Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest?
The coordination between leaf and root traits is crucial for plants to synchronize their strategies for acquiring and utilizing above- and belowground resources. Nevertheless, the generality of a whole plant conservation gradient is still controversial. Such testing has been conducted mainly among c...
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| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1481323/full |
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| author | Ailian Fan Ailian Fan Xue Wang Xue Wang Xiaojun Yan Xiaojun Yan Tingting Chen Tingting Chen Qi Jiang Qi Jiang Linqiao Jia Linqiao Jia Weiwei Wang Weiwei Wang Decheng Xiong Decheng Xiong Jinxue Huang Jinxue Huang Guangshui Chen Guangshui Chen |
| author_facet | Ailian Fan Ailian Fan Xue Wang Xue Wang Xiaojun Yan Xiaojun Yan Tingting Chen Tingting Chen Qi Jiang Qi Jiang Linqiao Jia Linqiao Jia Weiwei Wang Weiwei Wang Decheng Xiong Decheng Xiong Jinxue Huang Jinxue Huang Guangshui Chen Guangshui Chen |
| author_sort | Ailian Fan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The coordination between leaf and root traits is crucial for plants to synchronize their strategies for acquiring and utilizing above- and belowground resources. Nevertheless, the generality of a whole plant conservation gradient is still controversial. Such testing has been conducted mainly among communities at large spatial scales, and thus evidence is lacking within communities. This is noteworthy because factors that influence leaf and root trait variation differ across scales. Here, we measured pairs of analogous leaf and first-order root traits, including morphological (leaf thickness (LT) and root diameter (RD), leaf mass per unit area (LMA) and specific root length (SRL), and leaf and root tissue density (LTD and RTD)) and chemical traits (carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in leaf and root tissues), on the same plants from 60 woody species within a subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forest. The trade-off patterns in and correlations between leaf and root traits were examined using (phylogenetic) principal component analysis and correlation analysis. Our results revealed two dominant dimensions of leaf trait variation, the leaf economics spectrum (LES) and the LT-LTD trade-off axis. Variations in root traits were mainly accounted for by a two-dimensional root economics space (RES) (i.e., root conservation gradient (RTD-RN) and root collaboration gradient (RD-SRL)). The LES and root conservation gradient were correlated and could be integrated into one whole plant conservation gradient, independent of the root collaboration gradient and the leaf LT-LTD trade-off dimension. Leaf and root N concentrations correlated positively, independent of phylogeny, whereas analogous leaf and root morphological traits varied independently of each other. These results support the existence of a whole plant conservation gradient, but also highlight a complex integration of multiple above- and belowground adaptive strategies of plants within a forest community, which offer new insight into ecological trade-offs, species coexistence and community assembly in the forest ecosystem. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb81363b0acb47c19facf2a0b963f9c4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb81363b0acb47c19facf2a0b963f9c42025-08-20T01:54:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2024-12-011510.3389/fpls.2024.14813231481323Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest?Ailian Fan0Ailian Fan1Xue Wang2Xue Wang3Xiaojun Yan4Xiaojun Yan5Tingting Chen6Tingting Chen7Qi Jiang8Qi Jiang9Linqiao Jia10Linqiao Jia11Weiwei Wang12Weiwei Wang13Decheng Xiong14Decheng Xiong15Jinxue Huang16Jinxue Huang17Guangshui Chen18Guangshui Chen19Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process of Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaFujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, ChinaThe coordination between leaf and root traits is crucial for plants to synchronize their strategies for acquiring and utilizing above- and belowground resources. Nevertheless, the generality of a whole plant conservation gradient is still controversial. Such testing has been conducted mainly among communities at large spatial scales, and thus evidence is lacking within communities. This is noteworthy because factors that influence leaf and root trait variation differ across scales. Here, we measured pairs of analogous leaf and first-order root traits, including morphological (leaf thickness (LT) and root diameter (RD), leaf mass per unit area (LMA) and specific root length (SRL), and leaf and root tissue density (LTD and RTD)) and chemical traits (carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in leaf and root tissues), on the same plants from 60 woody species within a subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forest. The trade-off patterns in and correlations between leaf and root traits were examined using (phylogenetic) principal component analysis and correlation analysis. Our results revealed two dominant dimensions of leaf trait variation, the leaf economics spectrum (LES) and the LT-LTD trade-off axis. Variations in root traits were mainly accounted for by a two-dimensional root economics space (RES) (i.e., root conservation gradient (RTD-RN) and root collaboration gradient (RD-SRL)). The LES and root conservation gradient were correlated and could be integrated into one whole plant conservation gradient, independent of the root collaboration gradient and the leaf LT-LTD trade-off dimension. Leaf and root N concentrations correlated positively, independent of phylogeny, whereas analogous leaf and root morphological traits varied independently of each other. These results support the existence of a whole plant conservation gradient, but also highlight a complex integration of multiple above- and belowground adaptive strategies of plants within a forest community, which offer new insight into ecological trade-offs, species coexistence and community assembly in the forest ecosystem.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1481323/fullacquisition strategyconservation strategyfunctional trade-offinterspecific variationleaf-root coordinationplant economics spectrum |
| spellingShingle | Ailian Fan Ailian Fan Xue Wang Xue Wang Xiaojun Yan Xiaojun Yan Tingting Chen Tingting Chen Qi Jiang Qi Jiang Linqiao Jia Linqiao Jia Weiwei Wang Weiwei Wang Decheng Xiong Decheng Xiong Jinxue Huang Jinxue Huang Guangshui Chen Guangshui Chen Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest? Frontiers in Plant Science acquisition strategy conservation strategy functional trade-off interspecific variation leaf-root coordination plant economics spectrum |
| title | Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest? |
| title_full | Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest? |
| title_fullStr | Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest? |
| title_short | Does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest? |
| title_sort | does a whole plant conservation gradient exist within a subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest |
| topic | acquisition strategy conservation strategy functional trade-off interspecific variation leaf-root coordination plant economics spectrum |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1481323/full |
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