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Changing gears along 1050 m-3070m: shifting plant leaf anatomical strategic spectra of 286 plants in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
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  • Peifang Chong,
  • Jun Yang,
  • Guo-peng Chen,
  • Yifan Yue
Peifang Chong
Gansu Agricultural University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jun Yang
Gansu Agricultural University
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Guo-peng Chen
Gansu Agricultural University
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Yifan Yue
Gansu Agricultural University
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Abstract

Leaf anatomical traits can reflect plant adaptation to environmental changes. However, whether the trade-offs among leaf anatomical traits can reflect the strategies spectrum of plant response to environmental changes and the strategic spectrum will shift with altitudes are not clear. In this study, 286 plant species from 19 altitudinal gradients from 1050 m to 3070 m on the eastern Tibetan Plateau were selected and 16 anatomical characters of blade, mesophyll and midrib were measured. The strategic and strategic spectra of leaf anatomical trait formation were by principal components analysis, followed by generalized additive models of the strategic spectra with shift in elevation to test the shift of strategy spectra along altitudes. Our results showed that the midrib xylem thickness of woody increased with increasing altitude, while other traits decreased; the upper and lower epidermis width, midrib parenchyma cell thickness and midrib lower epidermis cell thickness of herb increased with increasing altitudes, while other traits decreased. Blade strategic spectrum (BES), blade and mesophyll strategic spectrum (BMSS) and midrib strategic spectrum (MSS) were formed in the tissue of leaves, and the score of principal component one (PC1) was not significant between herbs and woody plants ( P>0.05).  There were mainly formed the spectrum of conservation and support strategies and the spectrum of resource acquisition and consumption, etc. With increasing altitudes, the habitat tended to become unsuitable for plant growth and the resources available to plants are reduced, plants shift from a “invest-fast-reap” acquisition strategy to a “invest-slow-reap” conservative strategy.