Insights into the differences in leaf functional traits of heterophyllous Syringa oblata under different light intensities

Abstract

Many plants exhibit heterophylly; the spatially and temporally remarkable ontogenetic differences in leaf morphology may play an adaptative role in their success under diverse habitats. Thus, this study aimed to gain insights into differences in leaf functional traits of heterophyllous Syringa oblata Lindl., which has been widely used as an ornamental tree around the world under different light intensities in East China. No significant differences existed in specific leaf area (SLA) between lanceolate- and heart-shaped leaves. Differences in the investment per unit of light capture surface area deployed between lanceolate- and heart-shaped leaves may be not obvious. This may be attributing to the fact that single leaf wet and dry weight of heart-shaped leaves were significantly higher than those of lanceolate leaves but leaf length and leaf thickness of heart-shaped leaves were significantly lower than those of lanceolate leaves. The SLA of shade trees was significantly higher than that of sun trees. The investment per unit of light capture surface of shade trees was lower than that of sun trees, making it possible to increase light capture and use efficiency in low-light environments. The phenotypic plasticity of most leaf functional traits of lanceolate leaves was higher than those of heart-shaped leaves because the former is the juvenile and the latter is the adult leaf shape during the process of phylogenetic development of S. oblate. The higher range of phenotypic plasticity of leaf thickness and leaf moisture for sun trees may be beneficial to obtain a more efficient control of water loss and nutrient deprivation in high-light environments, and the lower range of phenotypic plasticity of single leaf wet and dry weight, and SLA for shade trees may gain an advantage to increase resource (especially light) capture and use efficiency in low-light environments. In brief, the successfully ecological strategy of plants is to find an optimal mode for the trade-off between various functional traits to obtain more living resources and achieve more fitness advantage as much as possible in the multivariate environment.

Keywords

Heterophylly / Light intensity / Specific leaf areas / Syringa oblata Lindl.

References

[1] Ackerly DD, Knight CA, Weiss SB, Barton K, Starmer KP. Leaf size, specific leaf area and microhabitat distribution of chaparral woody plants, contrasting patterns in species level and community level analyses. Oecologia, 2002, 130: 449-457.

[2] Battie-Laclau P, Laclau J-P, Beri C, Mietton L, Muniz MRA, Arenque BC, De Cassia Piccolo M, Jordan-Meille L, Bouillet J-P, Nouvellon Y. Photosynthetic and anatomical responses of Eucalyptus grandis leaves to potassium and sodium supply in a field experiment. Plant Cell Environ, 2014, 37: 70-81.

[3] Burns KC, Beaumont S. Scale-dependent trait correlations in a temperate tree community. Austral Ecol, 2009, 34: 670-677.

[4] Campitelli BE, Stinchcombe JR. Natural selection maintains a single-locus leaf shape cline in Ivyleaf morning glory, Ipomoea hederacea. Mol Ecol, 2013, 22: 552-564.

[5] Chen LY, Tiu CJ, Peng SL, Siemann E. Conspecific plasticity and invasion: invasive populations of Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) have performance advantage over native populations only in low soil salinity. PLoS ONE, 2013, 8 e74961

[6] Fonseca CR, Overton JM, Collins B, Westoby M. Shifts in trait-combinations along rainfall and phosphorous gradients. J Ecol, 2000, 88: 964-977.

[7] Jeong N, Moon J, Kim H, Kim C, Jeong S. Fine genetic mapping of the genomic region controlling leaflet shape and number of seeds per pod in the soybean. Theor Appl Genet, 2011, 122: 865-874.

[8] Kardel F, Wuyts K, Babanezhad M, Vitharana UWA, Wuytack T, Potters G, Samson R. Assessing urban habitat quality based on specific leaf area and stomatal characteristics of Plantago lanceolata L.. Environ Pollut, 2010, 158: 788-794.

[9] Lamarque LJ, Porté AJ, Eymeric C, Lasnier J-B, Lortie CJ, Delzon S. A test for pre-adapted phenotypic plasticity in the invasive tree Acer negundo L.. PLoS ONE, 2013, 8 e74239

[10] Leigh A, Zwieniecki MA, Rockwell FE, Boyce CK, Nicotra AB, Holbrook NM. Structural and hydraulic correlates of heterophylly in Ginkgo biloba. New Phytol, 2011, 189: 459-470.

[11] Liu FD, Yang WJ, Wang ZS, Xu Z, Liu H, Zhang M, Liu YH, An SQ, Sun SC. Plant size effects on the relationships among specific leaf area, leaf nutrient content, and photosynthetic capacity in tropical woody species. Acta Oecol, 2010, 36: 149-159.

[12] McIntyre PJ, Strauss SY. Phenotypic and transgenerational plasticity promote local adaptation to sun and shade environments. Ecol Evol, 2014, 28: 229-246.

[13] Mediavilla S, Escudero A. Ontogenetic changes in leaf phenology of two co-occurring mediterranean oaks differing in leaf life span. Ecol Res, 2009, 24: 1083-1090.

[14] Meng FQ, Cao R, Yang DM, Niklas KJ, Sun SC. Trade-offs between light interception and leaf water shedding: a comparison of shade- and sun-adapted species in a subtropical rainforest. Oecologia, 2014, 174: 13-22.

[15] Milla R, Reich PB. The scaling of leaf area and mass: the cost of light interception increases with leaf size. Proc R Soc Lond B, 2007, 274: 2109-2114.

[16] Momokawa N, Kadono Y, Kudoh H. Effects of light quality on leaf morphogenesis of a heterophyllous amphibious plant, Rotala hippuris. Ann Bot, 2011, 108: 1299-1306.

[17] Niinemets Ü, Sack L. Structural determinants of leaf light-harvesting capacity and photosynthetic potential. Prog Bot, 2006, 67: 386-419.

[18] Niklas KJ, Cobb ED, Niinemets U, Reich PB, Sellin A, Shipley B, Wright IJ. “Diminishing returns” in the scaling of functional leaf traits across and within species groups. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2007, 104: 8891-8896.

[19] Pardos M, Calama R, Climent J. Difference in cuticular transpiration and sclerophylly in juvenile and adult pine needles relates to the species-specific rates of development. Trees, 2009, 23: 501-508.

[20] Pearcy RW, Muraoka H, Valladares F. Crown architecture in sun and shade environments: assessing function and trade-offs with a three-dimensional simulation model. New Phytol, 2005, 166: 791-800.

[21] Pickup M, Westoby M, Basden A. Dry mass costs of deploying leaf area in relation to leaf size. Funct Ecol, 2005, 19: 88-97.

[22] Pietsch KA, Ogle K, Cornelissen JHC, Cornwell WK, Bönisch G, Craine JM, Jackson BG, Kattge J, Peltzer DA, Penuelas J, Reich PB, Wardle DA, Weedon JT, Wright IJ, Zanne AE, Wirth C. Global relationship of wood and leaf litter decomposability: the role of functional traits within and across plant organs. Glob Ecol Biogeogr, 2014, 23: 1046-1057.

[23] Poorter H, Niinemets U, Poorter L, Wright IJ, Villar R. Causes and consequences of variation in leaf mass per area (LMA): a meta-analysis. New Phytol, 2009, 182: 565-588.

[24] Rozendaal DMA, Hurtado VH, Poorter L. Plasticity in leaf traits of 38 tropical tree species in response to light; relationships with light demand and adult stature. Funct Ecol, 2006, 20: 207-216.

[25] Scheepens JF, Frei ES, Stöcklin J. Genotypic and environmental variation in specific leaf area in a widespread Alpine plant after transplantation to different altitudes. Oecologia, 2010, 164: 141-150.

[26] Sun SC, Jin DM, Shi PL. The leaf size-twig size spectrum of temperate woody species along an altitudinal gradient: an invariant allometric scaling relationship. Ann Bot, 2006, 97: 97-107.

[27] Tanaka-Oda A, Kenzo T, Kashimura S, Ninomiya I, Wang LH, Yoshikawa K, Fukuda K. Physiological and morphological differences in the heterophylly of Sabina vulgaris Ant. in the semi-arid environment of Mu Us Desert, Inner Mongolia, China. J Arid Environ, 2010, 74: 43-48.

[28] Valladares F, Sanchez-Gomez D, Zavala MA. Quantitative estimation of phenotypic plasticity: bridging the gap between the evolutionary concept and its ecological applications. J Ecol, 2006, 94: 1103-1116.

[29] Wang Z, Zhang L. Leaf shape alters the coefficients of leaf area estimation models for Saussurea stoliczkai in central Tibet. Photosynthetica, 2012, 50: 337-342.

[30] Wright IJ, Ackerly DD, Bongers F, Harms KE, Ibarra-Manriquez G, Martinez-Ramos M, Mazer SJ, Muller-Landau HC, Paz H, Pitman NCA, Poorter L, Silman MR, Vriesendorp CF, Webb CO, Westoby M, Wright SJ. Relationships among ecologically-important dimensions of plant trait variation in seven neotropical forests. Ann Bot, 2007, 99: 1003-1015.

[31] Yang SJ, Sun M, Zhang YJ, Cochard H, Cao KF. Strong leaf morphological, anatomical, and physiological responses of a subtropical woody bamboo (Sinarundinaria nitida) to contrasting light environments. Plant Ecol, 2014, 215: 97-109.