Aegiceras corniculatum is a common pioneer species in China’s mangroves. It plays an important role in the composition of estuarine higher plant communities and in preventing wind and waves along the coast in southern China. To gain a deeper understanding of the variation patterns of leaf functional traits in different developmental stages (old and young forests) of A. corniculatum, this study used A. corniculatum as the research object and analyzed the differences and trade-offs of leaf functional traits between old and young forests. The results show that: (1)leaf area (LA), leaf nitrogen content (LN), leaf thickness (LT), chlorophyll content (Chl) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) of the old forest were significantly lower than that of the young forest, while the specific leaf area (SLA) shows that the old forest was significantly larger than that of the young forest; (2)the SLA of old and young forests of A. corniculatum was significantly negatively correlated with Chl, LN, LDMC and LT, but the negative correlation was stronger in the old forests and weaker in young forests. There was a significant positive correlation between the Chl, LN and LT in the old forests and the young forests, but the correlation ship was stronger in the young forests and weaker in the old forests; (3)the results of principal component analysis showed that SLA was the key trait affecting the stability of the old forests, while Chl and LN were the key traits affecting the growth and development of the young forests; (4)the trade-offs relationship between leaf functional traits in young forests is generally greater than that in the old forests.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |