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Author Spotlight: Leaf Trait Analysis for Climate and Ecology Reconstruction in Modern and Ancient Plant Communities
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Local Adaptation Drives Leaf Thermoregulation in Tropical Rainforest Trees.
Kali B Middleby1,2, Rebecca Jordan3, Alexander W Cheesman1,4
1College of Science and Engineering and Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Global Change Biology
|September 4, 2025
Summary
Tropical trees show varied responses to warming. Some species use leaf traits to avoid heat damage, offering a buffer against climate change, while others are more vulnerable.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Plant Physiology
- Climate Change Biology
Background:
- Tropical forests are vital for global biodiversity and climate regulation but face threats from heatwaves and droughts.
- Species vulnerability to rising temperatures can differ due to phenotypic variation, impacting their ability to survive.
- Limited homeothermy, where leaf traits help avoid heat damage, is a potential strategy, but evidence and the roles of acclimation versus adaptation are scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate leaf trait variation, photosynthetic heat tolerance, and thermal safety margins in three rainforest tree species across a thermal gradient.
- To assess the capacity for limited homeothermy and differentiate between acclimation and adaptive divergence in response to warming.
- To identify genomic signals of selection related to climate variables and validate findings through controlled experiments.
Main Methods:
- Measured leaf thermal traits and photosynthetic heat tolerance in field populations across a natural temperature gradient.
- Employed a leaf energy balance model to predict leaf-to-air temperature differences (∆Ttrait) and thermal safety margins.
- Utilized individual-based genome-wide data to detect adaptive divergence and conducted glasshouse trials to test acclimation responses.
Main Results:
- Intraspecific trait variation reduced ∆Ttrait and enhanced heat tolerance in warmer sites for two of the three species, indicating effective buffering.
- Species with greater capacity for heat tolerance and avoidance showed less decline in thermal safety margins with increasing temperature.
- Genomic analyses revealed signals of selection related to temperature and moisture in all species, with experimental validation in one species.
Conclusions:
- Limited homeothermy is evident, with climate gradients driving selection for trait combinations that lower leaf temperatures in warmer-adapted populations.
- Acclimation can adjust individual traits, but their coordinated response maintains specific ∆Ttrait under varying conditions.
- Species lacking robust acclimation or adaptive strategies to adjust thermal safety margins face higher extinction risks in a rapidly changing climate.