Leaf functional traits of Parrotia subaequalis from different environments in eastern China

TL;DR

This study examines how leaf traits of the endangered Parrotia subaequalis vary in different environments in eastern China.

Contribution

The study reveals how leaf functional traits respond to environmental factors, offering insights for conservation.

Findings

Leaf surface area, weight, and length varied significantly among population sites influenced by environmental factors.

Scaling exponents increased with hillside habitats, showing a strong environmental influence on leaf traits.

Leaf asymmetry was significant in hillside habitats, indicating adaptation to specific environmental conditions.

Abstract

Functional traits are important in understanding how plants respond and adapt to their immediate environment. Parrotia subaequalis is a highly endangered arbor species found throughout eastern China, primarily inhabiting hillsides and valleys, yet, little is known about the variation in leaf traits across these environments. In the present study, we tested this by comparing leaf surface area, leaf weight, leaf length, leaf symmetry and leaf mass per unit area, as well as the relationship between leaf traits and environmental factors and the scaling relationship between leaf surface area versus leaf dry mass. We observed significant differences in leaf surface area, weight, and length among the population sites, and these variables were strongly affected by environmental factors, especially high mean annual temperatures in hillside habitats and high mean annual precipitation in valley habitats. The scaling exponents remained numerically variant among the 10 populations, with different slopes greater than 1.0, and the scaling exponents increased significantly with hillside habitats. These metrics correlated with soil thickness associated with different habitat types. The areal ratio (AR) values in all populations deviated from 1, indicating that the two lamina sides were asymmetrical. The standardized symmetry index (SI) values displayed significant variation, especially in leaves from hillside habitats with a high degree of asymmetry. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that leaf functional traits exhibit considerable variability in response to different environmental contexts and provide valuable reference data that could be useful for conserving this endangered species.

Our findings demonstrate that leaf functional traits exhibit considerable variability in response to different environmental contexts and provide valuable reference data that could be useful for the conservation of this endangered species.

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