Variations in foliar stable carbon isotopes among functional groups and along environmental gradients in China – a meta‐analysis

Wang, N.; Xu, Shanshan; Xiu-hong, Jia; Gao, Jiangbo; Zhang, W. P.; Qiu, Yunpeng; Wang, G. X.

doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00605.x

Cited by 28 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The δ 13 C is then linked to photosynthetic water‐use efficiency (WUE), quantified as the ratio of amount of photosynthetic carbon gain to water loss via transpiration (Hultine & Marshall, ). The increasing δ 13 C with elevation we found is consistent with the conclusion that plants at higher elevation show higher leaf δ 13 C worldwide (Körner et al., ; Wang et al., ). Environmental factors influencing the positive trend of δ 13 C along elevational gradients are not fully clear in the literature (Körner, Farquhar, & Wong, ; Morecroft, Woodward, & Marris, ), but evidence suggest that such trend is linked to both decreasing temperature and atmospheric pressure (Cernusak et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Global patterns of intraspecific leaf trait responses to elevation

Midolo

Frenne

Hölzel

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

113

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Elevational gradients are often used to quantify how traits of plant species respond to abiotic and biotic environmental variations. Yet, such analyses are frequently restricted spatially and applied along single slopes or mountain ranges. Since we know little on the response of intraspecific leaf traits to elevation across the globe, we here perform a global meta‐analysis of leaf traits in 109 plant species located in 4 continents and reported in 71 studies published between 1983 and 2018. We quantified the intraspecific change in seven morpho‐ecophysiological leaf traits along global elevational gradients: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf area (LA), nitrogen concentration per unit of area (Narea), nitrogen concentration per unit mass (Nmass), phosphorous concentration per unit mass (Pmass) and carbon isotope composition (δ13C). We found LMA, Narea, Nmass and δ13C to significantly increase and SLA to decrease with increasing elevation. Conversely, LA and Pmass showed no significant pattern with elevation worldwide. We found significantly larger increase in Narea, Nmass, Pmass and δ13C with elevation in warmer regions. Larger responses to increasing elevation were apparent for SLA of herbaceous compared to woody species, but not for the other traits. Finally, we also detected evidences of covariation across morphological and physiological traits within the same elevational gradient. In sum, we demonstrate that there are common cross‐species patterns of intraspecific leaf trait variation across elevational gradients worldwide. Irrespective of whether such variation is genetically determined via local adaptation or attributed to phenotypic plasticity, the leaf trait patterns quantified here suggest that plant species are adapted to live on a range of temperature conditions. Since the distribution of mountain biota is predominantly shifting upslope in response to changes in environmental conditions, our results are important to further our understanding of how plants species of mountain ecosystems adapt to global environmental change.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Global patterns of intraspecific leaf trait responses to elevation

Midolo

Frenne

Hölzel

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

113

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“…; Wang et al. ). This study compared foliar δ 13 C values of species under different precipitation conditions, where the slope indicates the level of plasticity (i.e., a steeper line is considered to be more plastic; De Jong ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…), eventually leading to increases in δ 13 C. Therefore, the apparent stomatal limitation at Site I would decline rapidly as water availability increases, whereas foliar δ 13 C with lower plasticity at Site V might have been caused because watering exceeded the threshold value of MAP above which foliar δ 13 C shows no significant change (Leffler and Enquist ; Wang et al. ). Furthermore, numerous studies have indicated that soil water availability is a determinant of foliar δ 13 C value for plants grown in a dry habitat (Ehleringer ; Schulze et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat‐specific differences in plasticity of foliar δ¹³C in temperate steppe grasses

Liu

Zhang

Niu

et al. 2014

Ecology and Evolution

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A decrease in foliar δ13C with increasing precipitation is a common tendency in steppe plants. However, the rate of decrease has been reported to differ between different species or populations. We here hypothesized that plant populations in the same habitat of temperate steppes may not differ in foliar δ13C response patterns to precipitation, but could differ in the levels of plasticity of foliar δ13C across different habitats. In order to test this hypothesis, we conducted controlled watering experiments in northeast China at five sites along a west–east transect at latitude 44°N, which show substantial interannual fluctuations and intra-annual changes in precipitation among them. In 2001, watering treatment (six levels, three replicates) was assigned to 18 plots at each site. The responses of foliar δ13C to precipitation (i.e., the sum of watering and rainfall) were determined in populations of several grass species that were common across all sites. Although similar linear regression slopes were observed for populations of different species growing at the same site, significantly different slopes were obtained for populations of the same species growing at different sites. Further, the slope of the line progressively decreased from Site I to Site V for all species in this study. These results suggest habitat-specific differences in plasticity of foliar δ13C in temperate steppe grasses. This indicates that species' δ13C response to precipitation is conservative at the same site due to their long-term acclimation, but the mechanism responsible behind this needs further investigations.

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“…Stable isotope signatures of resources of the decomposer system varied with study region and/or forest type. Variations in δ 13 C signatures of leaf litter and fine roots between coniferous and beech trees presumably are related to differences in physiological traits, such as water use efficiency or foliar seasonality (Chevillat et al , Kuptz et al , Wang et al ). δ 15 N signatures of resources did not vary with forest type, however, higher signatures in the Swabian Alb and Hainich as compared to the Schorfheide reflect regional differences in the overall nitrogen balance, presumably related to factors such as nitrogen deposition, precipitation and mean temperature (Boeckx et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic shift of soil animal species with forest type as indicated by stable isotope analysis

Klarner

Ehnes

Erdmann

et al. 2014

Oikos

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Anthropogenic land use shapes the dynamics and composition of central European forests and changes the quality and availability of resources of the decomposer system. Th ese changes likely alter the structure and functioning of soil animal food webs. Using stable isotope analysis ( 13 C, 15 N) we investigated the trophic position and resource use of soil animal species in each of four forest types (coniferous, young managed beech, old managed beech and unmanaged beech forests) across three regions in Germany. Twenty-eight species of soil invertebrates were analyzed covering three consumer levels and a representative spectrum of feeding types and morphologies. Data on stable isotope signatures of leaf litter, fi ne roots and soil were included to evaluate to which extent signatures of soil animals vary with those of local resources. Soil animal δ 15 N and δ 13 C signatures varied with the respective signatures of leaf litter and fi ne roots. After calibration to leaf litter signatures, soil animal stable isotope signatures of the diff erent beech forests did not diff er signifi cantly. However, thick leaf litter layers, such as those in coniferous forests, were associated with low animal stable isotope signatures presumably due to reduced access of decomposer animals to root-derived resources, suggesting that the decomposer food web is shifted towards leaf litter based energy pathways with the shift aff ecting all consumer levels. Variation in stable isotope signatures of soil animal species with litter quality parameters suggests that nutrition of third level but not fi rst and second level consumers is related to litter quality, potentially due to microorganisms locking up litter resources thereby hampering their propagation to higher trophic levels.

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Variations in foliar stable carbon isotopes among functional groups and along environmental gradients in China – a meta‐analysis

Cited by 28 publications

References 48 publications

Global patterns of intraspecific leaf trait responses to elevation

Global patterns of intraspecific leaf trait responses to elevation

Habitat‐specific differences in plasticity of foliar δ¹³C in temperate steppe grasses

Trophic shift of soil animal species with forest type as indicated by stable isotope analysis

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Variations in foliar stable carbon isotopes among functional groups and along environmental gradients in China – a meta‐analysis

Cited by 28 publications

References 48 publications

Global patterns of intraspecific leaf trait responses to elevation

Global patterns of intraspecific leaf trait responses to elevation

Habitat‐specific differences in plasticity of foliar δ13C in temperate steppe grasses

Trophic shift of soil animal species with forest type as indicated by stable isotope analysis

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Habitat‐specific differences in plasticity of foliar δ¹³C in temperate steppe grasses