Functional trait divergence associated with heteromorphic leaves in a climbing fig

作者：Jun‐Yin Deng, Yongjin Wang, Lu-Fan Chen, Tong Luo, Rong Wang, Xiaoyong Chen · 发表于：Frontiers in Plant Science · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.3389/fpls.2023.1261240 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Phytochemistry and biological activities of Ficus species、Plant and animal studies、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Introduction Plants that display heteroblasty possess conspicuous variations in leaf morphology between their juvenile and adult phases, with certain species retaining juvenile-like leaves even in adulthood. Nevertheless, the ecological advantages of maintaining two or more distinct leaf types in heteroblastic plants at the adult stage remain unclear. Method The aim of this study is to examine the adaptive significance of heteroblastic leaves sampled from branches with divergent functions (sterile and fertile branches) of mature Ficus pumila individuals by comparing their morphological, anatomical, and physiological characteristics. Result Leaves on sterile branches (LSs) exhibited a significantly larger specific leaf area, thinner palisade and spongy tissues, lower chlorophyll contents, and lower light saturation points than leaves on fertile branches (LFs). These results demonstrate that LSs are better adapted to low light environments, while LFs are well equipped to take advantages of high light conditions. However, both LFs and LSs have a low light compensation point with no significant difference between them, indicating that they start to accumulate photosynthetic products under similar light conditions. Interestingly, significant higher net photosynthetic rate was detected in LFs, showing they have higher photosynthetic capacity. Furthermore, LFs produced significant more nutrients compared to LSs, which may associate to their ability of accumulating more photosyntheti...