ArticleBMC plant biology2025
Functional trait response to aridity based on leaf trait network analysis in the Hexi Corridor, China.
Article in BMC plant biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Scale-dependent decoupling of leaf traits and phylogeny reveals dimension-specific environmental filtering in Polyspora chrysandra-associated montane forests.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Dryland herbs coordinate leaf protection, absorptive root morphology and lateral-root proliferation along aridity gradients.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Article
- Soil water-holding capacity does not mediate aridity effects on plant functional traits in Iberian dune ecosystems.Annals of botany · 2025Article
- Genomic structure and functional trait variation are decoupled across the Atacama-Patagonia arid gradient in the Chilean wineberry.Frontiers in plant science · 2025Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAridity acts as a strong environmental filter for plants and is predicted to intensify in the future, resulting in changes to leaf functional traits. However, few studies explore how interactions of multiple traits result in leaf trait tradeoff strategies along an aridity gradient, and whether trait separation occurs with increasing aridity intensity. This study examines the impact of long-term aridity on 14 plant leaf traits in two arid areas (arid and hyper-arid) in the Hexi Corridor, China. A leaf trait network (LTN) was constructed to study how leaf trait tradeoff strategies differ between the two areas. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to identify the direct and indirect effects of aridity and functional diversity (as measured by community weighted means and functional dispersion) on leaf nutrient concentration.
resultsLTN shows trait separation, poor synergy among traits, and low resource utilization. Correlation analyses showed that the mass ratio hypothesis is dominant, and aridity is positively correlated with leaf relative water content (RWC) and leaf phosphorus content, and negatively correlated with leaf nitrogen content (LNC). SEM results indicated that LNC is directly affected by aridity, RWC, leaf carbon content, and plant height. Aridity and functional dispersion directly affects leaf phosphorus content.
conclusionsResults indicate that increasing drought weakens plant coordination among specific traits, and the main change in plant trait tradeoff strategies is reflected in the separation of nutrient traits. Exploring the change of the tradeoff among traits along the aridity gradient can better understand the adaptation process of plants to aridity and the process of community function change.
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