scholarly journals Leaf:wood allometry and functional traits together explain substantial growth rate variation in rainforest trees

AoB Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
E F Gray ◽  
I J Wright ◽  
D S Falster ◽  
A S D Eller ◽  
C E R Lehmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
Stem Diameter Growth

Abstract Plant growth rates drive ecosystem productivity and are a central element of plant ecological strategies. For seedlings grown under controlled conditions, a large literature has firmly identified the functional traits that drive interspecific variation in growth rate. For adult plants, the corresponding knowledge is surprisingly poorly understood. Until recently it was widely assumed that the key trait drivers would be the same (e.g. specific leaf area, or SLA), but an increasing number of papers has demonstrated this not to be the case, or not generally so. New theory has provided a prospective basis for understanding these discrepancies. Here we quantified relationships between stem diameter growth rates and functional traits of adult woody plants for 41 species in an Australian tropical rainforest. From various cost-benefit considerations, core predictions included that: (i) photosynthetic rate would be positively related to growth rate; (ii) SLA would be unrelated to growth rate (unlike in seedlings where it is positively related to growth); (iii) wood density would be negatively related to growth rate; and (iv) leaf mass:sapwood mass ratio (LM:SM) in branches (analogous to a benefit:cost ratio) would be positively related to growth rate. All our predictions found support, particularly those for LM:SM and wood density; photosynthetic rate was more weakly related to stem diameter growth rates. Specific leaf area was convincingly correlated to growth rate, in fact negatively. Together, SLA, wood density and LM:SM accounted for 52 % of variation in growth rate among these 41 species, with each trait contributing roughly similar explanatory power. That low SLA species can achieve faster growth rates than high SLA species was an unexpected result but, as it turns out, not without precedent, and easily understood via cost-benefit theory that considers whole-plant allocation to different tissue types. Branch-scale leaf:sapwood ratio holds promise as an easily measurable variable that may help to understand growth rate variation. Using cost-benefit approaches teamed with combinations of leaf, wood and allometric variables may provide a path towards a more complete understanding of growth rates under field conditions.

scholarly journals Stem diameter growth rates in a fire-prone savanna correlate with photosynthetic rate and branch-scale biomass allocation, but not specific leaf area

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Wright ◽  
Julia Cooke ◽  
Lucas A. Cernusak ◽  
Lindsay B. Hutley ◽  
Marina C. Scalon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Stem Diameter ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Stem Diameter Growth

Frequent Irrigation Increases Growth of Pot-in-Pot Sugar and Red Maple

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Robert K. Witmer ◽  
Roger Harris ◽  
Alex X. Niemiera
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Stem Diameter ◽  
Production Cycle ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Irrigation Regime ◽  
Moderate Growth ◽  
Stem Diameter Growth

In Virginia, pot-in-pot production of shade trees is normally accomplished by growing bareroot whips in 56-L containers for two complete growing seasons (production cycles). This study monitored the growth of Acer saccharum L. `Green Mountain' (sugar maple), a species with moderate growth rate, and Acer rubrum L. `Franksred' (red maple), a species with a fast growth rate, under standard once-a-day irrigation regime (1X) and a cyclic three-times-a-day regime (3X). Equal daily volumes of water were applied under each regime. Height growth rate increased for sugar maples but decreased for red maples in production cycle two compared to production cycle one. Stem diameter growth rates remained steady for red maple, but increased slightly for sugar maple. A 3X irrigation regime increased stem diameter of red maples, but had no other effect on either species in year one. Height and stem diameter growth of both species were increased by the 3X treatment during production cycle two. This study indicates that the standard production period results in decreased growth in the second production cycle for red maple, but not for sugar maple. Growth rates can be enhanced with a 3X irrigation regime for both species in production cycle two. The 3X irrigation regime only increases the stem diameter growth of red maple in the first production cycle.

scholarly journals How functional traits influence plant growth and shade tolerance across the life cycle

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (29) ◽  
pp. E6789-E6798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Falster ◽  
Remko A. Duursma ◽  
Richard G. FitzJohn
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Unit Leaf Area ◽  
Unit Leaf

Plant species differ in many functional traits that drive differences in rates of photosynthesis, biomass allocation, and tissue turnover. However, it remains unclear how—and even if—such traits influence whole-plant growth, with the simple linear relationships predicted by existing theory often lacking empirical support. Here, we present a theoretical framework for understanding the effect of diverse functional traits on plant growth and shade tolerance by extending a widely used model, linking growth rate in seedlings with a single leaf trait, to explicitly include influences of size, light environment, and five prominent traits: seed mass, height at maturation, leaf mass per unit leaf area, leaf nitrogen per unit leaf area, and wood density. Based on biomass growth and allocation, this framework explains why the influence of traits on growth rate and shade tolerance often varies with plant size and why the impact of size on growth varies among traits. Specifically, we demonstrate why for height growth the influence of: (i) leaf mass per unit leaf area is strong in small plants but weakens with size; (ii) leaf nitrogen per unit leaf area does not change with size; (iii) wood density is present across sizes; (iv) height at maturation strengthens with size; and (v) seed mass decreases with size. Moreover, we show how traits moderate plant responses to light environment and also determine shade tolerance, supporting diverse empirical results.

Disentangling the role of competition, light interception, and functional traits in tree growth rate variation in South Asian tropical moist forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 483 ◽  
pp. 118908
Author(s):  
Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Masum Billah ◽  
Md Obydur Rahman ◽  
Debit Datta ◽  
Muhammad Ahsanuzzaman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Light Interception ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
Tree Growth Rate

scholarly journals Variation Patterns of Functional Trait Moments Along Geographical Gradients and Their Environmental Determinants in the Subtropical Evergreen Broadleaved Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caishuang Huang ◽  
Yue Xu ◽  
Runguo Zang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Subtropical Region ◽  
Mean Variance ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus ◽  
Skewness And Kurtosis

Understanding how environmental change alters the composition of plant assemblages is a major challenge in the face of global climate change. Researches accounting for site-specific trait values within forest communities help bridge plant economics theory and functional biogeography to better evaluate and predict relationships between environment and ecosystem functioning. Here, by measuring six functional traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, and phosphorus concentration, leaf nitrogen/phosphorus, wood density) for 292 woody plant species (48,680 individuals) from 250 established permanent forest dynamics plots in five locations across the subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests (SEBLF) in China, we quantified functional compositions of communities by calculating four trait moments, i.e., community-weighted mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis. The geographical (latitudinal, longitudinal, and elevational) patterns of functional trait moments and their environmental drivers were examined. Results showed that functional trait moments shifted significantly along the geographical gradients, and trait moments varied in different ways across different gradients. Plants generally showed coordinated trait shifts toward more conservative growth strategies (lower specific leaf area, leaf N and P concentration while higher leaf nitrogen/phosphorus and wood density) along increasing latitude and longitude. However, trends opposite to the latitudinal and longitudinal patterns appeared in trait mean values along elevation. The three sets of environmental variables (climate, soil and topography) explained 35.0–69.0%, 21.0–56.0%, 14.0–31.0%, and 16.0–30.0% of the variations in mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis across the six functional traits, respectively. Patterns of shifts in functional trait moments along geographical gradients in the subtropical region were mainly determined by the joint effects of climatic and edaphic conditions. Climate regimes, especially climate variability, were the strongest driving force, followed by soil nutrients, while topography played the least role. Moreover, the relationship of variance, skewness and kurtosis with climate and their geographical patterns suggested that rare phenotypes at edges of trait space were selected in harsher environments. Our study suggested that environmental filtering (especially climate variability) was the dominant process of functional assembly for forest communities in the subtropical region along geographical gradients.

scholarly journals Fitness Cost of Imazamox Resistance in Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla L.)

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1859
Author(s):  
Saeid Hassanpour-bourkheili ◽  
Mahtab Heravi ◽  
Javid Gherekhloo ◽  
Ricardo Alcántara-de la Cruz ◽  
Rafael De Prado
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Area Ratio ◽  
Fitness Cost ◽  
Seed Plant ◽  
Growth Indices ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Net Assimilation

Wild poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla L.) is a difficult-to-control weed in soybean production in Brazil that has developed resistance to herbicides, including acetolactate synthase inhibitors. We investigated the potential fitness cost associated to the Ser-653-Asn mutation that confers imazamox resistance in this weed. Plant height, leaf and stem dry weight, leaf area and seed production per plant as well as the growth indices of specific leaf area, leaf area ratio, relative growth rate and net assimilation in F2 homozygous resistant (R) and susceptible (S) wild poinsettia progenies were pairwise compared. S plants were superior in most of the traits studied. Plant heights for S and R biotypes, recorded at 95 days after planting (DAP), were 137 and 120 cm, respectively. Leaf areas were 742 and 1048 cm2 in the R and S biotypes, respectively. The dry weights of leaves and stems in the S plants were 30 and 35%, respectively, higher than in the R plants. In both biotypes, the leaves had a greater share in dry weight at early development stages, but from 50 DAP, the stem became the main contributor to the dry weight of the shoots. The R biotype produced 110 ± 4 seed plant−1, i.e., 12 ± 3% less seeds per plant than that of the S one (125 ± 7 seed plant−1). The growth indices leaf area ratio and specific leaf area were generally higher in the S biotype or similar between both biotypes; while the relative growth rate and net assimilation rate were punctually superior in the R biotype. These results demonstrate that the Ser-653-Asn mutation imposed a fitness cost in imazamox R wild poinsettia.

Size dependent associations between tree diameter growth rates and functional traits in an Asian tropical seasonal rainforest

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Yu-Mei Yan ◽  
Ze-Xin Fan ◽  
Pei-Li Fu ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
Lu-Xiang Lin
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Ontogenetic Shifts ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Leaf Economic Spectrum

Many studies focus on the relationships between plant functional traits and tree growth performances. However, little is known about the ontogenetic shifts of the relationships between functional traits and tree growth. This study examined associations between stem and leaf functional traits and growth rates and their ontogenetic shifts across 20 tropical tree species in a tropical seasonal rainforest in Xishuangbanna, south-west China. For each species, physiological active branches of individual trees belonged to three size classes (i.e. small, diameter at breast height (DBH) 5–10 cm; middle, DBH 10–20 cm; big, DBH >20 cm) were sampled respectively. We measured 18 morphological and structural traits, which characterised plant hydraulic properties or leaf economic spectrum. Associations between diameter growth rates and functional traits were analysed across three size classes. Our results revealed that diameter growth rates of big-sized trees were mainly related to traits related to plant hydraulic efficiency (i.e. theoretical hydraulic conductivity (Ktheo) and leaf vein density (Dvein)), which suggests that the growth of large trees is limited mainly by their xylem water transport capacity. For middle-sized trees, growth rates were significantly related to traits representing leaf economic spectrum (i.e. specific leaf area (SLA), individual leaf mass (ILM), palisade thickness (PT) and spongy thickness (SP)). Diameter growth rates of small-sized trees were not correlated with hydraulic or leaf economic traits. Thus, the associations between tree growth rates and functional traits are size dependent. Our results suggest ontogenetic shift of functional traits which could potential contribute to different growth response to climate change.

scholarly journals Growth Rate Variation and Larval Survival: Inferences from an Individual-Based Size-Dependent Predation Model

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Rice ◽  
Thomas J. Miller ◽  
Kenneth A. Rose ◽  
Larry B. Crowder ◽  
Elizabeth A. Marschall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Initial Growth ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Selection For

We used an individual-based Monte Carlo simulation model to explore how changes in the mean and variance of growth rates of individuals in a larval fish cohort interact with size-dependent predation to affect the number and characteristics of individual survivors. Small changes in initial cohort mean growth rate can change survival over the first 60 d of life 10-to 30-fold. But when variance in growth rate among individuals is high, survival can be substantially higher than expected from the initial mean cohort growth rate. Selection for faster-growing individuals becomes stronger with increasing variance and increasing predation rate. In some cases, > 80% of the survivors may come from the upper 25% of the initial growth rate distribution, and the mean growth rate of the survivors may exceed twice the initial mean growth rate. When individual growth rates change from day to day rather than remaining constant, the contribution of atypical individuals is accentuated even further. Counterintuitively, most of the selection for faster-growing individuals happens only after the majority of mortality has already taken place. These results suggest that interactions between individual variability and selective mortality may have important cohort-level implications for survival in fishes.

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