Leaf morphological and anatomical traits from tropical to temperate coniferous forests: Mechanisms and influencing factors

Scientific Reports
Miao TianJihua Hou

Abstract

Leaf traits may reflect the adaptation mechanisms of plants to the environment. In this study, we investigated leaf morphological and anatomical traits in nine cold-temperate to tropical forests along a 4,200-km transect to test how they vary across latitudinal gradients. The results showed that leaf dry weight decreased (P < 0.05), while specific leaf area (SLA) increased (P < 0.05) with increasing latitude. Stomatal length and stomatal density did not change significantly, while stomatal pore area index increased (P < 0.05) with increasing latitude. The palisade-leaf mesophyll thickness ratio increased (P < 0.01), while the spongy-leaf mesophyll thickness ratio decreased, with increasing latitude (P < 0.01). Climate and leaf nutrients were the main factors that regulated leaf morphological and anatomical traits. Furthermore, we identified positive correlations between leaf area and leaf dry weight, leaf thickness and palisade mesophyll thickness, but negative correlations between stomatal length and stomatal density (all P < 0.01). The observed negative correlations represented the adaptive mechanisms of leaves through their morphological and anatomical traits. These findings provided new insights into the responses of leaf m...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 17, 2017·Botanical Studies·Patricia RiveraTeresa Terrazas
May 6, 2019·Global Change Biology·Gabriele MidoloCamilla Wellstein
Dec 15, 2020·American Journal of Botany·Agathe ToumoulinLawren Sack

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