BACKGROUND AND AIMS Stomatal and leaf venation traits are important structural components associated with plant gas exchange and water transport, but their variation along environmental gradients may depend on plant functional strategies. We investigated whether stomatal and vein traits exhibit coordinated yet trait-specific patterns across an elevational gradient, and whether such patterns vary with leaf habit and growth form in a subtropical forest. METHODS We examined 12 woody species distributed along a 300-1360 m elevational gradient on Lushan Mountain, China. Stomatal length (SL), stomatal density (SD), and vein density (VD) were quantified from cleared leaves, with species × elevation means used as observational units. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to evaluate associations of traits with elevation, leaf habit (evergreen vs. deciduous), and growth form (shrub vs. tree), and to test elevation-dependent variation in the SD-VD relationship. KEY RESULTS Stomatal length and stomatal density showed no significant elevational trends, whereas vein density increased with elevation, indicating contrasting responses among leaf anatomical traits. Stomatal density differed among combinations of leaf habit and growth form, with a significant leaf habit × growth form interaction and higher SD in deciduous trees than in other groups. Across species and elevations, SD was positively associated with VD, but the strength of this relationship varied nonlinearly along the gradient, with the strongest association occurring at intermediate elevations (∼800 m) corresponding to the evergreen-deciduous mixed forest zone. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that elevation does not generate uniform changes across leaf anatomical traits. Instead, trait variation depends on environmental context and functional strategies, with leaf habit and growth form jointly influencing stomatal density and stomatal-vein coordination. Considering trait relationships in addition to individual traits provides new insights into how plants organize leaf structure across heterogeneous environments.
Abstract Background Plant iron (Fe) homeostasis has been extensively studied at the levels of soil uptake, long-distance transport, storage and deficiency signalling. A less resolved question is how Fe, once it crosses a membrane or is released from an intracellular store, is directed toward specific subcellular destinations and metalloprotein clients. Scope This Perspective synthesizes recent work on plant Fe acquisition, transporter dynamics, intracellular Fe pools, inter-organelle redistribution, nodule metal delivery and biofortification. It argues that classical transporter- and ligand-centred models remain essential, but may be complemented by selective intracellular routing mechanisms. Legume nodules are highlighted as a high-demand system in which Fe delivery to symbiosomes provides a useful test case for a proposed protein-mediated ionic Fe2+ handoff. Conclusions Current evidence supports a layered view of plant Fe trafficking in which membrane transport, soluble ligands, redox chemistry, storage compartments and candidate ionic Fe2+ chaperones cooperate to allocate Fe safely and selectively. The recently proposed Medicago truncatula ICHAP proteins provide an emerging model for the direct handoff of ionic Fe2+ between successive membrane-transport steps, a mechanism distinct from the established protein-mediated transfer of preassembled Fe-S clusters by the SUF, ISC and CIA mechineries. A routing-centred framework may help refine biofortification strategies by shifting attention from bulk Fe accumulation toward controlled deposition of nutritionally useful Fe in edible tissues.
Abstract Background and Aims Linking traits with spatial precipitation gradients and demographic performance is critical for predicting how species will respond to frequent and intensified droughts projected under climate change. The degree of connectivity between vessels and parenchyma cells is thought to be a key trait influencing plant hydraulics, particularly resilience to drought stress. However, how this trait is related to growth and survival, and how it varies across precipitation gradients, is largely unknown. Methods We measured vessel-to-parenchyma connectivity traits, and their relationships with vessel diameter (DH) and wood specific hydraulic conductivity (KS) of 56 seedling species from four species-rich tropical dry forests in Colombia. Next, we assessed how vessel-to-parenchyma connectivity traits changed with site water availability, and how they were related to seedling growth and survival. Key results Vessel-to-parenchyma connectivity traits were unrelated to DH, KS and growth, which questions their role in promoting efficiency in water transport. However, seedlings in drier sites had higher vessel-to-parenchyma connectivity, and vessel-to-total-parenchyma connectivity was positively related to survival, suggesting a potential role in seedlings’ response to drought. Conclusions These findings suggest that, although not directly related to water transport efficiency and growth, vessel-to-parenchyma connectivity is a relevant trait for tropical dry forest seedlings, as it increased towards drier sites and favored survival, likely by promoting capacitance and osmoregulation.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Mating patterns in plant populations are shaped jointly by the local availability and relatedness of potential mates, both of which can vary through time in disturbance-prone habitats. We aimed to investigate how a year-to-year change in local plant densities and spatial genetic structure (SGS) influence opportunities for inbreeding and outcrossing in a predominantly self-compatible population of Arabidopsis lyrata subsp. lyrata located in a fore-dune habitat at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario. METHODS We mapped plants in 40 patches, each centred on a focal plant, over two consecutive years, quantified SGS with kinship-distance analyses of 27 and 34 focal plants in the first and second years, respectively, and estimated multilocus rates of outcrossing and biparental inbreeding from 128 and 177 progeny, respectively. KEY RESULTS Across surveyed patches, plant density increased more than five-fold between years, coinciding with a marked decline in fine-scale SGS (Sp = 0.130 in year one; Sp = -0.014 in year two). Despite similar population-wide outcrossing rates in both years (tm = 0.45 in 2021; tm = 0.49 in 2022), outcrossing was positively associated with neighbourhood density in the lower-density year but showed no density dependence when densities were high in the second year. In both years, 15-20% of outcrossed seeds were produced by mating among relatives, indicating substantial biparental inbreeding. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that recruitment pulses in dynamic dune habitats can rapidly weaken SGS while simultaneously altering the scale at which density governs mating patterns. More generally, they highlight how short-term temporal variation in population size can modulate the local availability and relatedness of mates within plant populations.
Abstract Background and aims Plants underpin terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, yet they often remain unnoticed in public consciousness, reflecting what is increasingly described as plant awareness disparity. This perceptual and emotional bias limits botanical understanding, weakens conservation engagement, and contributes to broader ecological disconnection. In this Perspective, I argue that narrative and visual storytelling can help shift attention from plant invisibility to plant awareness. Scope Drawing on cognitive psychology, narrative theory, and environmental education, I propose a conceptual framework linking storytelling inputs (plot, characters, and visual design) to cognitive and emotional mechanisms such as empathy, narrative transportation, and memory consolidation. The framework is illustrated through The Rockbreaker and the Biologist Family, an illustrated story that combines scientific accuracy with artistic expression to communicate the ecology and conservation challenges of the rupicolous genus Petrocoptis. By integrating narrative structure, emotional color transitions, and character-driven engagement, this approach is intended to translate botanical information into accessible and emotionally resonant experiences. Although rooted in an Iberian case study, the framework is designed to be transferable across educational, cultural, and ecological contexts. Conclusions Embedding storytelling and visual design into botanical communication may strengthen plant awareness, support conservation-oriented attitudes, and help bridge the emotional and intellectual gap between people and plants.
