Variation in leaf carbon economics, energy balance, and heat tolerance traits highlights differing timescales of adaptation and acclimation

Multivariate leaf trait correlations are hypothesized to originate from natural selection on carbon economics traits that control lifetime leaf carbon gain, and energy balance traits governing leaf temperatures, physiological rates, and heat injury. However, it is unclear whether macroevolution of leaf traits primarily reflects selection for lifetime carbon gain or energy balance, and whether photosynthetic heat tolerance is coordinated along these axes. To evaluate these hypotheses, we measured carbon economics, energy balance, and photosynthetic heat tolerance traits for 177 species (157 families) in a common garden that minimizes co-variation of taxa and climate. We observed wide variation in carbon economics, energy balance, and heat tolerance traits. Carbon economics and energy balance (but not heat tolerance) traits were phylogenetically structured, suggesting macroevolution of leaf mass per area and leaf dry matter content reflects selection on carbon gain rather than energy balance. Carbon economics and energy balance traits varied along a common axis orthogonal to heat tolerance traits. Our results highlight a fundamental mismatch in the timescales over which morphological and heat tolerance traits respond to environmental variation. Whereas carbon economics and energy balance traits are constrained by species’ evolutionary histories, photosynthetic heat tolerance traits are not and can acclimate readily to leaf microclimates.