How Environment Affects Ontogenetic Differences in Leaf Functional Traits of Woody Plants

IF 6 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Global Ecology and Biogeography Pub Date : 2025-10-02 DOI:10.1111/geb.70133

Ziyan Zhang, Kouki Hikosaka, Ülo Niinemets, Qingmin Han, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Liting Zheng, Dong He, Enrong Yan, Mengguang Han, Guangze Jin, Zhili Liu

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Abstract

Aim

The consistency of patterns in ontogenetic differences in plant traits across the globe has not been thoroughly studied. Environmental conditions affect leaf functional traits, and these effects can differ between adult trees and saplings due to varying environmental conditions in their aerial and soil environments. Our integrative analysis aims to reveal the global universality of woody plants' ontogeny and explores influencing factors.

Location

Global.

Time Period

Studies published in 1989–2023.

Major Taxa Studied

Woody plants.

Methods

We performed a global meta-analysis of woody plants with different plant functional types at 64 sites around the world, assessed the ontogenetic differences in nine key leaf traits and explored the environmental factors that affected the ontogenetic differences.

Results

We observed that (1) leaf traits differed significantly between adult trees and saplings, with environmental factors playing varying roles. Photosynthetic capacity per unit area (A_a) and nitrogen content per unit dry mass (N_m) were lower in saplings than in adults under low solar radiation, but this trend reversed with increased solar radiation. Differences in stomatal density (SD) and stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) between adults and saplings were greatest under low solar radiation; (2) ontogenetic differences in leaf thickness (LT), leaf dry mass per area (LMA) and stomatal conductance (g_s) were greater at lower mean annual temperature (MAT); (3) at high mean annual precipitation (MAP), adults had higher nitrogen content per unit area (N_a), while saplings had higher N_m than adults; (4) soil conditions were strongly correlated with ontogenetic differences in LT and SD, with soil pH as a key driver of variation in A_a, LT, SD, N_a and N_m.

Main Conclusions

Our findings indicate that ontogeny strongly modifies leaf functional traits and that multiple environmental factors influence the magnitude of ontogenetic differences in leaf traits. This underscores the importance of considering ontogeny when predicting trait values across plant developmental stages, modelling vegetation composed of individuals of different ages and forecasting vegetation responses to environmental changes.

Abstract Image

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环境如何影响木本植物叶片功能性状的个体发生差异

全球植物性状个体发生差异模式的一致性尚未得到充分研究。环境条件影响叶片的功能性状，由于成树和树苗的空气和土壤环境条件不同，这些影响可能会有所不同。我们的综合分析旨在揭示木本植物个体发生的全球普遍性，并探讨其影响因素。

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来源期刊

Global Ecology and Biogeography 环境科学-生态学

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

3.10%

发文量

170

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Global Ecology and Biogeography (GEB) welcomes papers that investigate broad-scale (in space, time and/or taxonomy), general patterns in the organization of ecological systems and assemblages, and the processes that underlie them. In particular, GEB welcomes studies that use macroecological methods, comparative analyses, meta-analyses, reviews, spatial analyses and modelling to arrive at general, conceptual conclusions. Studies in GEB need not be global in spatial extent, but the conclusions and implications of the study must be relevant to ecologists and biogeographers globally, rather than being limited to local areas, or specific taxa. Similarly, GEB is not limited to spatial studies; we are equally interested in the general patterns of nature through time, among taxa (e.g., body sizes, dispersal abilities), through the course of evolution, etc. Further, GEB welcomes papers that investigate general impacts of human activities on ecological systems in accordance with the above criteria.