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Gene or environment? Species-specific control of stomatal density and length

  1. Lirong Zhang1,
  2. Haishan Niu1,
  3. Shiping Wang2,
  4. Xiaoxue Zhu3,
  5. Caiyun Luo3,
  6. Yingnian Li3,
  7. Xinquan Zhao3

Article first published online: 23 APR 2012

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.233

Issue

Ecology and Evolution

Ecology and Evolution

Volume 2, Issue 5, pages 1065–1070, May 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Zhang, L., Niu, H., Wang, S., Zhu, X., Luo, C., Li, Y. and Zhao, X. (2012), Gene or environment? Species-specific control of stomatal density and length. Ecology and Evolution, 2: 1065–1070. doi: 10.1002/ece3.233

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Resource and Environment, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

  2. 2

    Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

  3. 3

    Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Institute of Northwest Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, Qinghai, China

*Haishan Niu, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Tel: 86-10-88256371; Fax: 86-10-88256415; E-mail: niuhs@gucas.ac.cn

  1. This research was funded by the National Basic Research Program in China (2010CB833502), the Special Program of Carbon Sequestration of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05070205), grants from the “Talents Program” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Special Supports by Bureau of Science and Technology for Resource and Environment of CAS (KZCX2-EW-QN604).

  2. Ecology and Evolution 2012; 2(5): 1065–1070

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 10 MAY 2012
  2. Article first published online: 23 APR 2012
  3. Received: 14 October 2011; Revised: 12 January 2012; Accepted: 24 January 2012

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Keywords:

  • Environmental control;
  • genetic control;
  • reciprocal transplant experiment;
  • stomatal density;
  • stomatal initiation;
  • stomatal length

Abstract

Stomatal characteristics are used as proxies of paleo-environment. Only a few model species have been used to study the mechanisms of genetic and environmental effects on stomatal initiation. Variation among species has not been quantified. In this paper, results from an in situ reciprocal transplant experiment along an elevation gradient in the northeast Tibetan Plateau are reported, in which the relative effects of genetics (original altitude) and environment (transplant altitude) on stomatal density (SD) and length (SL) were quantified. In Thalictrum alpinum, only the environment significantly influenced SD, with the variance component (inline image) of the environment found to be much greater than that of genetics (inline image) (inline image). In Kobresia humillis, only genetics significantly influenced SD and SL, with the genetics variance component found to be greater than that of the environment (inline image, for SD). These results suggest that the extent to which genetics and the environment determine stomatal initiation and development is species-specific. This needs to be considered when studying genetic or environmental controls of stomatal initiation, as well as when SD and SL are used as proxies for ancient climate factors (e.g., CO2 concentration).

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