Global patterns of leaf mechanical properties.
Leaf mechanical properties strongly influence leaf lifespan, plant-herbivore interactions, litter decomposition and nutrient cycling, but global patterns in their interspecific variation and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We synthesize data across the three major measurement methods, permitting the first global analyses of leaf mechanics and associated traits, for 2819 species from 90 sites worldwide. Key measures of leaf mechanical resistance varied c. 500-800-fold among species. Contrary to a long-standing hypothesis, tropical leaves were not mechanically more resistant than temperate leaves. Leaf mechanical resistance was modestly related to rainfall and local light environment. By partitioning leaf mechanical resistance into three different components we discovered that toughness per density contributed a surprisingly large fraction to variation in mechanical resistance, larger than the fractions contributed by lamina thickness and tissue density. Higher toughness per density was associated with long leaf lifespan especially in forest understory. Seldom appreciated in the past, toughness per density is a key factor in leaf mechanical resistance, which itself influences plant-animal interactions and ecosystem functions across the globe.
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. yusuke.onoda@gmail.com
Yusuke
Y
Onoda
Mark
M
Westoby
Peter B
PB
Adler
Amy M F
AM
Choong
Fiona J
FJ
Clissold
Johannes H C
JH
Cornelissen
Sandra
S
Díaz
Nathaniel J
NJ
Dominy
Alison
A
Elgart
Lucas
L
Enrico
Paul V A
PV
Fine
Jerome J
JJ
Howard
Adel
A
Jalili
Kaoru
K
Kitajima
Hiroko
H
Kurokawa
Clare
C
McArthur
Peter W
PW
Lucas
Lars
L
Markesteijn
Natalia
N
Pérez-Harguindeguy
Lourens
L
Poorter
Lora
L
Richards
Louis S
LS
Santiago
Enio E
EE
Sosinski
Sunshine A
SA
Van Bael
David I
DI
Warton
Ian J
IJ
Wright
S Joseph
SJ
Wright
Nayuta
N
Yamashita
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D008027:Light; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D011891:Rain; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014329:Tropical Climate