Abstract
Background: Phenotypic and functional traits of plant populations vary with environmental conditions at local and regional scales. The analysis of these traits along environmental gradients provides information on the differential response of populations to climate changes. Objective: We analyzed the leaf morphological variation of an endemic oak to identify the degree of population differentiation along an environmental gradient. Study species: Quercus mexicana Bonpl. (Fagaceae). Study site and dates: Samples were collected from 39 populations in the Sierra Madre Oriental and east of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt from 2014 to 2016. Methods: We measured eight macromorphological traits in 5,507 leaves and three micromorphological traits in 228 leaves. We performed univariate and multivariate statistical analyses to assess the morphological differentiation among populations, and the relationship between variation in leaf traits and environmental variables related to temperature and water availability. Results: Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution. Significant linear correlations were found between leaf traits and environmental variables. Smaller and thicker leaves with lower density of trichomes and smaller stomata were found in populations located in more arid regions. In contrast, larger and thinner leaves with higher trichome density and larger stomata occurred in more humid places. Conclusions: Populations of Q . mexicana are adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions. Considering the predictive future climatic changes for the region ( i.e ., warmer and drier conditions), Q . mexicana populations with traits better adapted to a more humid and cooler environments could be negatively affected.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Q. mexicana populations showed leaf morphological differentiation across their distribution.
- Taxon
- Q. mexicana
Quercus mexicanae1 - Outcome
- leaf morphological differentiatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
e1“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf traits correlated significantly with environmental variables.
- Taxon
- Q. mexicanaQuercus mexicanae1
- Outcome
- leaf traitse0
- Setting
- environmental variablese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Significant linear correlations were found between leaf traits and environmental variables.”
t0“Quercus mexicana Bonpl.”
e1“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
More arid populations had smaller and thicker leaves.
- Taxon
- Q. mexicanaQuercus mexicanae1
- Outcome
- Smaller and thicker leavese0
- Direction
- Smallere0
- Setting
- more arid regionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Smaller and thicker leaves with lower density of trichomes and smaller stomata were found in populations located in more arid regions.”
t0“Quercus mexicana Bonpl.”
e1“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
More arid populations had lower trichome density and smaller stomata.
- Taxon
- Q. mexicanaQuercus mexicanae1
- Outcome
- density of trichomes and smaller stomatae0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Setting
- more arid regionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Smaller and thicker leaves with lower density of trichomes and smaller stomata were found in populations located in more arid regions.”
t0“Quercus mexicana Bonpl.”
e1“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
More humid populations had larger and thinner leaves.
- Taxon
- Q. mexicanaQuercus mexicanae1
- Outcome
- larger and thinner leavese0
- Direction
- largere0
- Setting
- more humid placese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In contrast, larger and thinner leaves with higher trichome density and larger stomata occurred in more humid places.”
t0“Quercus mexicana Bonpl.”
e1“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
More humid populations had higher trichome density and larger stomata.
- Taxon
- Q. mexicanaQuercus mexicanae1
- Outcome
- trichome density and larger stomatae0
- Direction
- highere0
- Setting
- more humid placese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In contrast, larger and thinner leaves with higher trichome density and larger stomata occurred in more humid places.”
t0“Quercus mexicana Bonpl.”
e1“Populations of Q. mexicana showed leaf morphological differentiation along its distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors interpret Q. mexicana populations as adapted to a wide climatic range.
- Taxon
- Q . mexicanaQuercus mexicanae0
- Outcome
- adapted to a wide range of climatic conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Populations of Q . mexicana are adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions.”
Claim · model-written summary
Populations adapted to humid, cooler environments could be negatively affected by warmer, drier conditions.
- Taxon
- Q . mexicanaQuercus mexicanae0
- Outcome
- could be negatively affectede0
- Direction
- negatively affectede0
- Qualifier
- traits better adapted to a more humid and cooler environmentse0
- Setting
- warmer and drier conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Considering the predictive future climatic changes for the region ( i.e ., warmer and drier conditions), Q . mexicana populations with traits better adapted to a more humid and cooler environments could be negatively affected.”