Leaf metabolic traits reveal hidden dimensions of plant form and function
- Author(s)
- Tom W.N. Walker, Franziska Schrodt, Pierre Marie Allard, Emmanuel Defossez, Vincent E.J. Jassey, Meredith C. Schuman, Jake M. Alexander, Oliver Baines, Virginie Baldy, Richard D. Bardgett, Pol Capdevila, Phyllis D. Coley, Nicole M. van Dam, Bruno David, Patrice Descombes, María José Endara, Catherine Fernandez, Dale Forrister, Albert Gargallo-Garriga, Gaëtan Glauser, Sue Marr, Steffen Neumann, Loïc Pellissier, Kristian Peters, Sergio Rasmann, Ute Roessner, Roberto Salguero-Gómez, Jordi Sardans, Wolfram Weckwerth, Jean Luc Wolfender, Josep Peñuelas
- Abstract
The metabolome is the biochemical basis of plant form and function, but we know little about its macroecological variation across the plant kingdom. Here, we used the plant functional trait concept to interpret leaf metabolome variation among 457 tropical and 339 temperate plant species. Distilling metabolite chemistry into five metabolic functional traits reveals that plants vary on two major axes of leaf metabolic specialization—a leaf chemical defense spectrum and an expression of leaf longevity. Axes are similar for tropical and temperate species, with many trait combinations being viable. However, metabolic traits vary orthogonally to life-history strategies described by widely used functional traits. The metabolome thus expands the functional trait concept by providing additional axes of metabolic specialization for examining plant form and function.
- Organisation(s)
- Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Research Platform Vienna Metabolomics Center
- External organisation(s)
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, University of Nottingham, Université de Fribourg, Université de Genève, Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universität Zürich (UZH), Aarhus University, Aix-Marseille Université, University of Manchester, Universitat de Barcelona, University of Utah, Leibniz-Institut für Gemüse- und Zierpflanzenbau Großbeeren/Erfurt e. V., Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Centre de Recherche sur la Peau, Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft, Musée et Jardins Botaniques Cantonaux, Universidad de las Americas, Centro de Investigacion Ecologica y Aplicaciones Forestales (CREAF), Czech Academy of Sciences, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Australian National University, University of Oxford, Université de Neuchâtel, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Volume
- 9
- ISSN
- 2375-2548
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi4029
- Publication date
- 2023
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106057 Metabolomics, 106044 Systems biology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/leaf-metabolic-traits-reveal-hidden-dimensions-of-plant-form-and-function(5c0d500e-1a1a-4c0e-b759-f2792e7e3c97).html