Distribution of magnesium between chlorophyll and other photosynthetic functions in magnesium deficient “sun”; and “shade”; leaves of poplar

The present anatomical study of sun and shade leaves of two shrub species Menziesia glabella and Lonicera glaucescens is an outgrowth of interest in the response of ground cover plants to increased sunlight as the result of logging operations. Leaves of both shrub species developed on plants fully exposed to the sun are smaller, thicker, more compact, with longer palisade cells, less spongy mesophyll, and thicker cuticle than comparable leaves from plants growing normally in deep shade. Evidence is given for the views that (1) differences in leaf expression are not predetermined by the environment of the bud during its formation the previous season, and (2) structural modifications that result when typical shade buds are suddenly exposed to full sunlight are merely an indication of the plasticity of leaves to light.

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Sun and shade leaves of Olea europaea respond differently to plant size, light availability and genetic variation

Functional Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01851.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 802-812 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Rafael R. de Casas ◽

Pablo Vargas ◽

Esther Pérez-Corona ◽

Esteban Manrique ◽

Carlos García-Verdugo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Olea Europaea ◽

Light Availability ◽

Plant Size ◽

Sun And Shade Leaves ◽

Sun And Shade ◽

Shade Leaves ◽

Olea Europaéa

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Interspecific covariation between stomatal density and other functional leaf traits in a local flora

Botany ◽

10.1139/b09-103 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 88 (1) ◽

pp. 30-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jessy Loranger ◽

Bill Shipley

Keyword(s):

Chlorophyll Content ◽

Stomatal Density ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Functional Ecology ◽

Leaf Trait ◽

Leaf Chlorophyll ◽

Sun And Shade Leaves ◽

Angiosperm Species ◽

Sun And Shade ◽

Shade Leaves

Despite the importance of stomata in leaf functioning, and despite the recent interest in interspecific leaf trait covariation in functional ecology, little is known about how stomatal density relates to other leaf traits in a broad interspecific context. This is especially important because stomatal density has been widely used to deduce temporal variation in atmospheric CO2 concentrations [CO2atm] from fossilized or herbarium leaves. We therefore measured stomatal density, specific leaf area (SLA) and its components, leaf thickness, and leaf chlorophyll content in both sun and shade leaves of 169 individuals from 52 angiosperm species in southwestern Quebec. Using mixed models, we show that stomatal density decreases allometrically with increasing SLA and chlorophyll content, and increases allometrically with increasing lamina thickness. The sun–shade contrast changes the intercepts, but not the slopes, of these relationships. It is important to take into consideration these relations when correlating stomatal density with [CO2], to avoid spurious interpretations.

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