm fossil record consists of isolated fossil leaves that preserve abundant shape and venation (leaf architectural) information but are difficult to identify because they are not attached to other plant organs. Thus, poor taxonomic knowledge has tempered the tremendous potential of fossil leaves for constructing finely resolved records of biodiversity through time, extinction and recovery, past climate change and biotic response, paleoecology, and plant-animal associations. Moreover, paleoecological and paleoclimatic interpretations of fossil leaves are in great need of new approaches. Recent work is rapidly increasing the scientific value of fossil angiosperm leaves through advances in traditional paleobotanical reconstruction, phylogenetic understanding of both leaf architecture and the response of leaf shape to climate, quantitative plant ecology using measurable, correlatable leaf traits, and improved understanding of insect leaf-feeding damage. These emerging areas offer many novel opportunities to link paleoecology and neoecology. Increased collaboration across traditionally separate research areas is critical to continued success.

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