The role of wood anatomical traits in the coexistence of oak species along an environmental gradient
| Autor: | Ken Oyama, Enrique G. de la Riva, Andrés Torres-Miranda, Maribel Arenas-Navarro, Felipe García-Oliva, Teresa Terrazas |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Abiotic component
Phenotypic plasticity Phylogenetic tree AcademicSubjects/SCI01210 Ecology Range (biology) Plant Science Interspecific competition Biology phenotypic plasticity Editor's Choice Quercus Aridity index Studies Aobpla/1009 relative hydraulic conductivity Habit (biology) Aobpla/1030 fibre traits Woody plant Environmental gradient |
| Zdroj: | AoB Plants |
| ISSN: | 2041-2851 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/aobpla/plab066 |
| Popis: | Oaks (Quercus) are a dominant woody plant genus in the northern hemisphere, which occupy a wide range of habitats and are ecologically diverse. We analysed the wood anatomical traits, the variables derived and the relative hydraulic conductivity of 21 oak species to identify their performance according to abiotic factors, leaf phenological patterns and phylogenetic restrictions by analysing the interspecific variation along an environmental gradient. First, we determine the causes of anatomical trait variation in the oaks, analysing the functional trade-offs related to distribution along the environmental gradient. We measure the phenotypic plasticity of the anatomical traits to determine the role of environment and geographic distance in the range of phenotypic plasticity. Second, we examined if oaks co-occurred along the environmental gradient. Then we analysed if wood anatomical traits reflect differences among their phylogenetic section, leaf habit and a phylogenetic section/leaf habit category. Last, we tested the phylogenetic signal. Our results showed that vessel diameter, vessel frequency, wood density and relative hydraulic conductivity are the main axes of trait variation in the species analysed among leaf habit categories. The aridity index and seasonal precipitation drive the variation in the analysed traits. Higher environmental distance resulted in a higher relative distance plasticity index among traits. Co-occurrence of oak species with different leaf habits and phylogenetic trajectories may promote complementary resource acquisition. The phylogenetic signal in the oak species studied was low, which implies labile wood traits. Wood anatomical traits reflect the adaptations along an aridity gradient in oak species. We found that high temperatures combined with periodic water deficits lead to narrower vessels, high-density wood occupied by smaller fibres. On the contrary, on humid sites, tall oaks invest in widest vessels to conduct water with great efficiency. Oak species in the study site showed an adaptive response of wood traits to climate, but there is also evidence of a low phylogenetic signal. Co-occurrence of oak species with different leaf habits and phylogenetic trajectories may promote complementary resource acquisition. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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