An Eco-anatomical Study on Abies fabri Leaves at Gradient Elevation in Gongga Mountain

To study the ecological adaptation of Abies fabri leaves at different altitudes (2 800, 3 000, 3 200 m, 3 500 m and 3 800 m) on the east slope of Gongga Mountain, Sichuan Province, the leaf anatomical characteristics of A. fabri were investigated. The results showed that at the altitude 3 000 m, the total thickness of leaf, spongy mesophyll thickness and the thickness of palisade reached the maximum. The changes of epidermis structure were not consistent. However, the correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the thickness of upper epidermis, lower epidermis and cuticle. The environmental conditions are complex along with different altitudes, which resulted in the differences of the leaf anatomical characteristics of A. fabri. These differences of the plant could lead to a good adaptation to the environment changes in certain degree.