Non-correlated variation of leaf and fine root traits in subtropical forest plants
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Plants employ multiple strategies to adapt to their growth environment. Characterizing key dimensions in plant trait space is important for understanding functional diversity within ecosystems. Leaf and root functional traits have been studied in the context of resource economics, but whether they covary, and through which mechanisms, is still debated. We investigated this in subtropical forests by sampling root and leaf traits on individuals of coexisting species in two communities with different resource availability. We found largely non-correlated variation between leaf and fine root traits both across- and within-communities, and a clear decoupling between leaf economic spectrum and root economic space, independent of evolutionary history. Our results suggest that leaf-root trait relationships are shaped by an interplay between microenvironmental heterogeneity that drives decoupling, and shared selection pressures promoting covariation. The interplay explains the weak observed coordination and highlights the importance of environmental context in predicting above- and below-ground plant functions.
Date Issued
2026-05-01
Date Acceptance
2026-04-27
Citation
Ecology Letters, 2026, 29 (5)
ISSN
1461-023X
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Ecology Letters
Volume
29
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2026 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Zhu, Y., M. Li, J. Zheng, et al. 2026. “ Non-Correlated Variation of Leaf and Fine Root Traits in Subtropical Forest Plants.” Ecology Letters 29, no. 5: e70397. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70397., which has been published in final form at 10.1111/ele.70397Digital Object Identifier (DOI). This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e70397
Date Publish Online
2026-05-21