Taylor’s Power Law for Leaf Bilateral Symmetry

Wang, Ping; Ratkowsky, David A.; Xiao, Xiao; Yu, Xiaojing; Su, Jialu; Zhang, Lifang; Shi, Peijian

doi:10.3390/f9080500

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Leaf bilateral asymmetry is significantly affected by the aboveground architectural structure and physiological attributes of plants [24,44]. The mutual occlusion between plant branches, the light source competition of adjacent trees [45,46] and the morphological changes of plants in response to competition can affect leaf shape and symmetry [44].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mutual occlusion between plant branches, the light source competition of adjacent trees [45,46] and the morphological changes of plants in response to competition can affect leaf shape and symmetry [44]. Canopies blocked from each other can result in different distributions of nutrients and internal materials that form leaf structure, reflected in leaf shape measures, with plants in regular spatial distributions having more symmetric leaves [24]. The investigated 12 Rosaceae species have different aboveground architectural structures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, crown spread patterns can influence the productivity of an individual tree and the outcome of competition with neighboring trees [49,50]. At the same time, due to the difference in the aboveground architectural structure, the heterogeneity of light falling on branches and leaves is an important factor resulting in leaf bilateral asymmetry [24]. A denser crown results in stronger light competition and less leaf bilateral symmetry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bilateral symmetry can be divided into two types: object symmetry and matching symmetry [23]. Matching symmetry is generally referred to as two independent structures that can mirror each other, such as the left and right arms of the human body, while object symmetry is referred to as the left and right parts of the same body that are not separated, such as the left and right sides of the human body or the leaf lamina along the main vein [23,24]. In addition, the ratio of leaf perimeter to area provides useful information of leaf shape, although previous studies rarely provide this parameter [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scaling Relationships between Leaf Shape and Area of 12 Rosaceae Species

Hui

Sandhu

et al. 2019

Symmetry

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Leaf surface area (A) and leaf shape have been demonstrated to be closely correlated with photosynthetic rates. The scaling relationship between leaf biomass (both dry weight and fresh weight) and A has been widely studied. However, few studies have focused on the scaling relationship between leaf shape and A. Here, using more than 3600 leaves from 12 Rosaceae species, we examined the relationships of the leaf-shape indices including the left to right side leaf surface area ratio (AR), the ratio of leaf perimeter to leaf surface area (RPA), and the ratio of leaf width to length (RWL) versus A. We also tested whether there is a scaling relationship between leaf dry weight and A, and between PRA and A. There was no significant correlation between AR and A for each of the 12 species. Leaf area was also found to be independent of RWL because leaf width remained proportional to leaf length across the 12 species. However, there was a negative correlation between RPA and A. The scaling relationship between RPA and A held for each species, and the estimated scaling exponent of RPA versus A approached −1/2; the scaling relationship between leaf dry weight and A also held for each species, and 11 out of the 12 estimated scaling exponents of leaf dry weight versus A were greater than unity. Our results indicated that leaf surface area has a strong scaling relationship with leaf perimeter and also with leaf dry weight but has no relationship with leaf symmetry or RWL. Additionally, our results showed that leaf dry weight per unit area, which is usually associated with the photosynthetic capacity of plants, increases with an increasing A because the scaling exponent of leaf dry weight versus A is greater than unity. This suggests that a large leaf surface area requires more dry mass input to support the physical structure of the leaf.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scaling Relationships between Leaf Shape and Area of 12 Rosaceae Species

Hui

Sandhu

et al. 2019

Symmetry

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“…For example, asymmetric (unequal) growth of the lamina (Calvo-Alvarado et al 2008) is often closely related to phenotypic plasticity during leaf development (Mǜller et al 2000;Weiner 2004). The area difference between the left and right sides of leaves might result from the influence of the aboveground architectural structures of plants on the heterogeneity of light interception for leaves in different positions (Küppers 1989;Sumida and Komiyama 1997;Wang et al 2018). Leaf phenotypic plasticity implies that plants tend to invest more dry mass to the side of a leaf facing the sunlight rather than to the side in shade, to make plants maximize light use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaf shape influences the scaling of leaf dry mass vs. area: a test case using bamboos

Lin

Niklas

Wan

et al. 2020

Annals of Forest Science

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& Key message A highly significant and positive scaling relationship between bamboo leaf dry mass and leaf surface area was observed; leaf shape (here, represented by the quotient of leaf width and length) had a significant influence on the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area. & Context The scaling of leaf dry mass vs. leaf area is important for understanding how plants effectively intercept sunlight and invest carbon to do so. However, comparatively few, if any, studies have focused on whether leaf shape influences this scaling relationship. & Aims In order to explore the effects of leaf shape on the scaling relationship between leaf dry mass and area, we examined 101 species, varieties, forms, and cultivars of bamboo growing in China and identified the relationship between the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area and leaf shape. This taxon was used because its leaf shape is conserved across species and, therefore, easily quantified. & Methods Ten thousand and forty-five leaves from 101 bamboo species, varieties, forms, and cultivars growing in China were collected, and leaf dry mass, the quotient of leaf width and length, leaf area, and leaf dry mass per unit area were measured. The effect of leaf shape that can be easily quantified using the quotient of leaf width and length on the relevant and ecologically important scaling exponents was explored using this data base. & Results Leaf dry mass and area differed significantly across bamboo genera, and even within the same genus. However, a statistically robust log-log linear and positive scaling relationship was observed for mass and area with a 1.115 scaling exponent (95% CI = 1.107, 1.122; r 2 = 0.907). Leaf shape had a significant influence on the numerical values of the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area. When the median of the quotient of leaf width and length was below 0.125, the numerical value of the scaling exponent increased with increasing quotient of leaf width and length. When the median of the quotient of leaf width and length was above 0.125, the scaling exponent numerically decreased toward 1.0. & Conclusion We show, for the first time, that a significant relationship exists between leaf shape and the numerical values of scaling exponents governing the scaling of leaf dry mass with respect to leaf area. In addition, we show that with the quotient of Shuyan Lin and Karl J. Niklas contributed equally to this work.

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Leaf functional traits of Parrotia subaequalis from different environments in eastern China

Zhang,

Yu,

Fang

2024

Plant Enviro Interactions

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Functional traits are important in understanding how plants respond and adapt to their immediate environment. Parrotia subaequalis is a highly endangered arbor species found throughout eastern China, primarily inhabiting hillsides and valleys, yet, little is known about the variation in leaf traits across these environments. In the present study, we tested this by comparing leaf surface area, leaf weight, leaf length, leaf symmetry and leaf mass per unit area, as well as the relationship between leaf traits and environmental factors and the scaling relationship between leaf surface area versus leaf dry mass. We observed significant differences in leaf surface area, weight, and length among the population sites, and these variables were strongly affected by environmental factors, especially high mean annual temperatures in hillside habitats and high mean annual precipitation in valley habitats. The scaling exponents remained numerically variant among the 10 populations, with different slopes greater than 1.0, and the scaling exponents increased significantly with hillside habitats. These metrics correlated with soil thickness associated with different habitat types. The areal ratio (AR) values in all populations deviated from 1, indicating that the two lamina sides were asymmetrical. The standardized symmetry index (SI) values displayed significant variation, especially in leaves from hillside habitats with a high degree of asymmetry. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that leaf functional traits exhibit considerable variability in response to different environmental contexts and provide valuable reference data that could be useful for conserving this endangered species.

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Taylor’s Power Law for Leaf Bilateral Symmetry

Cited by 19 publications

References 35 publications

Scaling Relationships between Leaf Shape and Area of 12 Rosaceae Species

Scaling Relationships between Leaf Shape and Area of 12 Rosaceae Species

Leaf shape influences the scaling of leaf dry mass vs. area: a test case using bamboos

Leaf functional traits of Parrotia subaequalis from different environments in eastern China

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