Phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation of plant functional traits on global scales

Zhou, J. (2024)

Doctoral Thesis

In light of climate change, it is crucial to determine whether plant species can adapt to future climates to avoid extinction. Plants adapt to various conditions by altering their functional traits, such as leaf size or photosynthetic rate. Some traits appear linked and vary together between species, suggesting resource management strategies of plants. Traits can also vary within species, known as intraspecific trait variation (ITV), and its extent varies between species. Our understanding of how and why these traits vary within species is limited.
This dissertation uses newly compiled global databases of species' ITV and genetic adaptation rates. We investigate whether trait-trait relationships between species also occur within species, confirming these as true plant strategies. We then explore the drivers of components of ITV: phenotypic plasticity, allowing plants to change in response to the environment, and genetic adaptation, involving inherited changes. Each offers different benefits for species adapting to changing conditions. By combining them, we can better understand plant species' adaptive capacity. Finally, we evaluate whether plants with different growth forms and from different biomes differ in their adaptive capacity to climate change.
Our results provide new insights into plant strategies and have important implications for vegetation modelling and conservation efforts.

• Plant functional traits
• Global meta-analysis
• Intraspecific trait variation
• Phenotypic plasticity
• Genetic adaptation
• Plant strategies
• Adaptive capacity
• Ecosystem resilience

• All authors: Zhou, J.
• Supervisor: Bodegom, P.M. van
• Co-supervisor: Cieraad, E.
• Committee: Vijver, M.G.; Biesmeijer, J.C.; Wang, H.; Cornelissen, J.H.C.; Sousa e Silva, A.R. de
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2024-09-04
• ISBN (print): 9789051912890
• Sponsorship: China Scholarship Council