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Dryad

Leaf economics traits in wine grapes

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Feb 03, 2025 version files 68.98 KB

Abstract

Resource acquisitive plant species are expected to show stronger trait integration vs. resource conservative species, due to simultaneous selection for multiple resource requirements including light, water, and nutrients. While this hypothesis has been invoked to predict interspecific differences in trait variation and integration, it has not been tested to explain intraspecific trait variation (ITV) and trait integration among varieties of crop species.

We quantified nine leaf physiological, water-use, chemical, and morphological traits related to acquisition and use of light, CO2, water, and nutrients, across six varieties of wine grapes (Vitis vinifera L.), in order to quantify the extent of ITV and trait integration among one of the world’s most common and economically important perennial crops. This dataset was also used to test the hypothesis that within a crop species, resource acquisitive varieties express stronger trait integration vs. resource conservative varieties.

All leaf traits varied significantly across wine grape varieties, and formed an intraspecific resource acquisitive-resource conservative axis of variation within wine grapes. Consistent with hypotheses on trait variation and integration, wine grape varieties expressing resource acquisitive trait syndromes were associated with stronger trait integration vs. those expressing resource conservative trait syndromes. Specifically, varieties expressing greater values of light-saturated photosynthesis (Asat), stomatal conductance (gs), maximum carboxylation (Vcmax) and electron transport (Jmax) rates, leaf nitrogen concentrations, and leaf area, expressed a ~45-65% increase in the number of significant bivariate trait correlations compared to resource conservative varieties.

However, within all varieties we detected strong and consistent integration among leaf physiological traits, indicating a mechanistic physiological basis that governs an intraspecific Leaf Economics Spectrum in wine grapes.

Strong trait integration in resource acquisitive wine grape varieties, support the hypothesis that “fast trait” plants have simultaneously been selected to optimize multiple rates of resource uptake, through multiple suites of traits. Our work clarifies the mechanisms by which resource acquisitive species, particularly crops, are able to capture multiple limiting resources to enhance their growth performance. This study also addresses a gap in our knowledge regarding the magnitude of intraspecific variation in trait integration.