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Leaf functional traits are important indicators that reveal plant adaptation and response to environmental changes. Characteristics and adaptive strategies of leaf functional traits of staple bamboo species (SBSs) for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remain unclear, which limits conservation management of the giant panda and its habitat. Here, this study investigated 10 SBSs in 15 nature reserves across 36 counties, measured eight leaf functional traits, analyzed trait characteristics, variation, and drivers of variation, and examined trait-based strategies and strategy–environmental constraint relationships. Our results indicate that: coefficients of variation in leaf functional traits spanned from 9.58% to 79.16%, and significant differences were found among SBSs for leaf functional traits except chlorophyll concentration. The linear mixed-effects models revealed that the taxonomic factors explained 20.16 to 77.94% of variation, and environmental factors explained 17.03 to 29.12%. Leaf functional traits exhibited distinct environmental associations, primarily driven by geographic location, topography, and soil phosphorus availability. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis revealed 10 SBS clustered into two groups, corresponding to conservative and acquisitive resource-use strategies. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that SBSs with conservative strategies were distributed in warm and moist habitats, and SBSs with acquisition strategies were distributed in habitats with high solar radiation. Our results reveal the key trait characteristics of SBSs and the strategy-environmental constraint model based on traits, which can provide scientific basis for the ecological management practice of SBSs. Full article

Leaf traits reflect the ecological strategy in heterogeneous contexts and are widely used to explore the adaption of plant species to environmental change. However, the knowledge of short-term effect of canopy management on understorey plant leaf traits is still limited. Here, we studied the short-term effect of crown–thinning on the leaf morphological traits of bamboo (Chimonobambusa opienensis), an important understorey plant and staple food for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of Niba Mountain. Our treatments were two crown–thinnings (spruce plantation, CS, and deciduous broad-leaved forest, CB) and two controls (broad-leaved forest canopy, FC, and the bamboo grove of clearcutting, BC). The results showed that: the CS enhanced the annual leaf length, width, area, and thickness, CB decreased almost all annual leaf traits, and perennial leaf traits in CS and CB were the opposite. The log-transformed allometric relationships of length vs. width, biomass vs. area were significantly positive while those of specific leaf area vs. thickness were significantly negative, which varied largely in treatments and age. The leaf traits and allometric relationships suggested that the CS created a more suitable habitat for bamboo growth. This study highlighted that the understorey bamboo leaf traits could adapt the improved light environment induced by crown–thinning rapidly. Full article