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Evolutionary control of leaf element composition in plants.

Toshihiro Watanabe1, Martin R Broadley2, Steven Jansen3,4

  • 1Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, N9W9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan.

The New Phytologist
|April 24, 2007
PubMed
Summary

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Phylogenetic effects significantly influence leaf element concentrations in plants beyond nitrogen and phosphorus. This study reveals evolutionary patterns in the leaf accumulation of 42 elements across diverse plant families.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Ecology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations show known phylogenetic correlations.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding phylogenetic influences on other leaf elements, including non-essential ones.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the phylogenetic variation in leaf elemental composition for 42 elements in terrestrial plants.
  • To determine the extent to which higher-level phylogenetic effects explain variation in leaf element concentrations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a dataset of over 2000 leaf samples from 670 species and 138 plant families.
  • Statistical assessment of variation in leaf element concentrations at different taxonomic levels (family and above).

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Main Results:

  • Over 25% of the variation in leaf composition for 21 elements was attributable to family-level or higher phylogenetic effects.
  • Remaining variation was linked to species-level differences, soil, climate, and sampling methods.

Conclusions:

  • Phylogenetic variation plays a significant role in leaf elemental composition for numerous elements, impacting nutrient cycling and toxic element transfer.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which plant families regulate their leaf elemental concentrations.