Vein Network and Climatic Factors Predict the Leaf Economic Spectrum of Desert Plants in Xinjiang, China.

ABSTRACT: The leaf economic spectrum (LES) has been repeatedly verified with regional and global datasets. However, the LES of desert plants and its drivers has not been fully explored at the species level. In this study, we sampled three desert perennial plant species (Alhagi sparsifolia, Karelinia caspia, and Apocynum venetum) at three different geographical areas of distribution in Xinjiang, China, and measured 10 leaf economic traits to determine their strategy of resource utilization. The scores of the first axis from the principal component analysis of 10 leaf economic traits as a continuous variable define the LES. This study showed that the LES did exist in desert plants in this region. The leaf economic spectrum shifted from a more conservative strategy to a more acquis

SUBMITTER: Du Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9920464 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature