Li Xin'e, Burrows Geoff E, Dong Ning, Jordan Gregory J, Kattge Jens, Lenz Tanja I, Niinemets Ülo, Onoda Yusuke, Poorter Hendrik, Sack Lawren, Villar Rafael, Westoby Mark, Wright Ian J
School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia.
Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu, 225009, China.
New Phytol. 2025 Oct;248(1):107-124. doi: 10.1111/nph.70397. Epub 2025 Jul 21.
Plant cuticles protect the interior tissues from ambient hazards, including desiccation, UV light, physical wear, herbivores and pathogens. Consequently, cuticle properties are shaped by evolutionary selection. We compiled a global dataset of leaf cuticle thickness (CT) and accompanying leaf traits for 1212 species, mostly angiosperms, from 293 sites representing all vegetated continents. We developed and tested 11 hypotheses concerning ecological drivers of interspecific variation in CT. CT showed clear patterning according to latitude, biome, taxonomic family, site climate and other leaf traits. Species with thick leaves and/or high leaf mass per area tended to have thicker cuticles, as did evergreen relative to deciduous woody species, and species from sites that during the growing season were warmer, had fewer frost days and lower wind speeds, and occurred at lower latitudes. CT-environment relationships were notably stronger among nonwoody than woody species. Heavy investment in cuticle may be disadvantaged at sites with high winds and frequent frosts for 'economic' or biomechanical reasons, or because of reduced herbivore pressure. Alternatively, cuticles may become more heavily abraded under such conditions. Robust quantification of CT-trait-environment relationships provides new insights into the multiple roles of cuticles, with additional potential use in paleo-ecological reconstruction.
植物角质层可保护内部组织免受环境危害，包括干燥、紫外线、物理磨损、食草动物和病原体。因此，角质层特性是由进化选择塑造的。我们汇编了一个全球数据集，涵盖了来自代表所有植被大陆的293个地点的1212个物种（主要是被子植物）的叶片角质层厚度（CT）及相关叶片性状。我们提出并检验了11个关于CT种间变异生态驱动因素的假设。CT根据纬度、生物群落、分类科、地点气候和其他叶片性状呈现出明显的模式。叶片厚和/或单位面积叶质量高的物种往往具有更厚的角质层，相对于落叶木本物种，常绿木本物种也是如此，以及来自生长季节温度较高、霜冻日较少、风速较低且纬度较低地点的物种。非木本物种的CT与环境的关系明显强于木本物种。由于“经济”或生物力学原因，或由于食草动物压力降低，在大风和频繁霜冻的地点，对角质层的大量投入可能不利。或者，在这种条件下角质层可能会受到更严重的磨损。对CT-性状-环境关系的稳健量化为角质层的多种作用提供了新的见解，在古生态重建中还有额外的潜在用途。
