Bringing together leaf trait data spanning 2,548 species and 175 sites we describe, for the first time at global scale, a universal spectrum of leaf economics consisting of key chemical, structural and physiological properties. The spectrum runs from quick to slow return on investments of nutrients and dry mass in leaves, and operates largely independently of growth form, plant functional type or biome. Categories along the spectrum would, in general, describe leaf economic variation at the global scale better than plant functional types, because functional types overlap substantially in their leaf traits. Overall, modulation of leaf traits and trait relationships by climate is surprisingly modest, although some striking and significant patterns can be seen. Reliable quantification of the leaf economics spectrum and its interaction with climate will prove valuable for modelling nutrient fluxes and vegetation boundaries under changing land-use and climate.Green leaves are fundamental for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Their pigments are the predominant signal seen from space. Nitrogen uptake and carbon assimilation by plants and the decomposability of leaves drive biogeochemical cycles. Animals, fungi and other heterotrophs in ecosystems are fuelled by photosynthate, and their habitats are structured by the stems on which leaves are deployed. Plants invest photosynthate and mineral nutrients in the construction of leaves, which in turn return a revenue stream of photosynthate over their lifetimes. The photosynthate is used to acquire mineral nutrients, to support metabolism and to re-invest in leaves, their supporting stems and other plant parts.There are more than 250,000 vascular plant species, all engaging in the same processes of investment and reinvestment of carbon and mineral nutrients, and all making enough surplus to ensure continuity to future generations. These processes of investment and re-investment are inherently economic in nature [1][2][3] . Understanding how these processes vary between species, plant functional types and the vegetation of different biomes is a major goal for plant ecology and crucial for modelling how nutrient fluxes and vegetation boundaries will shift with land-use and climate change. Data set and parametersWe formed a global plant trait network (Glopnet) to quantify leaf economics across the world's plant species. The Glopnet data set spans 2,548 species from 219 families at 175 sites (approximately 1% of the extant vascular plant species). The coverage of traits, species and sites is at least tenfold greater than previous data compilations [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] , extends to all vegetated continents, and represents a wide range of vegetation types, from arctic tundra to tropical rainforest, from hot to cold deserts, from boreal forest to grasslands. Site elevation ranges from below sea level (Death Valley, USA) to 4,800 m. Mean annual temperature (MAT) ranges from 216.5 8C to 27.5 8C; mean annual rainfall (MAR) ranges from 133 to 5,300 mm per year. This cove...

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Summary• It has long been believed that plant species from the tropics have higher levels of traits associated with resistance to herbivores than do species from higher latitudes. A meta-analysis recently showed that the published literature does not support this theory. However, the idea has never been tested using data gathered with consistent methods from a wide range of latitudes.• We quantified the relationship between latitude and a broad range of chemical and physical traits across 301 species from 75 sites world-wide.• Six putative resistance traits, including tannins, the concentration of lipids (an indicator of oils, waxes and resins), and leaf toughness were greater in highlatitude species. Six traits, including cyanide production and the presence of spines, were unrelated to latitude. Only ash content (an indicator of inorganic substances such as calcium oxalates and phytoliths) and the properties of species with delayed greening were higher in the tropics.• Our results do not support the hypothesis that tropical plants have higher levels of resistance traits than do plants from higher latitudes. If anything, plants have higher resistance toward the poles. The greater resistance traits of high-latitude species might be explained by the greater cost of losing a given amount of leaf tissue in low-productivity environments.

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Seasonal and diurnal trends in carbon assimilation, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential were studied using 1–3 m tall saplings of Eucalyptus tetrodonta (F.Muell.). The study site was in an unburnt savanna near Darwin, where rainfall is strongly seasonal. Mean daily maximum assimilation rates ranged from 14.5 µmol m-2 s-1 in May to 4.8 µmol m-2 s-1 in October. There was a linear relationship between daily maximum assimilation rates and pre-dawn leaf water potential (r = 0.62, n = 508) and a log–log linear relationship between daily maximum stomatal conductance and pre-dawn leaf water potential (r = 0.68, n = 508). Assimilation rates and stomatal conductance were always higher in the morning than in the afternoon, irrespective of season. Stomatal conductance responded more strongly to leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference when pre-dawn leaf water potentials were moderately low (–0.5 to –1.5 MPa) than when they were very low (< –1.5 MPa) or high (> –0.5 MPa). Assimilation decreased sharply when temperature exceeded 35˚C. Seasonal trends in assimilation rate could be attributed primarily to stomatal closure, but diurnal trends could not. High leaf temperatures were a major cause of lower assimilation rates in the afternoon. Approximately 90% of leaves were lost by the end of the dry season, and above-ground growth was very slow. It is hypothesised that E. tetrodonta saplings allocate most photosynthate to root and lignotuber growth in order to tolerate seasonal drought and the high frequency of fire in northern Australian savannas.