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Summary Leaf economic spectrum (LES) relationships have been studied across many different plant lineages and at different organizational scales. However, the temporal stability of the LES relationships is largely unknown. We used the wild blueberry system with high genotypic diversity to test whether trait–trait relationships across genotypes demonstrate the same LES relationships found in the global database (GLOPNET) and whether they are stable across years.We studied leaf structure, photosynthesis, and leaf nutrients for 16 genotypes of two wild blueberry species semi‐naturally grown in a common farm in Maine, USA, across 4 yr.We found substantial variation in leaf structure, physiology, and nutrient traits within and among genotypes, as well as across years in wild blueberries. The LES trait–trait relationships (covariance structure) across genotypes were not always found in all years. The trait syndrome of wild blueberries was shifted by changing environmental conditions over the years. Additionally, traits in 1 yr cannot be used to predict those of another year.Our findings show that LES generally holds among genotypes but is temporally unstable, stressing the significant influence of trait plasticity in response to fluctuating environmental conditions across years, and the importance of temporal dimensions in shaping functional traits and species coexistence.
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This content will become publicly available on November 24, 2026
Stomatal traits covary with leaf mycobiome diversity and composition
Summary The scope of plant control over its microbiome is a central question in evolutionary biology and agriculture. Leaf traits are known to shape pathogen colonization and disease development, but their impact on the broader community of largely non‐pathogenic fungi that colonize plant leaves remains an open question.We used reciprocal common gardens of the model tree,Populus trichocarpa(black cottonwood), to examine relationships between leaf traits and the leaf mycobiome in two strongly contrasting environments. We measured six leaf traits (stomatal length, stomatal density, carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, and specific leaf area) and used fungal marker gene sequencing to characterize leaf fungal communities for 57 tree genotypes replicated in one mesic and one xeric common garden (809 trees).Several leaf traits covaried with the leaf mycobiome, yet one relationship was paramount: plant genotypes with longer, sparser leaf stomata hosted a greater richness and diversity of more similar fungal species compared to plant genotypes with shorter, denser leaf stomata.These relationships, while modulated by the environment plants were sourced from and grown in, suggest that stomatal traits may be a general mechanism through which plants and the leaf mycobiome influence one another.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2209329
- PAR ID:
- 10659423
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- New Phytologist
- Volume:
- 249
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0028-646X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 1408-1421
- Size(s):
- p. 1408-1421
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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