Age-related changes of leaf traits and stoichiometry in an alpine shrub (Rhododendron agglutinatum) along altitudinal gradient

CORC > 生态环境研究中心 > 中国科学院生态环境研究中心 > 城市与区域生态国家重点实验室

	Age-related changes of leaf traits and stoichiometry in an alpine shrub (Rhododendron agglutinatum) along altitudinal gradient
	Wang Meng; Liu Guo-hu; Jin Tian-tian; Li Zong-shan; Gong Li; Wang Hao; Ye Xin
刊名	JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE
	2017
卷号	14 期号:1 页码:106-118
关键词	Leaf Traits Stoichiometry Rhododendron Agglutinatum Altitude Age Alpine Shrub
英文摘要	Leaf morphological and stoichiometric characteristics are considered to represent both the interior inheritable characters in the plant and its adaptations to specific exterior environments. Rhododendron agglutinatum, an evergreen alpine shrub species, occupies a wide range of habitats above timberline in the Miyaluo Natural Reserve, southwestern China. Along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 3700 to 4150 m, we measured leaf morphological characters including leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA), and one leaf area (OLA), as well as carbon (C) and nutrient (N, P) contents in leaves of three different age groups (juvenile leaves, mature leaves and senescent leaves). We also calculated the stoichiometric relationships among carbon and nutrients (C/N, C/P and N/P). Results showed that both age and altitude affected the leaf morphological and stoichiometric properties of R. agglutinatum. Mature leaves possessed the highest LDMC, LMA and C contents both on a dry mass basis and on a unit area basis. Younger leaves possessed higher contents of nutrients. OLA as well as ratios between carbon and nutrients (C/N, C/P) increased with ages. Juvenile leaves possessed lowest ratio between nitrogen and phosphorus. In juvenile leaves, nutrients increased with altitudinal elevation, whereas other traits decreased. In mature leaves, nutrients and their ratios with carbon showed consistent trends with juvenile leaves along increasing altitude, whereas LMA and carbon on a unit area basis showed opposite trends with juvenile leaves along increasing altitude. In senescent leaves, only content of phosphorus on a unit area basis and N/P were found linearly correlated with altitude. Our results demonstrated a clear pattern of nutrient distribution with aging process in leaves and indicated that a high possibility of N limitation in this region. We also concluded that younger leaves could be more sensitive to climate changes due to a greater altitudinal influence on the leaf traits in younger leaves than those in elder leaves.
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.rcees.ac.cn/handle/311016/38941]
专题	生态环境研究中心_城市与区域生态国家重点实验室
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Wang Meng,Liu Guo-hu,Jin Tian-tian,et al. Age-related changes of leaf traits and stoichiometry in an alpine shrub (Rhododendron agglutinatum) along altitudinal gradient[J]. JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE,2017,14(1):106-118.
APA	Wang Meng.,Liu Guo-hu.,Jin Tian-tian.,Li Zong-shan.,Gong Li.,...&Ye Xin.(2017).Age-related changes of leaf traits and stoichiometry in an alpine shrub (Rhododendron agglutinatum) along altitudinal gradient.JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE,14(1),106-118.
MLA	Wang Meng,et al."Age-related changes of leaf traits and stoichiometry in an alpine shrub (Rhododendron agglutinatum) along altitudinal gradient".JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE 14.1(2017):106-118.