Growing old and tolerant? How leaf traits vary across life-stages and why this matters

Trait-based models are a powerful tool to predict vegetation responses to climate change but they are currently limited by the lack of information about trait variation across life-stages. Traits sampled from a single life-stage are often used interchangeably to model plant responses. However, traits may differ between stages, with juveniles expected to show traits linked to ruderalism (R), while adults may exhibit competitor (C) or stress-tolerant (S) traits. Therefore, extrapolating traits from one life-stage to another is problematic and may lead to inaccurate model predictions. Here, I use Eucalyptus – the most diverse plant genera in Australia - as a model system to investigate developmental variation in leaf traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) and CSR strategies. Species in this genus display varying degrees of heteroblasty which may lead to different strategies across life-stages.

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