ArticleAnnals of botany2026
Anatomical and physiological trade-offs underlying the leaf economics spectrum in tropical Andean montane forests.
Article in Annals of botany, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThe leaf economic spectrum (LES) offers a comprehensive framework that elucidates the global covariation of leaf functional traits based on an investment and return analysis in leaf tissues, and reflects resource-acquisitive and resource-conservative plant strategies. Yet, this framework has focused on whole-leaf morphological, chemical and physiological traits, offering little insight about the role of the underlying anatomy. Anatomical traits vary widely and are likely to play a pivotal role in determining whole-organ traits, and also influence community assembly and ecosystem function. Here, using leaf anatomical metrics in 63 tropical Andean plant species we aimed to understand the fundamental anatomical trade-offs underlying the LES in these mountain forests.
methodsWe measured 50 traits (41 anatomical and 9 foliar) and used Spearman correlations, principal component analysis and reduced major axis regressions to examine the physiological trade-offs between leaf anatomical characteristics and foliar traits associated with the LES. KEY
resultsThicker leaf tissues and larger vascular bundles were linked to conservative strategies, whereas traits related to carbon fixation - particularly palisade mesophyll size - were associated with acquisitive strategies. In addition, mesophyll organization, including the ratio of palisade to spongy mesophyll and cell shape, influenced resource acquisition and photosynthetic rate.
conclusionsOur findings show that conservative strategies predominated in these upper Andean forests; however, a clear acquisitive-conservative gradient persisted and was strongly associated with leaf anatomical traits. These findings indicate that anatomical variation represents a key functional dimension of the LES and provides new insights into its structural basis in tropical montane ecosystems.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.