Climate: The dominant factor influencing the spatial distribution pattern of the leaf trait network of Populus euphratica along the main stream of the Tarim River.

ABSTRACT: Leaves are the primary interface through which plants interact with the environment, their functional traits (morphology, anatomy, physiology) directly reflecting ecological strategies that mediate species-environment interactions. These traits link plant performance to ecosystem processes, shaping species distributions and coexistence via their complex relationships with climatic and edaphic factors. Based on previous work, we selected 20 P. euphratica trees along the desert riparian forest of the main stream of the Tarim River for leaf sample collection and habitat survey. We used 27 leaf traits of P. euphratica to visualize the leaf trait network (LTN). Through network structure parameters, such as edge density, diameter, average path length, and average clustering coefficient, the spat

SUBMITTER: Peng C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12057974 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature