Modulation of leaf economic traits and trait relationships by climate |
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| Authors: | Ian J Wright Peter B Reich Johannes H C Cornelissen Daniel S Falster Philip K Groom Kouki Hikosaka William Lee Christopher H Lusk Ülo Niinemets Jacek Oleksyn Noriyuki Osada Hendrik Poorter David I Warton Mark Westoby |
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| Institution: | Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia,;Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA,;Institute of Ecological Science, Department of Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,;Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway,;Department of Environmental Biology, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA 6845, Australia,;Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai 980–8578, Japan,;Landcare Research, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin, New Zealand,;Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile,;Department of Plant Physiology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, Tartu 51011, Estonia,;Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Dendrology, Parkowa 5, 62–035 Kornik, Poland,;Nikko Botanical Garden, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan,;Plant Ecophysiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands, and;Department of Statistics, School of Mathematics, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Aim Our aim was to quantify climatic influences on key leaf traits and relationships at the global scale. This knowledge provides insight into how plants have adapted to different environmental pressures, and will lead to better calibration of future vegetation–climate models. Location The data set represents vegetation from 175 sites around the world. Methods For more than 2500 vascular plant species, we compiled data on leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf life span (LL), nitrogen concentration (Nmass) and photosynthetic capacity (Amass). Site climate was described with several standard indices. Correlation and regression analyses were used for quantifying relationships between single leaf traits and climate. Standardized major axis (SMA) analyses were used for assessing the effect of climate on bivariate relationships between leaf traits. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to summarize multidimensional trait variation. Results At hotter, drier and higher irradiance sites, (1) mean LMA and leaf N per area were higher; (2) average LL was shorter at a given LMA, or the increase in LL was less for a given increase in LMA (LL–LMA relationships became less positive); and (3) Amass was lower at a given Nmass, or the increase in Amass was less for a given increase in Nmass. Considering all traits simultaneously, 18% of variation along the principal multivariate trait axis was explained by climate. Main conclusions Trait‐shifts with climate were of sufficient magnitude to have major implications for plant dry mass and nutrient economics, and represent substantial selective pressures associated with adaptation to different climatic regimes. |
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| Keywords: | Irradiance leaf mass per area leaf life span nitrogen photosynthesis plant strategies rainfall temperature |
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