Weak correlations among leaf thermal metrics, economic traits and damages under natural heatwaves

The frequency and intensity of heatwaves are increasing around the world, causing severe damages to plants, but whether leaf thermal metrics is in line with leaf economic spectrum is still controversial. Here, we measured leaf damage ratio, leaf thermal metrics (tolerance and sensitivity) and econom...

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Published in:The Science of the total environment 2024-03, Vol.916, p.170022-170022, Article 170022
Main Authors: Ning, Qiu-Rui, Li, Qiang, Zhang, Hao-Ping, Jin, Yi, Gong, Xue-Wei, Jiao, Rui-Fang, Bakpa, Emily Patience, Zhao, Han, Liu, Hui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acclimatization
Heat stress
Heat-Shock Response
Leaf damages
Leaf thermal sensitivity
Leaf thermal tolerance
Plant Leaves - physiology
Plants
Temperature
Urban woody species
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Summary:The frequency and intensity of heatwaves are increasing around the world, causing severe damages to plants, but whether leaf thermal metrics is in line with leaf economic spectrum is still controversial. Here, we measured leaf damage ratio, leaf thermal metrics (tolerance and sensitivity) and economic traits of 131 woody species across five cities along the Yangtze River after a two-month natural extreme temperature event. We found that leaf thermal sensitivity but not thermal tolerance was correlated with leaf damage ratio, and the relationships between leaf thermal metrics and economic traits were weak, indicating that leaf thermal adaptation may be independent from leaf carbon construction. This study suggests a potential indicator for predicting plant survival under heatwaves, urging future research to explore more physiological traits to comprehensively understand plant heat responses and adaptations. [Display omitted] •Species with higher thermal sensitivity were more vulnerable to heat stress.•Leaf damage ratio was predicted by thermal sensitivity rather than thermal tolerance and leaf economic traits.•Leaf thermal metrics (tolerance and sensitivity) and economic traits were weakly correlated under natural heatwaves.•Leaf hydraulic traits are also needed to better understand the physiological regulation of plants under heat stress.
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170022