Environmental Gradients and Vegetation Types Alter the Effects of Leaf Traits on the Dominance of Woody Angiosperm Species

Leaf traits can reflect plant photosynthetic capacity, resource utilization strategy and adaptability to the environment. However, whether species’ leaf are tightly related functioning of their community how that relationship varies with environmental gradients remain largely unexplored. We measured 6 traits, including petiole fineness (PF), specific area (SLA), (LA), length–width ratio (LLWR), nitrogen content (LN) phosphorus (LP), 733 populations (415 species) 19 woody angiosperm communities in eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau across multiple climatic zones or vegetation types. Through meta-analysis relative importance analysis, between species dominance its change environments were analyzed. The results showed was correlated positively LA LP, suggesting high light interception capacity easily become dominant communities. Along altitudinal gradient, effect PF SLA on increased changed significantly pattern, from positive nonsignificant temperate forests negative alpine subalpine shrubs, increasing mechanical support lamina protection cost is a growth stressful high-altitude environments. Our findings demonstrate demand for efficient acquisition and/or tolerance stress key mechanisms by which govern composition functioning.