title: Elevation-related variation in leaf stomatal traits as a function of plant functional type: evidence from Changbai Mountain, China.
abstract: Understanding the variation in stomatal characteristics in relation to climatic gradients can reveal the adaptation strategies of plants, and help us to predict their responses to future climate changes. In this study, we investigated stomatal density (SD) and stomatal length (SL) in 150 plant species along an elevation gradient (540-2357 m) in Changbai Mountain, China, and explored the patterns and drivers of stomatal characteristics across species and plant functional types (PFTs: trees, shrubs, and herbs). The average values of SD and SL for all species combined were 156 mm(-2) and 35 µm, respectively. SD was higher in trees (224 mm(-2)) than in shrubs (156 mm(-2)) or herbs (124 mm(-2)), and SL was largest in herbs (37 µm). SD was negatively correlated with SL in all species and PFTs (P < 0.01). The relationship between stomatal characteristics and elevation differed among PFTs. In trees, SD decreased and SL increased with elevation; in shrubs and herbs, SD initially increased and then decreased. Elevation-related differences in SL were not significant. PFT explained 7.20-17.6% of the total variation in SD and SL; the contributions of CO2 partial pressure (P CO2), precipitation, and soil water content (SWC) were weak (0.02-2.28%). Our findings suggest that elevation-related patterns of stomatal characteristics in leaves are primarily a function of PFT, and highlight the importance of differences among PFTs in modeling gas exchange in terrestrial ecosystems under global climate change.
authors.affiliation: Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ruili
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guirui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Nianpeng
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qiufeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Forestry College of Beihua University, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Fucai
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ge
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000531:Altitude; D002681:China; D057231:Climate Change; D017753:Ecosystem; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D013696:Temperature