Evolution of leaf structure and drought tolerance in species of Californian <i>Ceanothus</i>

Fletcher, Leila R.; Cui, Hongxia; Callahan, Hilary S.; Scoffoni, Christine; John, Grace P.; Bartlett, Megan K.; Bürge, Dylan O.; Sack, Lawren

doi:10.1002/ajb2.1164

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…3; Table 1) is both novel and consistent with previous studies linking these traits to habitat and drought tolerance. Previous studies have demonstrated that

π_{tlp}

and

{PLA}_{dry}

are physiologically meaningful traits linked to species distribution along moisture gradients (Maréchaux et al ., 2015; Fletcher et al ., 2018; Zhu et al ., 2018; Medeiros et al ., 2019; Rosas et al ., 2019; Simeone et al ., 2019), and our findings indicate that these traits also influence drought responses. Furthermore, the observed linkage of

π_{tlp}

italicRt

in this forest aligns with observations in the Amazon that

π_{tlp}

is higher in drought‐intolerant than drought‐tolerant plant functional types.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree height and leaf drought tolerance traits shape growth responses across droughts in a temperate broadleaf forest

et al. 2020

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As climate change drives increased drought in many forested regions, mechanistic understanding of the factors conferring drought tolerance in trees is increasingly important. The dendrochronological record provides a window through which we can understand how tree size and traits shape growth responses to droughts.We analyzed tree-ring records for 12 species in a broadleaf deciduous forest in Virginia (USA) to test hypotheses for how tree height, microenvironment characteristics, and species' traits shaped drought responses across the three strongest regional droughts over a 60-yr period.Drought tolerance (resistance, recovery, and resilience) decreased with tree height, which was strongly correlated with exposure to higher solar radiation and evaporative demand. The potentially greater rooting volume of larger trees did not confer a resistance advantage, but marginally increased recovery and resilience, in sites with low topographic wetness index. Drought tolerance was greater among species whose leaves lost turgor (wilted) at more negative water potentials and experienced less shrinkage upon desiccation.The tree-ring record reveals that tree height and leaf drought tolerance traits influenced growth responses during and after significant droughts in the meteorological record. As climate change-induced droughts intensify, tall trees with drought-sensitive leaves will be most vulnerable to immediate and longer-term growth reductions.

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“…3; Table 1) is both novel and consistent with previous studies linking these traits to habitat and drought tolerance. Previous studies have demonstrated that

π_{tlp}

and

{PLA}_{dry}

π_{tlp}

italicRt

in this forest aligns with observations in the Amazon that

π_{tlp}

is higher in drought‐intolerant than drought‐tolerant plant functional types.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree height and leaf drought tolerance traits shape growth responses across droughts in a temperate broadleaf forest

et al. 2020

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“…In both types of analysis, the r values provide a conservative estimate of trait-climate relationships. As in previous biogeographic trait-climate analyses 134,135 , we related species' average trait values from a 601 database or experimental measurements to modelled native climates based on natural occurrences; relationships would be yet stronger if traits and climate were matched for individual plants 136 . Additionally, the modelled native climates do not account for variation to which species would be adapted in the field in temperature, irradiance and water availability due to 605 microclimate associated with topography and canopy cover, or soil characteristics; accounting for this variation would likely improve the strength of trait-climate relationships 136 .…”

Section: Testing Trait-climate Associationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental and biophysical determinants of grass leaf size worldwide

Baird

Taylor

Pasquet‐Kok

et al. 2021

Nature

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One of the most striking ecological trends is the association of small leaves with dry and cold climates, described 2400 years ago by Theophrastus, and recently recognized for eudicotyledonous plants at the global scale 1-3 . For eudicotyledons, this pattern is attributed 24 to small leaves having a thinner boundary layer to avoid extreme leaf temperatures 4 , and 25 their developing vein traits that improve water transport under cold or dry climates 5,6 . Yet, 26 the global distribution of leaf size and its mechanisms have not been tested in grasses, an 27 extraordinarily diverse lineage, distinct in leaf morphology, which contributes 33% of 28 terrestrial primary productivity, including the bulk of crop production 7 . Here we demonstrate that grasses have shorter and narrower leaves under colder and drier climates worldwide. We show that small grass leaves have thermal advantages and vein development that contrast with those of eudicotyledons, but that also explain the abundance of small leaves in cold and dry climates. The worldwide distribution of grass leaf size exemplifies how biophysical and developmental processes result in convergence across major lineages in adaptation to climate globally, and highlights the importance of leaf size and venation architecture for grass performance in past, present and future ecosystems. Data Fig. 1, SupplementaryTable 3). We tested whether developmental scaling would confer 64 small leaves with potential climatic advantages. 65 4 66 Box 1. Synthetic model of grass leaf vein development based on published data for 20 species (Supplementary Tables 5-6), conferring small leaves with traits advantageous under cold and dry climates Grass leaf development includes five phases based on developmental zones: Phase P (formation and expansion of the primordium, P): "Founder cells" in the periphery of the shoot apical meristem generate the leaf primordium. Cell divisions drive growth of a hood-like structure, in which the central 1° vein (midvein) and the large 2° veins are initiated early and extend acropetally, enabling their prolonged diameter growth (Box 1 Fig. 1a, c, e). Henceforth, discrete spatial growth zones develop at the leaf base and drive leaf expansion laterally and longitudinally. Phase D (formation of the cell division zone, DZ):The basal cell division zone (DZ) expands slightly, driving minimal growth (Box 1 Fig. 1a, b). The 1° and 2° vein orders (major veins) complete their patterning basipetally along the leaf blade and increase in diameter (Box 1 Fig. 1c, e). Meanwhile, beginning at the lamina tip, C 3 species form a single order of small longitudinal minor veins, i.e., 3° veins, as do most C 4 species, i.e., C 4-3L species. Some C 4 species of the subfamily Panicoideae additionally form smaller 4° veins, i.e., C 4-4L species 15 (Box 1 Fig. 1c). Phase D-E (DZ, and formation of the expansion zone, EZ):Cells from the DZ transition to a distinct, distal expansion zone (EZ).In the EZ, cell expansion in width and length spaces apart the 1° and 2° veins, resulting in th...

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“…Additionally, we tested whether RGR was related to 15 traits that we hypothesized to be associated with climate and/or flowering times, given they have been described as contributing to resistance or avoidance of cold or dry climates in the published literature for diverse species (hypothesized trait–climate relationships reviewed in Table 1), including reproductive traits such as seed mass and flowering times; biomass allocation traits such as RMF and reproductive mass fraction (ReproMF); relative growth rate components including specific leaf area (SLA; the inverse of LMA), leaf mass fraction (LMF), leaf area ratio (LAR) and unit leaf rate (ULR), where RGR = ULR × LAR, and LAR = SLA × LMF (Evans, 1972; Hunt, 1990; Lambers et al ., 1998); leaf morphological traits such as leaf size, thickness and density; and leaf composition and biochemistry traits such as Chl per area (Chl/area), carbon isotope ratio (δ 13 C), N area , N mass and the leaf osmotic potential at full turgor (π o ), the main biophysical determinant of wilting point (i.e. turgor loss point; Bartlett et al ., 2012a,b; Fletcher et al ., 2018; Griffin‐Nolan et al ., 2019). We also tested for correlations among leaf economics traits, that is that LMA, N area and Chl/area would be positively correlated and LMA and N mass would be negatively correlated (Wright et al ., 2004), and whether this variation was associated with RGR.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the association of relative growth rate and adaptation to climate across natural ecotypes of Arabidopsis

et al. 2022

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Ecophysiologists have reported a range of relationships, including intrinsic trade-offs across and within species between plant relative growth rate in high resource conditions (RGR) vs adaptation to tolerate cold or arid climates, arising from trait-based mechanisms. Few studies have considered ecotypes within a species, in which the lack of a trade-off would contribute to a wide species range and resilience to climate change.For 15 ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana in a common garden we tested for associations between RGR vs adaptation to cold or dry native climates and assessed hypotheses for its mediation by 15 functional traits.Ecotypes native to warmer, drier climates had higher leaf density, leaf mass per area, root mass fraction, nitrogen per leaf area and carbon isotope ratio, and lower osmotic potential at full turgor. Relative growth rate was statistically independent of the climate of the ecotype native range and of individual functional traits.The decoupling of RGR and cold or drought adaptation in Arabidopsis is consistent with multiple stress resistance and avoidance mechanisms for ecotypic climate adaptation and would contribute to the species' wide geographic range and resilience as the climate changes.

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Evolution of leaf structure and drought tolerance in species of Californian Ceanothus

Cited by 27 publications

References 109 publications

Tree height and leaf drought tolerance traits shape growth responses across droughts in a temperate broadleaf forest

Tree height and leaf drought tolerance traits shape growth responses across droughts in a temperate broadleaf forest

Developmental and biophysical determinants of grass leaf size worldwide

Testing the association of relative growth rate and adaptation to climate across natural ecotypes of Arabidopsis

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