Frost and leaf-size gradients in forests: global patterns and experimental evidence

The New Phytologist
Christopher H LuskBenjamin Smith

Abstract

Explanations of leaf size variation commonly focus on water availability, yet leaf size also varies with latitude and elevation in environments where water is not strongly limiting. We provide the first conclusive test of a prediction of leaf energy balance theory that may explain this pattern: large leaves are more vulnerable to night-time chilling, because their thick boundary layers impede convective exchange with the surrounding air. Seedlings of 15 New Zealand evergreens spanning 12-fold variation in leaf width were exposed to clear night skies, and leaf temperatures were measured with thermocouples. We then used a global dataset to assess several climate variables as predictors of leaf size in forest assemblages. Leaf minus air temperature was strongly correlated with leaf width, ranging from -0.9 to -3.2°C in the smallest- and largest-leaved species, respectively. Mean annual temperature and frost-free period were good predictors of evergreen angiosperm leaf size in forest assemblages, but no climate variable predicted deciduous leaf size. Although winter deciduousness makes large leaves possible in strongly seasonal climates, large-leaved evergreens are largely confined to frost-free climates because of their susceptibi...Continue Reading

References

Apr 23, 2004·Nature·Ian J WrightRafael Villar
Oct 25, 2008·Science·Nathan J B KraftDavid D Ackerly
May 16, 2012·Annals of Botany·Christopher H LuskDaniel S Falster
Aug 30, 2012·Nature Methods·Caroline A SchneiderKevin W Eliceiri
Nov 8, 2012·American Journal of Botany·Benjamin BlonderBrian J Enquist
Mar 19, 2013·The New Phytologist·Simon ScheiterSteven I Higgins
Dec 24, 2013·Nature·Amy E ZanneJeremy M Beaulieu
Sep 3, 2016·The New Phytologist·Christopher H Lusk, Daniel C Laughlin
Jul 26, 2017·Nature Communications·Lei ChengYongqiang Zhang
Sep 2, 2017·Science·Ian J WrightPeter Wilf
Nov 28, 2017·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Richard J HobbsStephen T Jackson

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Citations

Apr 16, 2019·The New Phytologist·Christopher H LuskDaniel C Laughlin
Mar 22, 2020·The New Phytologist·Ning DongAndrew J Lowe
Dec 1, 2019·Biomimetics·Ariana I K S Rupp, Petra Gruber
Jun 9, 2020·Frontiers in Plant Science·Christopher H LuskDaniel C Laughlin
Jun 17, 2021·The New Phytologist·Sandy P HarrisonIan J Wright

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