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A trade-off between leaf carbon economics and plant size among mangrove species in Dongzhaigang, China
  • +3
  • Dalong Jiang,
  • Tao Nie,
  • Qiuyu He,
  • Jing Yan,
  • Erhui Feng,
  • Qing Ye
Dalong Jiang
Hainan Normal University
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Tao Nie
Hainan Normal University
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Qiuyu He
Hainan Normal University
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Jing Yan
Hainan Normal University
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Erhui Feng
Hainan Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve Authority
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Qing Ye
South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

1. The relationship between plant size and trait characteristics is a fundamental aspect of the global spectrum that encompasses plant form and function. However, it remains unclear whether plant size affects interspecific variation in leaf structural traits at a specific ontogenetic stage. 2. In this research, we investigated the leaf structural traits, plant height, and diameter at breast height (or basal diameter) of 10 shrub and tree species. This study was carried out along an intertidal gradient within a mangrove forest located in Southeast China. 3. We found that leaf traits differed significantly between shrubs and trees in their response to intertidal gradients, which contributes to the advancement of our understanding of plant adaptive strategies and the evolution of traits within varying environmental contexts. Among all species, leaf carbon economics (leaf dry mass content, leaf mass per area, and leaf density) decreased significantly with increasing plant height and diameter. For each growth form and intertidal zone, the plant size-trait patterns were consistent with those in the pooled dataset. 4. Collectively, these findings suggest that mangrove plants undergo a size-dependent shift from resource conservation to resource acquisition strategies with increasing stature. Therefore, plant size serves as an indicator of the “slow-fast” spectrum of plant performance and the dichotomy between conservation and acquisition strategies.
10 Jul 2024Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
12 Jul 2024Submission Checks Completed
12 Jul 2024Assigned to Editor
22 Jul 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
03 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
26 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
19 Oct 20241st Revision Received
21 Oct 2024Submission Checks Completed
21 Oct 2024Assigned to Editor
21 Oct 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
28 Oct 2024Editorial Decision: Accept