Leaves are one of key components of a plant which play a remarkable role in food manufacturing, therefore it is called as photosynthetic machinery. Moreover, leaves are more sensitive than other components, they also act as receivers of external environment. Therefore, if any changes occur in the environment and if the changes persist and are prolonged, leaves can be affected by changes. Therefore, morphological traits like leaf area, thickness, surface, texture, leaf mass, tissue density etc, will exhibit some indication of receiving climate change. Thus, it could be an indicator of changing climate.
Hi there Anand,
In research performed in the cities of Valencia (Spain) and Gent (Belgium) in the BIOHYPE project funded by Belgium (BELSPO) and Spain (BELSPO and Universitat de Valencia) leaf reflectance asymmetry data, strongly suggest that leaf morphology is a good indicator of environmental pollution and environmental stress (besides leaf fluoresence). Chronic exposure to pollutants, changes the dorsiventral structure of leaves within a growing season (See here in ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236069858_Assessing_urban_habitat_quality_using_spectral_characteristics_of_Tilia_leaves?ev=prf_pub).
Hence, the change in leaf asymetry, due to environmental pollution, occurs in a relatively short time interval (one growing season).
This probably is not the case for climate change impacts on leaf morphology. They are pretty sure to occur over longer time periods of plant adaptation to changes in temperature and/or carbon dioxide mixing ratio's in the atmosphere, not to forget soil water availability. Hence, we are not dealing with environmental pollution here, but we may be dealing with temperature and water stress over periods of decades or even millenia, with an atmosphere which sometimes becomes thermodynamically more unstable, which in its turn leads to to increased flooding events (which cause anoxia in pure landplants, oxygen is blocked on its path to the root system), or direct damage to foliage due to hail storms, high wind speeds, etcetera. These impacts are of another time scale, intensity and frequency of occurence, than the ones due to environmental pollution.
Hence, I think the question remains open whether climate change impacts (besides the direct ones I gave some exampels of) has an effect on plant morphology. Nevertheless an intruiging hypothesis, when bringing the evolution of land plants in focus, is that we observe that terrestrial vegetation disposes of three metabolism types to fix carbon, e.g., the C3, C4 and CAM metabolisms (in order of occurence). Each metabolism type is linked with a specific leaf morphology. Each metabolism type is also specific for a certain climate regime. For example the highest frquency of C4 species is found in tropical to subtropical climates. CAM plants are typically found in hot and dry climates. C3 plants are found all over the globe, but their species frequency is highest in more temperate climates, without too much water stress conditions.
We know that during evolution, different climate types have occured. The leaf metabolisms as well as their accompanying typical morphologies, may have been an adaptation to changing climatic conditions. If this can be accepted as plausible, then yes, morphological, but also metabolic treats of plant leaves, can be considered as an adaptation to changing climate conditions, including different levels of carbon dioxide and higher (or lower) mean global temperatures.
However, I think that within a growing season, climate impacts are non-existent (except those due to the more cataclysmic events increasing in frequency with increasing atmopsheric instability (storms, floodings and the like). One really needs several hundreds of generations of plants before the impacts of climate will become fixed in the genetic heritage of the plant empire and hence become visible for humanity and its plant scientists.
CHeers,
Frank
Article Assessing urban habitat quality using spectral characteristi...
Leaf of the trees can be show the change in the close proximity of the environment but stem can show the change in water availability of the tree and pattern of leaves size show the drastic change in CO2 concentration. Instead of trees other plant leaves either annual or seasonal show they can not show the long term changes.
Dear Frank Veroustraete Sir,
I am so delighted to get your so detail answer pertaining to my question. Indeed you have answered me of my several misconceptions which were existing together with me. Now many things are clear. I will take care of your suggestion and points during course of study on plant functional traits in contrasting habitats and environment to see the effect of habitat and environmental condition in a changing climate.
Regards
Anand
What we are finding in California with native grass seeds and genetic ecotypes of a single species sorting out to dry-moist climate is the smallest seeds are in the moistest part of the range and the largest seeds in the driest. So in order for a species to adapt to a drier climate, at least with the native grasses, the seeds may need to evolve to become larger.
The other actor that works against an ecosystem, along with drier climate, is the question of the native plant seedling surviving if the surrounding soil nutrient conditions drop below minimum seedling survival thresholds. That has been already happening in California without any input from global frying, where grazing over the last 200 years, has dropped the soil nutrient levels below native seedling survival requirements, so whole oak forests have produced no seedlings for the last few decades.
I believe that an adequate seed size for seedling survival and seedling survival itself in the face of drier soil and lower soil nutrients is going to be the most immediate indicator of global frying than leaf traits.
Like you can see at http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1x7571770/valley_oak_quercus_lobata_also_known_as_california
Dear Mr. Singh,
Plant functional traits are good indicators for environmental conditions and disturbance. Maybe you can find useful information from some review papers like:
Poorter, H., Niklas, K.J., Reich, P.B., Oleksyn, J., Poot, P., Mommer, L., 2012. Biomass allocation to leaves, stems and roots: meta-analyses of interspecific variation and environmental control. New Phytol. 193, 30–50
Our studies in semiarid grassland have shown that SLA and N% are sensitive to the manipulation of precipitation and nitrogen fertilizer addition (Gong et al. 2011 Plant and soil). http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-010-0525-9
Leaf area ratio and leaf weight ratio of grassland species are shown to be strongly affected by sheep grazing (Gong et al. 2015 European Journal of Agronomy).
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1161030114001361#
Regards!
Xiaoying
hello
you can see at http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1x7571770/valley_oak_quercus_lobata_also_known_as_california
Dear Anand,
I would say that leaf traits can be relevant indicators of climate change, especially traits related to resource-use and stress-tolerance like SLA, LDMC, LT. Biomass allocation to leaves (i.e., Leaf Mass Fraction) may be relevant as well. You should have a look at the 'Leaf-Economics-Spectrum' theory: you will find several studies, at the plant or the community level showing how leaf traits change with changing the abiotic environment. The remaining question is: what dynamics? How fast will you get the signal on traits in response to changing climate? I would strongly recommend having a careful assessment of abiotic factors in parallel to trait measurements.
Yes leaves are main indicaters of changing climatic conditions and leaf morphological modifications in such conditions are easily identified.
Different ecological factors such as climate, physiological features, etc. can directly or indirectly resulted in phenotypic placticity in plants (e.g., type of trichomes and stomata on the dorsal or ventral surfaces of leaves).
Climatic factors are mianly influencing on the growth and development of the plant body. Leaves are one of the fast and easily remarkable indicators. So can say if the morphometric change in the leaf traits, definitely that indicates the change in either physiological or ecological factors.
Dear Researcher
leaves morphological features have demonstrated association with climate and varies within species along climate gradients. We predicted that given within species variation along a climate gradient, a morphological shift should have occurred over time due to climate change .
Yes, Leaf (morphological) traits can be indicator of changing climate, that’s why leaf traits are studied to understand species response towards their living environments. In addition, they provide a better understanding of the plant adaptations in an environment. Moreover, leaf functional traits (morphological as well as physiological) reflect the main differences in strategies adopted by plants in different environments.
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