Changing gears along 1050 m-3070m: shifting plant leaf anatomical
strategic spectra of 286 plants in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
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.