G. A. Duff

TL;DR: Leaf phenology was monitored for 49 woody species (trees and tall shrubs) each month over a 2.5-year period in a humid, wet-dry tropical eucalypt savanna at Solar Village, near Darwin, Australia, consistent with hypotheses that leaf phenology in trees from the wet- dry tropics is largely controlled by endogenous mechanisms.

TL;DR: Leaf phenology was monitored for 49 woody species (trees and tall shrubs) each month over a 2.5-year period in a humid, wet-dry tropical eucalypt savanna at Solar Village, near Darwin, Australia as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: It is hypothesised that E. tetrodonta saplings allocate most photosynthate to root and lignotuber growth in order to tolerate seasonal drought and the high frequency of fire in northern Australian savannas.

TL;DR: Assimilation rates in the two evergreen species were high throughout the study, indicating a smaller stomatal limitation of photosynthesis in the wet season compared with the dry season, and in all species, A was linearly correlated with specific leaf area (SLA) and foliar N content.

TL;DR: The importance of the annual transition between the dry season and the wet season, a period of 1–2 months of relatively low VPD but little or no effective rainfall, is emphasised, which is accompanied by markedly increased canopy cover, and significant increases in pre-dawn water potential, which are demonstrably independent of rainfall.