Leaf traits from stomata to morphology are associated with climatic and edaphic variables for dominant tropical forest evergreen oaks
Yutong, Lin (South China Botanical Garden)
Kuang, Luhui (South China Botanical Garden)
Tang, Songbo (South China Botanical Garden)
Mou, Zhijian (South China Botanical Garden)
Phillips, Oliver L. (University of Leeds. School of Geography)
Lambers, Hans (University of Western Australia. School of Biological Sciences)
Liu, Zhanfeng (South China Botanical Garden)
Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Lai, Yuan (South China Botanical Garden)
Lin, Mingxian (Chinese Academy of Forestry. Research Institute of Tropical Forestry)
Chen, Dexiang (Chinese Academy of Forestry. Research Institute of Tropical Forestry)
Kuang, Yuanwen (South China Botanical Gardenn)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Aims: understanding variation and coordination of leaf traits at multiscales along elevational gradients can help predict the likely responses of dominant species to climate change. We seek to determine the extent to which variation in leaf stomatal, anatomical and morphological traits is associated with environmental factors, and whether ecological strategies of Cyclobalanopsis species shift with elevations. - Methods: in a tropical forest landscape in Jianfengling, South China, we determined leaf traits related to stomata, anatomy and morphology of six evergreen oak species (Cyclobalanopsis bambusaefolia, C. hui, C. patelliformis, C. fleuryi, C. tiaoloshanica and C. phanera) along a long elevational gradient (400-1400 m above sea level). - Important Findings: we found that stomatal density and stomatal pore index increased, whereas spongy mesophyll thickness to leaf thickness ratios decreased, significantly with elevation. The leaf area and leaf dry matter content increased and decreased, respectively, with elevation. Variations in stomatal, anatomical and morphological traits were mainly correlated to the mean annual temperature, mean annual sum precipitation and soil pH. At low and high elevations, the oak species exhibited strong stress tolerance combined with competition strategy, while they shifted toward more clearly the competitive strategy at intermediate elevations. And the changes in soil phosphorus concentration and soil pH along the elevation may drive the shift of ecological strategy. The results showed that the dominant oak species in tropical forests respond to environmental change by modulating traits at multiple levels, from that of the individual cell, through tissue and up to the whole leaf scale.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Elevational gradient ; Ecological strategy ; Leaf traits ; Oak species ; Tropical forest
Published in:	Journal of Plant Ecology, Vol. 14, issue 6 (December 2021) . p. 1115-1127, ISSN 1752-993X

DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtab060

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
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