Journal ArticleDOI
Strategy shifts in leaf physiology, structure and nutrient content between species of high- and low-rainfall and high- and low-nutrient habitats
TLDR
These trends can be interpreted as part of a previously undocumented water conservation strategy in species from dry habitats, by investing heavily in photosynthetic enzymes, a larger drawdown of internal CO 2 concentration is achieved, and a given photosynthesis rate is possible at a lower stomatal conductance.Abstract:
Summary 1. Relationships were examined among photosynthetic capacity ( A mass and A area ), foliar dark respiration rate ( R d-mass and R d-area ), stomatal conductance to water ( G s ), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) across 79 perennial species occurring at four sites with contrasting rainfall levels and soil nutrients in eastern Australia. We hypothesized that the slope of log‐log ‘scaling’ relationships between these traits would be positive and would not differ between sites, although slope elevations might shift between habitat types. 2. A mass , R d-mass , SLA, N mass and P mass were positively associated in common slopes fitted across sites or rainfall zones, although rather weakly within individual sites in some cases. The relationships between A mass (and R d-mass ) with each of N mass and SLA were partially independent of each other, with A mass (or R d-mass ) increasing with SLA at a given N mass , or with N mass at a given SLA (only weakly in the case of A mass ). These results improve the quantification and extend the generalization of reported patterns to floras largely unlike those studied previously, with the additional contribution of including phosphorus data. 3. Species from drier sites differed in several important respects. They had (i) higher leaf N and P (per dry mass or area); (ii) lower photosynthetic capacity at a given leaf N or P; (iii) higher R d-mass at a given SLA or A mass ; and (iv) lower G s at a given A area (implying lower internal CO 2 concentration). 4. These trends can be interpreted as part of a previously undocumented water conservation strategy in species from dry habitats. By investing heavily in photosynthetic enzymes, a larger drawdown of internal CO 2 concentration is achieved, and a given photosynthetic rate is possible at a lower stomatal conductance. Transpirational water use is similar, however, due to the lower-humidity air in dry sites. The benefit of the strategy is that dry-site species reduce water loss at a given A area , down to levels similar to wet-site species, despite occurring in lower-humidity environments. The cost of high leaf N is reflected in higher dark respiration rates and, presumably, additional costs incurred by N acquisition and increased herbivory risk.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
The worldwide leaf economics spectrum
Ian J. Wright,Peter B. Reich,Mark Westoby,David D. Ackerly,Zdravko Baruch,Frans Bongers,Jeannine Cavender-Bares,Terry Chapin,Johannes H. C. Cornelissen,M. Diemer,Jaume Flexas,Eric Garnier,Philip K. Groom,Javier Gulías,Kouki Hikosaka,Byron B. Lamont,Tali D. Lee,William G. Lee,Christopher H. Lusk,Jeremy J. Midgley,Marie-Laure Navas,Ülo Niinemets,Jacek Oleksyn,Jacek Oleksyn,Noriyuki Osada,Hendrik Poorter,Pieter Poot,Lynda D. Prior,Vladimir I. Pyankov,Catherine Roumet,Sean C. Thomas,Mark G. Tjoelker,Erik J. Veneklaas,Rafael Villar +33 more
TL;DR: Reliable quantification of the leaf economics spectrum and its interaction with climate will prove valuable for modelling nutrient fluxes and vegetation boundaries under changing land-use and climate.
Journal ArticleDOI
A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide
Johannes H. C. Cornelissen,Sandra Lavorel,Eric Garnier,Sandra Díaz,Nina Buchmann,Diego E. Gurvich,Peter B. Reich,H. ter Steege,H. D. Morgan,M. van der Heijden,Juli G. Pausas,Hendrik Poorter +11 more
TL;DR: This paper provides an international methodological protocol aimed at standardising this research effort, based on consensus among a broad group of scientists in this field, and features a practical handbook with step-by-step recipes, for 28 functional traits recognised as critical for tackling large-scale ecological questions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Plant Ecological Strategies: Some Leading Dimensions of Variation Between Species
TL;DR: The leaf mass per area–leaf lifespan (LMA-LL) dimension expresses slow turnover of plant parts, long nutrient residence times, and slow response to favorable growth conditions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Causes and consequences of variation in leaf mass per area (LMA): a meta-analysis.
TL;DR: Responses constructed from experiments under controlled conditions showed that LMA varied strongly with light, temperature and submergence, moderately with CO2 concentration and nutrient and water stress, and marginally under most other conditions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bivariate line-fitting methods for allometry.
TL;DR: This review describes for the practitioner the essential features of line‐fitting methods for estimating the relationship between two variables: what methods are commonly used, which method should be used when, and how to make inferences from these lines to answer common research questions.
References
More filters
Biometery: The principles and practice of statistics in biological research
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model for the analysis of variance in a single-classification and two-way and multiway analysis of Variance with the assumption of correlation.
Book
Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research
Robert R. Sokal,F. James Rohlf +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model for the analysis of variance in a single-classification and two-way and multiway analysis of Variance with the assumption of correlation.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Mineral Nutrition of Wild Plants
TL;DR: The nature of crop responses to nutrient stress is reviewed and compares these responses to those of species that have evolved under more natural conditions, particularly in low-nutrient envi ronments.
Book
Plant Physiological Ecology
TL;DR: This textbook is notable in emphasizing that the mechanisms underlying plant physiological ecology can be found at the levels of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology and whole-plant physiology, well-suited to assess the costs, benefits and consequences of modifying plants for human needs, and to evaluate the role of plants in ecosystems.
Journal ArticleDOI
From tropics to tundra: global convergence in plant functioning
TL;DR: These results demonstrate convergent evolution and global generality in plant functioning, despite the enormous diversity of plant species and biomes, and have significant implications for global scale modeling of vegetation-atmosphere CO2 exchange.
Related Papers (5)
The worldwide leaf economics spectrum
Ian J. Wright,Peter B. Reich,Mark Westoby,David D. Ackerly,Zdravko Baruch,Frans Bongers,Jeannine Cavender-Bares,Terry Chapin,Johannes H. C. Cornelissen,M. Diemer,Jaume Flexas,Eric Garnier,Philip K. Groom,Javier Gulías,Kouki Hikosaka,Byron B. Lamont,Tali D. Lee,William G. Lee,Christopher H. Lusk,Jeremy J. Midgley,Marie-Laure Navas,Ülo Niinemets,Jacek Oleksyn,Jacek Oleksyn,Noriyuki Osada,Hendrik Poorter,Pieter Poot,Lynda D. Prior,Vladimir I. Pyankov,Catherine Roumet,Sean C. Thomas,Mark G. Tjoelker,Erik J. Veneklaas,Rafael Villar +33 more