Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) is the leading theory of plant ecological strategies based on functional traits, which explains the trade-off between dry matter investment in leaf structure and the potential rate of resource return, revealing general patterns of leaf economic traits investment for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.798035/full |
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| author | Liang Ren Liang Ren Yongmei Huang Yongmei Huang Yingping Pan Yingping Pan Xiang Xiang Xiang Xiang Jiaxuan Huo Jiaxuan Huo Dehui Meng Dehui Meng Yuanyuan Wang Yuanyuan Wang Cheng Yu Cheng Yu |
| author_facet | Liang Ren Liang Ren Yongmei Huang Yongmei Huang Yingping Pan Yingping Pan Xiang Xiang Xiang Xiang Jiaxuan Huo Jiaxuan Huo Dehui Meng Dehui Meng Yuanyuan Wang Yuanyuan Wang Cheng Yu Cheng Yu |
| author_sort | Liang Ren |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The leaf economics spectrum (LES) is the leading theory of plant ecological strategies based on functional traits, which explains the trade-off between dry matter investment in leaf structure and the potential rate of resource return, revealing general patterns of leaf economic traits investment for different plant growth types, functional types, or biomes. Prior work has revealed the moderating role of different environmental factors on the LES, but whether the leaf trait bivariate relationships are shifted across climate regions or across continental scales requires further verification. Here we use the Köppen–Geiger climate classification, a very widely used and robust criterion, as a basis for classifying climate regions to explore climatic differences in leaf trait relationships. We compiled five leaf economic traits from a global dataset, including leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), photosynthesis per unit of leaf dry mass (Amass), leaf nitrogen concentration (Nmass), and leaf phosphorus concentration (Pmass). Moreover, we primarily used the standardized major axis (SMA) analysis to establish leaf trait bivariate relationships and to explore differences in trait relationships across climate regions as well as intercontinental differences within the same climate type. Leaf trait relationships were significantly correlated across almost all subgroups (P < 0.001). However, there was no common slope among different climate zones or climate types and the slopes of the groups fluctuated sharply up and down from the global estimates. The range of variation in the SMA slope of each leaf relationship was as follows: LDMC–SLA relationships (from −0.84 to −0.41); Amass–SLA relationships (from 0.83 to 1.97); Amass–Nmass relationships (from 1.33 to 2.25); Nmass–Pmass relationships (from 0.57 to 1.02). In addition, there was significant slope heterogeneity among continents within the Steppe climate (BS) or the Temperate humid climate (Cf). The shifts of leaf trait relationships in different climate regions provide evidence for environmentally driven differential plant investment in leaf economic traits. Understanding these differences helps to better calibrate various plant-climate models and reminds us that smaller-scale studies may need to be carefully compared with global studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:38:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46b259fd4e9c4c0f9e5d3190eca180af |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:38:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-46b259fd4e9c4c0f9e5d3190eca180af2022-12-22T01:41:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2022-03-011310.3389/fpls.2022.798035798035Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions WorldwideLiang Ren0Liang Ren1Yongmei Huang2Yongmei Huang3Yingping Pan4Yingping Pan5Xiang Xiang6Xiang Xiang7Jiaxuan Huo8Jiaxuan Huo9Dehui Meng10Dehui Meng11Yuanyuan Wang12Yuanyuan Wang13Cheng Yu14Cheng Yu15State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaThe leaf economics spectrum (LES) is the leading theory of plant ecological strategies based on functional traits, which explains the trade-off between dry matter investment in leaf structure and the potential rate of resource return, revealing general patterns of leaf economic traits investment for different plant growth types, functional types, or biomes. Prior work has revealed the moderating role of different environmental factors on the LES, but whether the leaf trait bivariate relationships are shifted across climate regions or across continental scales requires further verification. Here we use the Köppen–Geiger climate classification, a very widely used and robust criterion, as a basis for classifying climate regions to explore climatic differences in leaf trait relationships. We compiled five leaf economic traits from a global dataset, including leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), photosynthesis per unit of leaf dry mass (Amass), leaf nitrogen concentration (Nmass), and leaf phosphorus concentration (Pmass). Moreover, we primarily used the standardized major axis (SMA) analysis to establish leaf trait bivariate relationships and to explore differences in trait relationships across climate regions as well as intercontinental differences within the same climate type. Leaf trait relationships were significantly correlated across almost all subgroups (P < 0.001). However, there was no common slope among different climate zones or climate types and the slopes of the groups fluctuated sharply up and down from the global estimates. The range of variation in the SMA slope of each leaf relationship was as follows: LDMC–SLA relationships (from −0.84 to −0.41); Amass–SLA relationships (from 0.83 to 1.97); Amass–Nmass relationships (from 1.33 to 2.25); Nmass–Pmass relationships (from 0.57 to 1.02). In addition, there was significant slope heterogeneity among continents within the Steppe climate (BS) or the Temperate humid climate (Cf). The shifts of leaf trait relationships in different climate regions provide evidence for environmentally driven differential plant investment in leaf economic traits. Understanding these differences helps to better calibrate various plant-climate models and reminds us that smaller-scale studies may need to be carefully compared with global studies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.798035/fullplant strategiesleaf economics spectrum (LES)functional traitstrade-offsKöppen–Geiger climate classificationallometry |
| spellingShingle | Liang Ren Liang Ren Yongmei Huang Yongmei Huang Yingping Pan Yingping Pan Xiang Xiang Xiang Xiang Jiaxuan Huo Jiaxuan Huo Dehui Meng Dehui Meng Yuanyuan Wang Yuanyuan Wang Cheng Yu Cheng Yu Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide Frontiers in Plant Science plant strategies leaf economics spectrum (LES) functional traits trade-offs Köppen–Geiger climate classification allometry |
| title | Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide |
| title_full | Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide |
| title_fullStr | Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide |
| title_short | Differential Investment Strategies in Leaf Economic Traits Across Climate Regions Worldwide |
| title_sort | differential investment strategies in leaf economic traits across climate regions worldwide |
| topic | plant strategies leaf economics spectrum (LES) functional traits trade-offs Köppen–Geiger climate classification allometry |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.798035/full |
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