A trade-off between leaf carbon economics and plant size among mangrove
species in Dongzhaigang, China
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.