Soil Compaction Drives an Intra-Genotype Leaf Economics Spectrum in Wine Grapes

Abstract

Intraspecific trait variation is a critical determinant of ecosystem processes, especially in agroecosystems where single species or genotypes exist in very high abundance. Yet to date, only a small number of studies have evaluated if, how, or why traits forming the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) vary within crops, despite such studies informing our understanding of: (1) the environmental factors that drive crop LES trait variation and (2) how domestication has altered LES traits in crops vs. wild plants. We assess intragenotype variation in LES traits in ‘Chardonnay’ (Vitis vinifera)—one of the world’s most commercially important crops—across a soil compaction gradient: one of the most prominent characteristics of agricultural soils that may drive crop trait variation. Our early evidence indicates that ‘Chardonnay’ traits covary along an intragenotype LES in patterns that are qualitatively similar to those observed among wild plants: resource-acquiring vines expressed a combination of high mass-based photosynthesis (Amass), mass-based dark respiration (Rmass), and leaf nitrogen concentrations (N), coupled with low leaf mass per area (LMA); the opposite set of trait values defined the resource-conserving end of the ‘Chardonnay’ LES. Traits reflecting resource acquisition strategies (Amass, Rmass, and leaf N) declined with greater bulk density, while traits related to investment in leaf construction costs (LMA) increased with greater bulk density. Our findings contribute to an understanding of the domestication syndrome in grapevines and also provide information relevant for quantifying trait-based crop responses to environmental change and gradients.