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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

Published on: October 12, 2015

Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits.

Wenzel Kröber¹, Isa Plath², Heike Heklau²

¹Institute of Biology / Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg; wenzel.kroeber@botanik.uni-halle.de.

Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove

|October 21, 2015

Summary

Leaf functional traits, including those beyond the leaf economics spectrum (LES), predict plant water use and carbon assimilation. Stomatal traits offer superior insights into stomatal regulation compared to LES traits alone.

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Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits

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Measurement of Leaf Hydraulic Conductance and Stomatal Conductance and Their Responses to Irradiance and Dehydration Using the Evaporative Flux Method EFM

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Area of Science:

Plant Ecology
Plant Physiology
Functional Trait Research

Background:

Leaf functional traits are key indicators of plant physiological functions like transpiration and carbon assimilation.
The leaf economics spectrum (LES) framework categorizes plant strategies based on traits like specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC).
Existing frameworks may not fully capture physiological regulation, particularly stomatal control mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate leaf functional traits beyond the LES for understanding plant physiology.
To introduce and validate a new method for assessing stomatal regulation in response to vapor pressure deficit (VPD).
To compare the predictive power of LES traits versus non-LES traits for stomatal regulation.

Main Methods:

Measurement of a comprehensive suite of leaf functional traits, including LES traits and novel stomatal traits.
Development of a new method to quantify stomatal regulation by fitting conductance-VPD curves.
Statistical analysis to correlate leaf traits with parameters of stomatal regulation.

Main Results:

LES traits, such as leaf carbon concentration, partially predicted stomatal regulation parameters.
Traits not included in the LES, like stomatal density and stomatal index, provided significant additional information on stomatal control.
Stomata and vein traits demonstrated greater power in explaining stomatal regulation than LES traits.

Conclusions:

Leaf functional traits beyond the LES are crucial for a complete understanding of plant physiological strategies.
Stomatal traits offer more predictive power for stomatal regulation than traditional LES traits.
Integrating stomatal and vein traits with LES traits can enhance ecological models of plant function.