Lili Wei
Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Dr. Lili Wei is a wetland ecologist at the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology from Xiamen University (China) and conducted postdoctoral research at The University of Queensland and Griffith University (Australia). Her research focuses on understanding the ecological functions of coastal wetlands.
Title of presentation
Limitations of inherent stomatal conductance in typical mangrove species
Authors
Lili Wei, Jing Gao, Fang Lin, Waseem Akram, Justin Rugema, ou-shao Wang
Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jime ave, Xiamen, 361021, China
Abstract
Despite well-characterized instant stomatal responses, the inherent limitations of stomatal regulation in mangroves remain unclear. We employed stable isotope methods (reflecting intrinsic stomatal conductance) and stomatal morphological traits (indicating theoretical maximum conductance) in typical mangrove species to investigate the stomatal limitations of mangroves. Our stable isotope data suggest a limited contribution of stomatal regulation to photosynthesis in mangroves. Stomatal trait analysis revealed that true mangroves have larger, sparser stomata compared to mangrove associates. While fast-growing species exhibited smaller, denser stomata compared to other true mangroves, this did not translate to a substantial difference in theoretical maximum conductance across all species. However, these fast-growing species displayed a significantly lower fraction of stomatal cover. These findings suggest that fast-growing mangroves may employ a cost-effective strategy to adapt to saline environments.