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1. The leaf economic spectrum (LES) describes consistent and strong correlations among plant functional traits in a multidimensional trait space, which reflects fast or slow rate of return on carbon investment in leaves. These relationships between LES functional traits are strong at global scales and consistent across species and biomes. However, there is evidence that the LES relationships may be weak or absent at smaller scales due to different factors affecting traits locally. 2. Here we quantify: (1) the intraspecific functional trait variation within a model clonal species, Populus tremuloides; (2) how important is microclimate in determining intraspecific trait variation; (3) whether and how much trait-trait, trait-environment relationships in this species are consistent with global interspecific LES patterns; (4) how trait – trait and trait – environment relationships change with ploidy level. We collected leaf functional traits from 15 aspen clones using a hierarchical sampling design along a large environmental gradient in Colorado, we analyzed trait - trait and trait – environment relationships within and across Populus tremuloides genotypes and how these relationships changes with ploidy level. 3. We found: (1) the highest variation within clones, indicating high plasticity; (2) opposite of what we would expect, microclimate was a weak predictor of functional traits (3) trait – trait relationships at the intraspecific scale were not consistent with the LES; (4) we found significant differences in physiology and shifts in resource-use trade-offs in trait – trait and trait – environment relationships for diploids and triploids. 4. Synthesis. We conclude that the LES does not hold at the intraspecific scale for Quaking aspen, meaning that at finer scales there are not strong constraints determining the strategies plants can use. These findings also show that the ploidy level can affect and shift the LES trait – environment relationships and that microenvironment which is thought to be direct driver of trait variation at finer scales, does not predict trait variation at the intraspecific scale for Quaking aspen functional traits. 3 4 Contents Abstract 3
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