Diversity of leaf phenology in a tropical deciduous forest in India

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Kushwaha ◽  
K. P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Plant Functional Types ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Tropical Deciduous Forest ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Evergreen Species ◽  
Functional Types ◽  
Leaf Flush ◽  
Strategy Index

Patterns of leaf phenological diversity were documented in nine key tree species of a tropical deciduous forest in the Vindhyan region of India. Monthly leaf counts on 160 tagged twigs on ten individuals of each species were made through two annual cycles. Tree species exhibited a gradient of deciduousness (∼leafless duration), ranging from semi-evergreen species (entire population never becoming leafless) to 7-mo-deciduous species. The semi-evergreen species initiated leaf flush (bud break of vegetative bud) earlier around the spring equinox. In all deciduous tree species synchronous leaf-flush initiation, with low inter-annual variability, occurred during the hot dry summer (May–June, day temperature >40 °C), prior to the onset of the rainy season. Based on the quantification of leafless period, leaf-flush duration, and leaf strategy index (leaf-flush rate/leaf-fall rate, proposed in this study) in different species, four plant functional types were recognized: (a) semi-evergreen, spring flushing, showing leaf exchange, with mean leafless period 8 d, leaf-flush duration 6–7 mo and leaf strategy index <0.5 (Shorea robusta); (b) <2-mo-deciduous, summer flushing, leafless period 3–8 wk, leaf-flush duration 5–6 mo, and leaf strategy index >0.5−<0.7 (Anogeissus latifolia, Diospyros melanoxylon and Hardwickia binata); (c) 2–4-mo-deciduous, summer flushing, leafless period 2–3 mo, leaf-flush duration 4–5 mo, and leaf strategy index >0.8−<1.0 (Acacia catechu, Lagerstroemia parviflora and Terminalia tomentosa); and (d) >4-mo-deciduous, summer flushing, leafless period >4–7 mo, leaf-flush duration 3–4 mo, and leaf strategy index 1.0 (Boswellia serrata and Lannea coromandelica). Conspecific trees showed asynchrony with respect to leaf-flush completion, initiation and completion of leaf-fall, and extent of leafless period. Leaf strategy index (indicating rate of resource use and conservation) was strongly related with the leafless period in different species (r=0.82) and can serve as a useful index in leaf phenological studies and classification of plant functional types.

scholarly journals Human Threat On Phenological Cycle Of Selected Dry Deciduous Tree Species In North Gujarat Region (Ngr), Gujarat, India

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajendra Kumar ◽  
S Kalavathy
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Ripening ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Ripening Stage ◽  
Dry Deciduous Forest ◽  
Phenological Cycle ◽  
North Gujarat

Phenological observations were taken for 13 woody species for two years (Jan 2006 - Dec 2007) in dry deciduous forest of North Gujarat. The phenological behavior of most of the woody species was almost similar in two different years. Leaf initiation started in the month of March with peak April – May before pre-monsoon showers and leaf - fall began in October with a peak in November and December. Flowering in most of the woody species was observed in the month of February continued till May, fruit appearance for these species from March, with a peak of August. In July and August 69% of woody species appeared in fruit ripening stage. While monsoon begins same duration, that allow to the optimal germination of tree species. An observing human impact on selected species facing seasonal threats, more number of species faced cutting during leaf fall period or before on setting of flowers. International Journal of Environment, Volume-2, Issue-1, Sep-Nov 2013, Pages 60-69 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v2i1.9208

La phénologie des arbres caducifoliés en forêt guyanaise (5° de latitude nord) : illustration d'un déterminisme à composantes endogène et exogène

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1843-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Loubry
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Leaf Fall

The French Guianan forest is an evergreen rain forest that contains approximately 100 deciduous tree species. The taxonomical distribution of the deciduous character is widely spread, and its presence or absence among some taxa, as well as its ancient origin, are arguments in favour of an endogenous origin. Leaf-fall periodicity was studied on a sample of 500 trees during a 2-year period. Periodicity is annual and seasonal. It is not correlated to rainfall and not linked to the occurrence of a dry season. It seems closely correlated to photoperiodical variations, even though those variations are weak (35 min at latitude 5°30′N). However, each tree has its own periodicity for leaves shedding. Therefore, there is a paradox between seasonality and individual periodicity of leaf fall. The existence of this paradox leads us to consider the hypothesis of an integration of endogenous and exogenous components in the determination of leaf-fall periodicity. Key words: deciduousness, French Guiana, phenology, photoperiodism, tree, tropical rain forest.

scholarly journals Improved NDVI based proxy leaf-fall indicator to assess rainfall sensitivity of deciduousness in the central Indian forests through remote sensing

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beependra Singh ◽  
C. Jeganathan ◽  
V. S. Rathore
Keyword(s):  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Tropical Deciduous Forest ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
Regional Energy ◽  
Vegetation Fraction ◽  
Rainfall Anomalies ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Indian Forests ◽  
Normal Rainfall

Abstract Quantifying the leaf-fall dynamics in the tropical deciduous forest will help in modeling regional energy balance and nutrient recycle pattern, but the traditional ground-based leaf-fall enumeration is a tedious and geographically limited approach. Therefore, there is a need for a reliable spatial proxy leaf-fall (i.e., deciduousness) indicator. In this context, this study attempted to improve the existing deciduousness metric using time-series NDVI data (MOD13Q1; 250 m; 16 days interval) and investigated its spatio-temporal variability and sensitivity to rainfall anomalies across the central Indian tropical forest over 18 years (2001–2018). The study also analysed the magnitude of deciduousness during extreme (i.e., dry and wet) and normal rainfall years, and compared its variability with the old metric. The improved NDVI based deciduousness metric performed satisfactorily, as its observed variations were in tandem with ground observations in different forest types, and for different pheno-classes. This is the first kind of study in India revealing the spatio-temporal character of leaf-fall in different ecoregions, elevation gradients and vegetation fraction.

Differential determinants of growth rates in subtropical evergreen and deciduous juvenile trees: Carbon gain, hydraulics and nutrient use efficiencies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Hua Qi ◽  
Ze-Xin Fan ◽  
Pei-Li Fu ◽  
Yong-Jiang Zhang ◽  
Frank Sterck
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Evergreen Species ◽  
Nutrient Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

Abstract Growth rate varies across plant species and represents an important ecological strategy for competition, resource use and fitness. However, empirical studies often show a low predictability of functional traits to tree growth. We measured stem diameter and height growth rates of 96 juvenile trees (2 to 5 m tall) of eight evergreen and eight deciduous broadleaf tree species over three consecutive years in a subtropical forest in southwestern China. We examined the relationships between tree growth rates and 20 leaf/stem traits that associated with carbon gain, stem hydraulics and nutrient use efficiency, as well as the difference between evergreen and deciduous trees. We found that cross-species variations of stem diameter/height growth rate can be predicted by leaf photosynthetic capacity, leaf mass per area, xylem theoretical specific hydraulic conductivity, wood density and photosynthetic nutrient use efficiencies. Higher leaf carbon assimilation and lower leaf/stem constructing costs facilitate deciduous species to be more resource acquisitive and consequently faster growth within a relatively shorter growing season, whereas evergreen species exhibit a more conservative strategies and thus slower growth. Further, stem growth rates of evergreen species showed were more dependence on leaf carbon gains, whereas stem hydraulic efficiency were more important for deciduous tree growth. Our results suggest that physiological traits (photosynthesis, hydraulics, nutrient use efficiency) can predict tree diameter and height growth of subtropical tree species. The differential resource acquisition and use strategies and their associations with tree growth between evergreen and deciduous trees provide insights in explaining the co-existence of evergreen and deciduous tree species in subtropical forests.

scholarly journals Shoot-foliage relationships in deciduous, semideciduous, and evergreen cerrado tree species

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Paulo Souza ◽  
Carlos Henrique B. A. Prado ◽  
Ana Lúcia S. Albino ◽  
Maria A. Damascos
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Shoot Length ◽  
Leaf Number ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Structural Differentiation ◽  
Evergreen Species ◽  
Leaf Production ◽  
Long Shoots

The morphology and the biomass allocation in shoots and leaves were investigated in 15 cerrado tree species with distinct leaf phenology growing under natural conditions. Higher values of leaf/shoot ratio on mass base, individual leaf area, leaf area per shoot, leaf display index, and leaf number per shoot length were found in deciduous than in evergreen species. The differences about shoot-foliage relationship across leaf phenological groups could be explained by plagiotropic shoots on deciduous and by erect shoots in semideciduous and evergreen species. Plagiotropic shoots allow similar irradiance along shoots and high biomass allocation in favor of leaves without foliage self-shading in deciduous tree species. The structural differentiation between short and long shoots was indicated by an exponential relationship between leaf display index and shoot length in all deciduous, in three semideciduous, and in two evergreen species. Therefore, especially in deciduous, the short shoots had higher leaf area per unit of length than the long shoots. The differentiation between short and long shoots depends on the shoot length in deciduous because of the leaf number on shoot is predetermined in buds. Contrastingly, the leaf neo-formation in semideciduous and in evergreen tree species keeps the shoot-leaf relationship per shoot length more constant, because of the foliage being produced according to the shoot growth during the year. In conclusion, the foliage persistence, the shoot inclination, the type of leaf production and the resources allocation between autotrophic and heterotrophic vegetative canopy parts are interdependent in cerrado tree species across different leaf phenological groups.

scholarly journals Subtropical–Tropical Urban Tree Water Relations and Drought Stress Response Strategies

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Kjelgren ◽  
Daryl Joyce ◽  
David Doley
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Deciduous Species ◽  
Evergreen Species ◽  
Urban Tree ◽  
Tropical Cities

Understanding native habitats of species successful as subtropical and tropical urban trees yield insights into how to minimize urban tree water deficit stress experienced during monsoonal dry periods. Equatorial and montane wet forest species rarely subject to drought are generally absent in subtropical and tropical cities with pronounced monsoonal dry seasons. Species native to monsoonal dry forests appear to have wide environmental tolerances, and are successful as urban trees in many tropical cities. Monsoonal dry forest species have a tendency to be deep rooted to avoid drought, with leaf habits falling along an avoidance to tolerance spectrum. Dry deciduous species, typically found on more fertile soils, maximize growth during the monsoonal wet season with high photosynthesis and transpiration rates, then defoliate to avoid stress during the dry season. Evergreen tree species, typically found on less fertile soils, have a higher carbon investment in leaves that photosynthesize and transpire less year-round than do dry deciduous species. Dry deciduous tree species are more common urban trees than dry evergreen species explicitly due to more ornamental floral displays, but also implicitly due to their ability to adjust timing and duration of defoliation in response to drought. An empirical study of three tropical species exhibiting a range of leaf habits showed isohydric behavior that moderates transpiration and conserves soil water during drying. However, dry evergreen species may be less adaptable to tropical urban conditions of pronounced drought, intense heat, and limited rooting volumes than dry deciduous species with malleable leaf habit.

scholarly journals Consequences of a Reduced Number of Plant Functional Types for the Simulation of Forest Productivity

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rico Fischer ◽  
Edna Rödig ◽  
Andreas Huth
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Carbon Fluxes ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Plant Functional Types ◽  
Pioneer Tree Species ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Pioneer Tree ◽  
Functional Types

Tropical forests represent an important pool in the global carbon cycle. Their biomass stocks and carbon fluxes are variable in space and time, which is a challenge for accurate measurements. Forest models are therefore used to investigate these complex forest dynamics. The challenge of considering the high species diversity of tropical forests is often addressed by grouping species into plant functional types (PFTs). We investigated how reduced numbers of PFTs affect the prediction of productivity (GPP, NPP) and other carbon fluxes derived from forest simulations. We therefore parameterized a forest gap model for a specific study site with just one PFT (comparable to global vegetation models) on the one hand, and two versions with a higher amount of PFTs, on the other hand. For an old-growth forest, aboveground biomass and basal area can be reproduced very well with all parameterizations. However, the absence of pioneer tree species in the parameterizations with just one PFT leads to a reduction in estimated gross primary production by 60% and an increase of estimated net ecosystem exchange by 50%. These findings may have consequences for productivity estimates of forests at regional and continental scales. Models with a reduced number of PFTs are limited in simulating forest succession, in particular regarding the forest growth after disturbances or transient dynamics. We conclude that a higher amount of species groups increases the accuracy of forest succession simulations. We suggest using at a minimum three PFTs with at least one species group representing pioneer tree species.

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