The advantage of low leafing intensity under water limitation: An illustrative study of Populus euphratica in hyper-arid climates

doi:10.1016/j.pld.2025.08.001

Plant Diversity ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (01): 160-168.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2025.08.001

The advantage of low leafing intensity under water limitation: An illustrative study of Populus euphratica in hyper-arid climates

Dong He^a, Lu Han^b, Chun-Hui Feng^c, En-Rong Yan^a,d

a College of Ecology and the Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumchi 830046, China;
b College of Agronomy, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China;
c College of Horticulture and Forestry, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China;
d School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China

收稿日期:2024-12-24 修回日期:2025-07-20 出版日期:2026-01-25 发布日期:2026-03-05
通讯作者: Dong He,E-mail:dhe@xju.edu.cn;Lu Han,E-mail:hlzky@163.com
基金资助:
This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32460329) and the Bintuan Science & Technology Program (2024AB075) to L.H., the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32360279), an open program from the Key Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Biological Resources in the Tarim Basin (BRZD2004) and a provincial talentintroduction program of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to D.H.

The advantage of low leafing intensity under water limitation: An illustrative study of Populus euphratica in hyper-arid climates

Dong He^a, Lu Han^b, Chun-Hui Feng^c, En-Rong Yan^a,d

a College of Ecology and the Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumchi 830046, China;
b College of Agronomy, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China;
c College of Horticulture and Forestry, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China;
d School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China

Received:2024-12-24 Revised:2025-07-20 Online:2026-01-25 Published:2026-03-05
Contact: Dong He,E-mail:dhe@xju.edu.cn;Lu Han,E-mail:hlzky@163.com
Supported by:
This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32460329) and the Bintuan Science & Technology Program (2024AB075) to L.H., the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32360279), an open program from the Key Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Biological Resources in the Tarim Basin (BRZD2004) and a provincial talentintroduction program of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to D.H.

摘要/Abstract

摘要： The trade-off between leaf size and leafing intensity (i.e., the number of leaves per unit stem size) is a key axis of trait covariation across the diversity of plant foliage deployment. However, the functional significance of leafing intensity and its possible combinations with leaf size in dealing with water limitation remains unclear. Using Populus euphratica as an illustrative tree species growing in hyper-arid climates, we investigated how leaf size and leafing intensity co-varied under varying water stresses. In the Ebinor lowlands and the upper reaches of the Tarim River (NW China), we sampled > 1800 current-year twigs from 505 trees across 14 sites along a climatic gradient characterized by precipitation, potential evapotranspiration and vapor pressure deficit. Leafing intensity based on stem mass (LIM) decreased with climatic aridity, primarily due to greater stem mass, but not fewer leaves. This indicates a higher investment in structural support for leaf attachment under water stress. Both leaf area and mass decreased with LIM at a lower-than-proportional rate, with the decrease in leaf size being more pronounced under drier climates. This suggests that higher LIM incurs a high cost of reducing leaf size in water-limited habitats. These findings challenge the assumption that higher leafing intensity always confers an advantage ready for environmental stresses due to higher developmental flexibility offered by more axillary buds. Rather, we propose that a strategy of lower leafing intensity, with greater structural support for leaf attachment and less compromise in leaf size, can be advantageous under water limitation.

关键词: Biological scaling, Developmental machinery, Foliage deployment, Functional trade-off, Leaf size, Structural support investment

Abstract: The trade-off between leaf size and leafing intensity (i.e., the number of leaves per unit stem size) is a key axis of trait covariation across the diversity of plant foliage deployment. However, the functional significance of leafing intensity and its possible combinations with leaf size in dealing with water limitation remains unclear. Using Populus euphratica as an illustrative tree species growing in hyper-arid climates, we investigated how leaf size and leafing intensity co-varied under varying water stresses. In the Ebinor lowlands and the upper reaches of the Tarim River (NW China), we sampled > 1800 current-year twigs from 505 trees across 14 sites along a climatic gradient characterized by precipitation, potential evapotranspiration and vapor pressure deficit. Leafing intensity based on stem mass (LIM) decreased with climatic aridity, primarily due to greater stem mass, but not fewer leaves. This indicates a higher investment in structural support for leaf attachment under water stress. Both leaf area and mass decreased with LIM at a lower-than-proportional rate, with the decrease in leaf size being more pronounced under drier climates. This suggests that higher LIM incurs a high cost of reducing leaf size in water-limited habitats. These findings challenge the assumption that higher leafing intensity always confers an advantage ready for environmental stresses due to higher developmental flexibility offered by more axillary buds. Rather, we propose that a strategy of lower leafing intensity, with greater structural support for leaf attachment and less compromise in leaf size, can be advantageous under water limitation.

Key words: Biological scaling, Developmental machinery, Foliage deployment, Functional trade-off, Leaf size, Structural support investment

Dong He, Lu Han, Chun-Hui Feng, En-Rong Yan. The advantage of low leafing intensity under water limitation: An illustrative study of Populus euphratica in hyper-arid climates[J]. Plant Diversity, 2026, 48(01): 160-168.

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The advantage of low leafing intensity under water limitation: An illustrative study of Populus euphratica in hyper-arid climates

The advantage of low leafing intensity under water limitation: An illustrative study of Populus euphratica in hyper-arid climates

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