Evolutionary lability underlies drought adaptation of Australian shrubs along aridity gradients

ABSTRACT: Leaf drought tolerance traits influence plant survival in water deficit conditions, and these traits are influenced by both the plant’s evolutionary history and the environment in which the plant is currently growing. However, due to the substantial phenotypic plasticity in leaf traits, we still do not know to what degree variation in leaf traits is governed by species’ phylogenetic history or by their environment. To explore this question, we re-examined a drought tolerance dataset from 37 native Australian shrub species with varying climate origins growing in a common garden located in Melbourne, Australia. We previously measured seven leaf morphophysiological traits, and here, we estimated how phylogenetically conserved these traits are. We quantified phylogeny and the strength of corre

SUBMITTER: Xu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9585297 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature