Differential leaf expansion can enable hydraulic acclimation to sun and shade
Madeline R Carins Murphy1, Gregory J Jordan, Timothy J Brodribb
1School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Abstract:
Although leaf size is one of the most responsive plant traits to environmental change, the functional benefits of large versus small leaves remain unclear. We hypothesized that modification of leaf size within species resulting from differences in irradiance can allow leaves to acclimate to different photosynthetic or evaporative conditions while maintaining an efficient balance between hydraulic supply (vein density) and evaporative demand. To test this, we compared the function and anatomy of leaf hydraulic systems in the leaves of a woody angiosperm (Toona ciliata M. Roem.) grown under high and low irradiance in controlled conditions. Our results confirm that in this species, differential leaf expansion regulates the density of veins and stomata such that leaf hydraulic conductance and stomatal conductance remain proportional. A broader sample of field-grown tree species suggested that differences in leaf venation and stomatal traits induced by sun and shade were not regulated by leaf size in all cases. Our results, however, suggest that leaf size plasticity can provide an efficient way for plants to acclimate hydraulic and stomatal conductances to the contrasting evaporative conditions of sun and shade.
More Related Videos
10:14Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoclimate and Paleoecology with Fossil Leaves Using Digital Leaf Physiognomy and Leaf Mass Per Area
Published on: October 25, 2024
07:08Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus
Published on: January 30, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Light Acquisition
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
C4 Pathway and CAM
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
