Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming
Phenotypic plasticity is an important adaptive strategy that enables plants to respond to environmental changes, particularly temperature fluctuations associated with global warming. In this study, the phenotypic plasticity of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">Iris pumila</i&g...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Katarina Hočevar Ana Vuleta Sanja Manitašević Jovanović |
| author_facet | Katarina Hočevar Ana Vuleta Sanja Manitašević Jovanović |
| author_sort | Katarina Hočevar |
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| description | Phenotypic plasticity is an important adaptive strategy that enables plants to respond to environmental changes, particularly temperature fluctuations associated with global warming. In this study, the phenotypic plasticity of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">Iris pumila</i> leaf traits in response to an elevated temperature (by 1 °C) was investigated under controlled experimental conditions. In particular, we investigated important functional and mechanistic leaf traits: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf water content (SLWC), stomatal density (SD), leaf thickness (LT), and chlorophyll content. The results revealed that an elevated temperature induced trait-specific plastic responses, with mechanistic traits exhibiting greater plasticity than functional traits, reflecting their role in short-term acclimation. SLA and SD increased at higher temperatures, promoting photosynthesis and gas exchange, while reductions in SLWC, LDMC, LT, and chlorophyll content suggest a trade-off in favor of growth and metabolic activity over structural investment. Notably, chlorophyll content exhibited the highest plasticity, emphasizing its crucial role in modulating photosynthetic efficiency under thermal stress. Correlation analyses revealed strong phenotypic integration between leaf traits, with distinct trait relationships emerging under different temperature conditions. These findings suggest that <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">I. pumila</i> employs both rapid physiological adjustments and longer-term structural strategies to cope with thermal stress, with mechanistic traits facilitating rapid adjustments and functional traits maintaining ecological stability. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-cda3ccb351f147c8aaf7b5234b828c132025-08-20T02:42:25ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-03-0114696010.3390/plants14060960Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental WarmingKatarina Hočevar0Ana Vuleta1Sanja Manitašević Jovanović2Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11108 Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11108 Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11108 Belgrade, SerbiaPhenotypic plasticity is an important adaptive strategy that enables plants to respond to environmental changes, particularly temperature fluctuations associated with global warming. In this study, the phenotypic plasticity of <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">Iris pumila</i> leaf traits in response to an elevated temperature (by 1 °C) was investigated under controlled experimental conditions. In particular, we investigated important functional and mechanistic leaf traits: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf water content (SLWC), stomatal density (SD), leaf thickness (LT), and chlorophyll content. The results revealed that an elevated temperature induced trait-specific plastic responses, with mechanistic traits exhibiting greater plasticity than functional traits, reflecting their role in short-term acclimation. SLA and SD increased at higher temperatures, promoting photosynthesis and gas exchange, while reductions in SLWC, LDMC, LT, and chlorophyll content suggest a trade-off in favor of growth and metabolic activity over structural investment. Notably, chlorophyll content exhibited the highest plasticity, emphasizing its crucial role in modulating photosynthetic efficiency under thermal stress. Correlation analyses revealed strong phenotypic integration between leaf traits, with distinct trait relationships emerging under different temperature conditions. These findings suggest that <i data-eusoft-scrollable-element="1">I. pumila</i> employs both rapid physiological adjustments and longer-term structural strategies to cope with thermal stress, with mechanistic traits facilitating rapid adjustments and functional traits maintaining ecological stability.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/960experimental warmingthermal acclimationphenotypic plasticityfunctional leaf traitsmechanistic leaf traits<i>Iris pumila</i> L. |
| spellingShingle | Katarina Hočevar Ana Vuleta Sanja Manitašević Jovanović Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming Plants experimental warming thermal acclimation phenotypic plasticity functional leaf traits mechanistic leaf traits <i>Iris pumila</i> L. |
| title | Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming |
| title_full | Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming |
| title_fullStr | Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming |
| title_short | Plastic Responses of <i>Iris pumila</i> Functional and Mechanistic Leaf Traits to Experimental Warming |
| title_sort | plastic responses of i iris pumila i functional and mechanistic leaf traits to experimental warming |
| topic | experimental warming thermal acclimation phenotypic plasticity functional leaf traits mechanistic leaf traits <i>Iris pumila</i> L. |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/960 |
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