Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient
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...
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/6/1626 |
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| author | Gui-Qing Xu Stefan K. Arndt Claire Farrell |
| author_facet | Gui-Qing Xu Stefan K. Arndt Claire Farrell |
| author_sort | Gui-Qing Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 (π<sub>100</sub>), turgor loss point (<i>Ψ</i><sub>TLP</sub>), and midday leaf water potential (<i>Ψ</i><sub>mid</sub>) were significantly correlated with most climate variables of their origins. We proposed using leaf sizes, Huber values, and <i>Ψ</i><sub>TLP</sub> as predictors of drought tolerance across shrub species and shrub biomes. Statistically significant correlations were found between π<sub>100</sub>, <i>Ψ</i><sub>TLP</sub>, 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. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4744054e2854d60aacf1c7365c16e1e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:20:14Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-c4744054e2854d60aacf1c7365c16e1e2023-11-20T03:03:46ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412020-06-01126162610.3390/w12061626Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture GradientGui-Qing Xu0Stefan K. Arndt1Claire Farrell2State Key Lab of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang 830011, ChinaDepartment of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Victoria 3121, AustraliaDepartment of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Victoria 3121, AustraliaIdentifying 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 (π<sub>100</sub>), turgor loss point (<i>Ψ</i><sub>TLP</sub>), and midday leaf water potential (<i>Ψ</i><sub>mid</sub>) were significantly correlated with most climate variables of their origins. We proposed using leaf sizes, Huber values, and <i>Ψ</i><sub>TLP</sub> as predictors of drought tolerance across shrub species and shrub biomes. Statistically significant correlations were found between π<sub>100</sub>, <i>Ψ</i><sub>TLP</sub>, 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/6/1626biogeographyclimatedrought tolerancemorphological traitsphysiological traits |
| spellingShingle | Gui-Qing Xu Stefan K. Arndt Claire Farrell Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient Water biogeography climate drought tolerance morphological traits physiological traits |
| title | Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient |
| title_full | Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient |
| title_fullStr | Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient |
| title_short | Leaf Traits of Drought Tolerance for 37 Shrub Species Originating from a Moisture Gradient |
| title_sort | leaf traits of drought tolerance for 37 shrub species originating from a moisture gradient |
| topic | biogeography climate drought tolerance morphological traits physiological traits |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/6/1626 |
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