TY - JOUR
T1 - Habitat differentiation and environmental adaptability contribute to leaf size variations globally in C3 and C4 grasses
AU - Gao, Wuchao
AU - Dai, Dachuan
AU - Luo, Huan
AU - Yu, Dongli
AU - Liu, Congcong
AU - Zhang, Ning
AU - Liu, Lin
AU - You, Chengming
AU - Zhou, Shixing
AU - Tu, Lihua
AU - Liu, Yang
AU - Huang, Congde
AU - He, Xinhua
AU - Cui, Xinglei
PY - 2024/8/10
Y1 - 2024/8/10
N2 - The grass family (Poaceae) dominates ~43 % of Earth's land area and contributes 33 % of terrestrial primary productivity that is critical to naturally regulating atmosphere CO2 concentration and global climate change. Currently grasses comprise ~11,780 species and ~50 % of them (~6000 species) utilize C4 photosynthetic pathway. Generally, grass species have smaller leaves under colder and drier environments, but it is unclear whether the primary drivers of leaf size differ between C3 and C4 grasses on a global scale. Here, we analyzed 34 environmental variables, such as latitude, elevation, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and solar radiation etc., through a comparatively comprehensive database of ~3.0 million occurrence records from 1380 C3 and 978 C4 grass species (2358 species in total). Results from this study confirm that C4 grasses have occupied habitats with lower latitudes and elevations, characterized by warmer, sunnier, drier and less fertile environmental conditions. Grass leaf size correlates positively with mean annual temperature and precipitation as expected. Our results also demonstrate that the mean temperature of the wettest quarter of the year is the primary control for C3 leaf size, whereas C4 leaf size is negatively correlated with the difference between summer and winter temperatures. For C4 grasses, phylogeny exerts a significant effect on leaf size but is less important than environmental factors. Our findings highlight the importance of evolutionarily contrasting variations in leaf size between C3 and C4 grasses for shaping their geographical distribution and habitat suitability at the global scale.
AB - The grass family (Poaceae) dominates ~43 % of Earth's land area and contributes 33 % of terrestrial primary productivity that is critical to naturally regulating atmosphere CO2 concentration and global climate change. Currently grasses comprise ~11,780 species and ~50 % of them (~6000 species) utilize C4 photosynthetic pathway. Generally, grass species have smaller leaves under colder and drier environments, but it is unclear whether the primary drivers of leaf size differ between C3 and C4 grasses on a global scale. Here, we analyzed 34 environmental variables, such as latitude, elevation, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and solar radiation etc., through a comparatively comprehensive database of ~3.0 million occurrence records from 1380 C3 and 978 C4 grass species (2358 species in total). Results from this study confirm that C4 grasses have occupied habitats with lower latitudes and elevations, characterized by warmer, sunnier, drier and less fertile environmental conditions. Grass leaf size correlates positively with mean annual temperature and precipitation as expected. Our results also demonstrate that the mean temperature of the wettest quarter of the year is the primary control for C3 leaf size, whereas C4 leaf size is negatively correlated with the difference between summer and winter temperatures. For C4 grasses, phylogeny exerts a significant effect on leaf size but is less important than environmental factors. Our findings highlight the importance of evolutionarily contrasting variations in leaf size between C3 and C4 grasses for shaping their geographical distribution and habitat suitability at the global scale.
KW - C and C
KW - Environmental adaptability
KW - Evolution
KW - Grass
KW - Leaf size
KW - Phylogenetic conservatism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85194368882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173309
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173309
M3 - Article
C2 - 38782268
AN - SCOPUS:85194368882
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 937
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 173309
ER -