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A test of the generality of leaf trait relationships on the Tibetan Plateau
Author(s) -
He JinSheng,
Wang Zhiheng,
Wang Xiangping,
Schmid Bernhard,
Zuo Wenyun,
Zhou Meng,
Zheng Chengyang,
Wang Mingfeng,
Fang Jingyun
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01704.x
Subject(s) - trait , plateau (mathematics) , photosynthesis , biology , botany , altitude (triangle) , specific leaf area , freezing tolerance , nitrogen , photosynthetic capacity , plant physiology , ecology , chemistry , mathematical analysis , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language , biochemistry , gene
Summary• Leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen concentration (on mass and area bases, N mass and N area , respectively), photosynthetic capacity ( A mass and A area ) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) are key foliar traits, but few data are available from cold, high‐altitude environments. • Here, we systematically measured these leaf traits in 74 species at 49 research sites on the Tibetan Plateau to examine how these traits, measured near the extremes of plant tolerance, compare with global patterns. • Overall, Tibetan species had higher leaf nitrogen concentrations and photosynthetic capacities compared with a global dataset, but they had a slightly lower A mass at a given N mass . These leaf trait relationships were consistent with those reported from the global dataset, with slopes of the standardized major axes A mass –LMA, N mass –LMA and A mass – N mass identical to those from the global dataset. Climate only weakly modulated leaf traits. • Our data indicate that covarying sets of leaf traits are consistent across environments and biogeographic regions. Our results demonstrate functional convergence of leaf trait relationships in an extreme environment.