Decrypting the role of contrasting light environments in shaping leaf functional traits: a global meta-analysis

Decrypting the role of contrasting light environments in shaping leaf functional traits: a global meta-analysis | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Decrypting the role of contrasting light environments in shaping leaf functional traits: a global meta-analysis Authors : Wajee ul Hassan 0009-0004-3454-939X [email protected] , Xiping cheng [email protected] , Yanfan Wang [email protected] , Runze li [email protected] , Pengyue Dai [email protected] , and Jing chen [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003107/v1 Under Review Ecology and Evolution Peer review timeline 19 views 3 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Leaf functional traits play a decisive role in harnessing plant performance under contrasting light environments. The functionality of leaf functional traits is largely governed by light with variation induced by abiotic and plant community moderators- at global scale this mechanistic relationship of leaf functional traits with light and moderators is still poorly understood. To quantify this relationship globally, we aim to verify the effects of change in the light environment on leaf functional traits worldwide in (I) different plant community factors; plant functional group, leaf form and leaf habit (II) different abiotic variables, that is, mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), elevation and climate; and (III) verify whether different regions induce variations in leaf functional traits in contrasting light environments. we conducted a meta-analysis of worldwide experimental data including 581 pairwise comparisons to evaluate the influence of different light environments on leaf functional traits both morphological such as specific leaf area, stomatal density, leaf mass area and Physiological leaf traits such as net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, leaf dry matter content. Our results showed that leaf morphological traits significantly responded to contrasting light environments and these effects were more pronounced in areas with moderate climatic conditions and species with evergreen leaves while leaf physiological functional traits showed more significant sensitivity to moderate to high temperature and deciduous leaf habit along with regional variations due to integrating effects of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT). However, negligible support was found for leaf dry matter content. Supplementary Material File (supporting information.docx) supporting information Download 63.66 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Peer review timeline Under Review Ecology and Evolution 14 May 2026 Review Complete 14 May 2026 Review Complete Collection Ecology and Evolution Authors Affiliations Wajee ul Hassan 0009-0004-3454-939X [email protected] Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China, 650224 View all articles by this author Xiping cheng [email protected] Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China, 650224 View all articles by this author Yanfan Wang [email protected] Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China, 650224 View all articles by this author Runze li [email protected] Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China, 650224 View all articles by this author Pengyue Dai [email protected] Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China, 650224 View all articles by this author Jing chen [email protected] Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China, 650224 View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 19 views 3 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Wajee ul Hassan, Xiping cheng, Yanfan Wang, et al. Decrypting the role of contrasting light environments in shaping leaf functional traits: a global meta-analysis. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003107/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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