A thinner jacket for frosty and windy climates? Global patterns in leaf cuticle thickness and its environmental associations

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.

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Publication Details

Journal
New Phytologist
Published
2025-07-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70397
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Plant Surface Properties and Treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.50

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article

A thinner jacket for frosty and windy climates? Global patterns in leaf cuticle thickness and its environmental associations

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2 citations
New Phytologist
Plant Surface Properties and Treatments
3.50
article

A thinner jacket for frosty and windy climates? Global patterns in leaf cuticle thickness and its environmental associations

Mark Westoby, Lawren Sack, Geoffrey E. Burrows, Rafael Villar, Ülo Niinemets, Ning Dong, Ian J. Wright, Tanja I. Lenz, Xine Li, Hendrik Poorter, Yusuke Onoda, Jens Kattge, Gregory J. Jordan
article en
2 citations

Abstract

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.

New PhytologistVol. 248(1)
University of Tasmania (AU), Charles Sturt University (AU), University of California, Los Angeles (US), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE), Kyoto University (JP), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE), Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (DE), ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture (AU), Imperial College London (GB), University of Córdoba (ES), Western Sydney University (AU), Yangzhou University (CN), Wageningen University & Research (NL), Macquarie University (AU)
European Commission, Macquarie University, Yangzhou University, European Research Council, Australian Research Council, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Plant Surface Properties and Treatments
3.50
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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