Geographical variation in functional traits of leaves of Caryopteris mongholica and the role of climate

BMC Plant Biology

Research

Chao Liu¹  Weilun Yin¹  Ruoxuan Ji¹  Xiao Yu¹  Mingming Li¹  Xinli Xia¹ 

[1] National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China;

关键词: Leaf functional traits;    Adaptation;    Intra-specific variation;    Climatic factors;    Caryopteris mongholica;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12870-023-04410-9

 received in 2023-04-12, accepted in 2023-08-11,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundQuantifying intra-specific variation in leaf functional traits along environmental gradients is important for understanding species' responses to climate change. In this study, we assessed the degree of among and within populations variation in leaf functional traits and explored leaf response to geographic and climate change using Caryopteris mongholica as material, which has a wide range of distribution environments.ResultsWe selected 40 natural populations of C. mongholica, measured 8 leaf functional traits, analyzed the extent of trait variation among and within populations, and developed geographic and climatic models to explain trait variation between populations. Our results showed that the variation in leaf functional traits of C. mongholica was primarily lower within populations compared to among populations. Specifically, the leaf area (LA) exhibited higher variability both among and within populations, whereas leaf carbon content (LC) exhibited lower variation within populations but greater variation among populations. We observed a specific covariation pattern among traits and a strong linkage between morphological, economic, and mechanical traits. Increasing minimum temperature, precipitation of month, and seasonal precipitation differences all limited the growth and development of C. mongholica. However, it was observed that an increase in mean annual precipitation positively influenced the morphological development of its leaf.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate the response of intra-specific trait variation to the environment and provide valuable insights into the adaptation of intra-specific leaf functional traits under changing climatic conditions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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