Leaf Size Variation in Response to Climate Drivers Depends on Plant Life Form

Abstract

Aim

Plant leaf size and shape vary across major climatic gradients, reflecting the mechanisms for how plants regulate the balance of carbon, water, and heat. However, the influence of climate on leaf traits can be confounded by multiple factors, and the complex variation among different plant groups remains insufficiently understood. Here, we investigated how climate influences leaf size traits and whether this effect is moderated by plant life form.

Location

China.

Taxon

Angiosperms.

Methods

Based on leaf length, width, and aspect ratio data from 26,726 angiosperm species distributed across major climate gradients in China, we analysed the effects of temperature and precipitation on leaf size traits, and compared differences among plant life forms (woody vs. herbaceous and evergreen vs. deciduous). Additionally, spatial heterogeneity was assessed across eight vegetation zones.

Results

Leaves are generally larger and rounder in warm and humid areas, and smaller and narrower in cooler and more arid areas. All leaf size traits respond more strongly to precipitation than temperature, with leaf length showing the strongest responses to both climate variables. Herbaceous and deciduous species exhibit stronger climate responses nationwide, whereas woody and evergreen species are more sensitive within vegetation zones. Key responsive traits show clear geographic shifts.

Main Conclusions

Overall, we find that leaf size and shape vary strongly across China, as a result of climate variation, but these patterns are modified by dominant regional ecological processes and the ecological strategies of plant life forms. These findings not only help clarify variation in plant traits along climatic gradients, but also provide a theoretical framework for predicting how different plant morphologies will respond to ongoing climate change.