Effect of leaf phenology and morphology on the coordination between stomatal and minor vein densities

Wanli Zhao; Peili Fu; Qinggong Mao; Guolan Liu; Yuanqiu Li; Jiangbao Xia; Ping Zhao

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1051692

Effect of leaf phenology and morphology on the coordination between stomatal and minor vein densities

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Jul 26:14:1051692. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1051692. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wanli Zhao^{1

2}, Peili Fu^{3

4}, Qinggong Mao², Guolan Liu¹, Yuanqiu Li⁵, Jiangbao Xia¹, Ping Zhao²

Affiliations

¹ Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, Shandong, China.
² Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jinghong, Yunnan, China.
⁴ Ailaoshan Station of Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan, China.
⁵ Guangdong Shimentai National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Forestry Administration, Qingyuan, Guangdong, China.

Abstract

Leaf phenology (evergreen vs. deciduous) and morphology (simple vs. compound) are known to be related to water use strategies in tree species and critical adaptation to certain climatic conditions. However, the effect of these two traits and their interactions on the coordination between minor vein density (MVD) and stomatal density (SD) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the leaves of 108 tree species from plots in a primary subtropical forest in southern China, including tree species with different leaf morphologies and phenologies. We assessed nine leaf water-related functional traits for all species, including MVD, SD, leaf area (LA), minor vein thickness (MVT), and stomatal length (SL). The results showed no significant differences in mean LA and SD between either functional group (simple vs. compound and evergreen vs. deciduous). However, deciduous trees displayed a significantly higher mean MVD compared to evergreen trees. Similarly, compound-leaved trees have a higher (marginally significant) MVD than simple-leaved trees. Furthermore, we found that leaf morphology and phenology have significantly interactive effects on SL, and the compound-leafed deciduous trees exhibited the largest average SL among the four groups. There were significant correlations between the MVD and SD in all different tree groups; however, the slopes and interceptions differed within both morphology and phenology. Our results indicate that MVD, rather than SD, may be the more flexible structure for supporting the coordination between leaf water supply and demand in different leaf morphologies and phenologies. The results of the present study provide mechanistic understandings of the functional advantages of different leaf types, which may involve species fitness in community assembly and divergent responses to climate changes.

Keywords: compound leaf; deciduous trees; minor vein density; stomatal density; water physiology.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project Nos. 41630752, 31870591, 31800330, and 32171596), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2020QC038), the Doctoral Fund Project of Binzhou University (2019Y09), and the Introduction and Cultivation Plan of Young Innovative Talents of Colleges in Shandong Province.