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Leaf trait variation is similar among genotypes of Eucalyptus camaldulensis from differing climates and arises in plastic responses to the seasons rather than water availability
Author(s) -
Asao Shinichi,
Hayes Lucy,
Aspinwall Michael J.,
Rymer Paul D.,
Blackman Chris,
Bryant Callum J.,
Cullerne Darren,
Egerton John J. G.,
Fan Yuzhen,
Innes Peter,
Millar A. Harvey,
Tucker Josephine,
Shah Shahen,
Wright Ian J.,
YvonDurocher Gabriel,
Tissue David,
Atkin Owen K.
Publication year - 2020
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/nph.16579
Subject(s) - biology , intraspecific competition , eucalyptus camaldulensis , phenotypic plasticity , specific leaf area , genetic variation , gene–environment interaction , biomass (ecology) , genotype , ecology , agronomy , botany , eucalyptus , photosynthesis , biochemistry , gene
Summary We used a widely distributed tree Eucalyptus camaldulensis subsp. camaldulensis to partition intraspecific variation in leaf functional traits to genotypic variation and phenotypic plasticity. We examined if genotypic variation is related to the climate of genotype provenance and whether phenotypic plasticity maintains performance in a changing environment. Ten genotypes from different climates were grown in a common garden under watering treatments reproducing the wettest and driest edges of the subspecies’ distribution. We measured functional traits reflecting leaf metabolism and associated with growth (respiration rate, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and leaf mass per area) and performance proxies (aboveground biomass and growth rate) each season over a year. Genotypic variation contributed substantially to the variation in aboveground biomass but much less in growth rate and leaf traits. Phenotypic plasticity was a large source of the variation in leaf traits and performance proxies and was greater among sampling dates than between watering treatments. The variation in leaf traits was weakly correlated to performance proxies, and both were unrelated to the climate of genotype provenance. Intraspecific variation in leaf traits arises similarly among genotypes in response to seasonal environmental variation, instead of long‐term water availability or climate of genotype provenance.