Leading trait dimensions in flood-tolerant plants
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Leading trait dimensions in flood-tolerant plants. / Pan, Yingji; Cieraad, Ellen; Armstrong, Jean; Armstrong, William; Clarkson, Beverley R.; Pedersen, Ole; Visser, Eric J. W.; Voesenek, Laurentius A. C. J.; van Bodegom, Peter M.
In: Annals of Botany, Vol. 130, No. 3, 2022, p. 383-392.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Leading trait dimensions in flood-tolerant plants
AU - Pan, Yingji
AU - Cieraad, Ellen
AU - Armstrong, Jean
AU - Armstrong, William
AU - Clarkson, Beverley R.
AU - Pedersen, Ole
AU - Visser, Eric J. W.
AU - Voesenek, Laurentius A. C. J.
AU - van Bodegom, Peter M.
N1 - © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While trait-based approaches have provided critical insights in general plant functioning, we lack a comprehensive quantitative view on plant strategies in flooded conditions. Plants adapted to flooded conditions have specific traits (e.g., root porosity, low root/shoot ratio, and shoot elongation) to cope with the environmental stressors including anoxic sediments, and the subsequent presence of phytotoxic compounds. In flooded habitats, plants also respond to potential nutrient and light limitations, e.g., through the expression of leaf economics traits and size-related, respectively. However, we don't know whether and how these trait dimensions are connected.METHODS: Based on a trait dataset compiled on 131 plant species from 141 studies in flooded habitats, we quantitatively analysed how flooding-induced traits are positioned in relation to the other two dominant trait dimensions; leaf economics and size-related traits. We evaluated how these key trait components are expressed along wetness gradients, across habitat types and among plant life forms.KEY RESULTS: We found that flooding-induced traits constitute a trait dimension independent from leaf economics traits and size-related traits, indicating that there is no generic trade-off associated to flooding adaptations. Moreover, individual flooding-induced traits themselves are to a large extent decoupled from each other. These results suggest that adaptation to stressful environments, such as flooding, can be stressor-specific without generic adverse effects on plant functioning (e.g., causing trade-offs on leaf economics traits).CONCLUSIONS: The trait expressions across multiple dimensions promote plant adaptations and co-existence across multi-faceted flooded environments. The decoupled trait dimensions, as related to different environmental drivers, also explain why ecosystem functioning (including e.g. methane emissions) are species- and habitat-specific. Thus, our results provide a backbone for applying trait-based approaches in wetland ecology by considering flooding-induced traits as an independent trait dimension.
AB - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While trait-based approaches have provided critical insights in general plant functioning, we lack a comprehensive quantitative view on plant strategies in flooded conditions. Plants adapted to flooded conditions have specific traits (e.g., root porosity, low root/shoot ratio, and shoot elongation) to cope with the environmental stressors including anoxic sediments, and the subsequent presence of phytotoxic compounds. In flooded habitats, plants also respond to potential nutrient and light limitations, e.g., through the expression of leaf economics traits and size-related, respectively. However, we don't know whether and how these trait dimensions are connected.METHODS: Based on a trait dataset compiled on 131 plant species from 141 studies in flooded habitats, we quantitatively analysed how flooding-induced traits are positioned in relation to the other two dominant trait dimensions; leaf economics and size-related traits. We evaluated how these key trait components are expressed along wetness gradients, across habitat types and among plant life forms.KEY RESULTS: We found that flooding-induced traits constitute a trait dimension independent from leaf economics traits and size-related traits, indicating that there is no generic trade-off associated to flooding adaptations. Moreover, individual flooding-induced traits themselves are to a large extent decoupled from each other. These results suggest that adaptation to stressful environments, such as flooding, can be stressor-specific without generic adverse effects on plant functioning (e.g., causing trade-offs on leaf economics traits).CONCLUSIONS: The trait expressions across multiple dimensions promote plant adaptations and co-existence across multi-faceted flooded environments. The decoupled trait dimensions, as related to different environmental drivers, also explain why ecosystem functioning (including e.g. methane emissions) are species- and habitat-specific. Thus, our results provide a backbone for applying trait-based approaches in wetland ecology by considering flooding-induced traits as an independent trait dimension.
U2 - 10.1093/aob/mcac031
DO - 10.1093/aob/mcac031
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35259242
VL - 130
SP - 383
EP - 392
JO - Annals of Botany
JF - Annals of Botany
SN - 0305-7364
IS - 3
ER -
ID: 308898806