Relative importance of overstory canopy openness and seedling density on crown morphology and growth of Acer nipponicum seedlings

Botany ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (11) ◽  
pp. 1152-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waka Saito ◽  
Koji Kawamura ◽  
Hiroshi Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Adaptive Plasticity ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Seedling Density ◽  
Seedling Morphology ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Leaf Mass Fraction

We investigated the effects of overstory canopy openness and seedling density on seedling morphology and growth in the mid-successional species Acer nipponicum Hara in a cool-temperate forest. Studied seedlings were 46 seedlings of 30–160 cm height, and their overstory canopy openness ranged between 7.2% and 17.0%. Seedling density, measured as the number of conspecific neighboring seedlings within a 50 cm radius of the target seedling, ranged between 0 and 19. There were no significant correlations between seedling height, canopy openness, and seedling density. Multiple regression analysis showed that crown depth, leaf mass fraction, and leaf area index decreased with decreasing canopy openness and increasing seedling density, while the ratio of trunk-lateral branches mass increased. Overstory canopy openness did not affect crown area, leaf size, or petiole length, all of which decreased with increasing seedling density. Standardized regression coefficients indicated that seedling density affected morphology and growth more than canopy openness did. The morphological responses to canopy openness cannot be considered as adaptive plasticity, as total leaf area and leaf mass fraction decreased with decreasing light levels. In contrast, responses to seedling density indicate adaptive responses to neighborhood competition. The results highlight the importance of seedling density that influenced seedling growth and morphology independently of overstory canopy openness.

Stem Architectural Effect on Leaf Size, Leaf Number, and Leaf Mass Fraction in Plant Twigs of Woody Species

2009 ◽  
Vol 170 (8) ◽  
pp. 999-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Xiang ◽  
Yalan Liu ◽  
Fei Fang ◽  
Ning Wu ◽  
Shucun Sun
Keyword(s):  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Leaf Number ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Leaf Mass Fraction

A study of growth in swards of timothy and meadow fescue. I. Uninterrupted growth

1958 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. M. Langer
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Meadow Fescue ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Relative Growth Rates ◽  
Number Of Leaves ◽  
Total Dry Weight

1. Swards of S. 48 timothy and S. 215 meadow fescue growing alone or together were sampled at intervals of 3 weeks throughout the season. The number and weight of leaves, stems and ears were determined, and leaf area was estimated.2. Despite high rainfall, the total number of tillers in both species declined from the beginning of the experiment until early July, but increased again from then onwards until the original complement had been approximately restored. The number of leaves failed to show a corresponding increase in the autumn because each tiller carried fewer leaves than earlier in the year.3. In the spring total dry weight increased more rapidly in meadow fescue than in timothy which in turn out-yielded meadow fescue later in the season. Both species attained their greatest dry weight soon after ear emergence, a period which was marked by considerable crop growth and relative growth rates.4. Leaf area index reached a maximum before total dry weight had increased to its highest level, but then declined in both species. Meadow fescue differed from timothy by producing a second crop of foliage after the summer with a leaf area index of about 7. This second rise appeared to be due mainly to increased leaf size in contrast to timothy whose leaves became progressively smaller towards the end of the season.5. The differences in growth between the species discussed with reference to their dates of ear emergence which in this experiment differed by about 6 weeks.

Leaf heteroblasty in eucalypts: biogeographic evidence of ecological function

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Vlasveld ◽  
Benjamin O'Leary ◽  
Frank Udovicic ◽  
Martin Burd
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Eucalyptus Species ◽  
Canopy Closure ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Adult Leaf ◽  
Shape And Size

Leaves that develop on seedlings, young saplings or regenerative shoots of many eucalypt species are strikingly different in morphology from the typical leaves of more mature plants; a developmental pattern known as heteroblasty. We measured dimorphism between juvenile and adult leaves in shape and size, leaf mass per unit area, and vein frequency in a continent-wide sample of Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus species. We tested whether heteroblasty in this group is an adaptation to shading by comparing the degree of juvenile–adult leaf dimorphism with the canopy closure (measured by the leaf area index) of the habitat in which species occurred. No pattern emerged for heteroblasty in leaf shape and size or leaf mass per unit area, but there was a significant relationship (accounting for phylogenetic relationships) between the degree of juvenile–adult dimorphism in vein frequency and habitat leaf area index. Juvenile leaves tended to have more widely spaced veins than adult leaves of the same species, in regions with more closed vegetative canopies. This evidence suggests that eucalypt heteroblasty is, at least in part, a hydraulic adaptation to the different conditions faced by younger and older plants in higher productivity regions with denser vegetation.

The role of biomass allocation in the growth response of plants to different levels of light, CO2, nutrients and water: a quantitative review

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Poorter ◽  
Oscar Nagel
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Leaf Biomass ◽  
Functional Equilibrium ◽  
Leaf Mass

The allocation of biomass to different plant organs depends on species, ontogeny and on the environment experienced by the plant. In this paper we first discuss some methodological tools to describe and analyse the allocation of biomass. Rather than the use of shoot:root ratios, we plead strongly for a subdivision of biomass into at least three compartments: leaves, stems and roots. Attention is drawn to some of the disadvantages of allometry as a tool to correct for size differences between plants. Second, we tested the extent to which biomass allocation of plants follows the model of a ‘functional equilibrium’. According to this model, plants respond to a decrease in above-ground resources with increased allocation to shoots (leaves), whereas they respond to a decrease in below-ground resources with increased allocation to roots. We carried out a meta-analysis of the literature, analysing the effect of various environmental variables on the fraction of total plant biomass allocated to leaves (leaf mass fraction), stem (stem mass fraction) and roots (root mass fraction). The responses to light, nutrients and water agreed with the (qualitative) prediction of the ‘functional equilibrium’ theory. The notable exception was atmospheric CO2, which did not affect allocation when the concentration was doubled. Third, we analysed the quantitative importance of the changes in allocation compared to changes in other growth parameters, such as unit leaf rate (the net difference between carbon gain and carbon losses per unit time and leaf area), and specific leaf area (leaf area: leaf biomass). The effects of light, CO2 and water on leaf mass fractions were small compared to their effects on relative growth rate. The effects of nutrients, however, were large, suggesting that only in the case of nutrients, biomass allocation is a major factor in the response of plants to limiting resource supply.

scholarly journals Effects of grazing on leaf traits and ecosystem functioning in Inner Mongolia grasslands: scaling from species to community

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 9945-9975 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. X. Zheng ◽  
H. Y. Ren ◽  
Z. C. Lan ◽  
W. H. Li ◽  
Y. F. Bai
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Leaf Biomass ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Semiarid Grassland ◽  
Leaf Trait ◽  
Leaf Mass

Abstract. More attention has focused on using some easily measured plant functional traits to predict grazing influence on plant growth and ecosystem functioning. However, there has been much controversy on leaf traits response to grazing, thus more research should be conducted at the species level. Here we investigated the leaf area, leaf mass and specific leaf area (SLA) of 263 species in eight grassland communities along a soil moisture gradient in the Xilin River Basin, a semiarid grassland of northern China, to explore the grazing effects on ecosystem functioning. Results demonstrated that grazing decreased the leaf area and leaf mass in more than 56% of species in the Xilin River Basin, however, responses of SLA to grazing varied widely between species. Grazing increased SLA in 38.4% of species, decreased SLA in 31.3% of species and had no effect on 30.3% of species. Annuals and biennials generally developed high SLA as grazing tolerance traits, while perennial graminoids developed low SLA as grazing avoidance traits. Considering the water ecotypes, the SLA-increased and SLA-unchanged species were dominated by hygrophytes and mesophytes, while the SLA-decreased species were dominated by xerophytes. At the community level, grazing decreased the mean leaf area index (LAI) of six communities by 16.9%, leaf biomass by 35.2% and standing aboveground biomass (SAB) by 35.0% in the Xilin River Basin, indicating that overgrazing greatly decreased the ecosystem functioning in the semi-arid grassland of northern China. Soil properties, especially fielding holding capacity and soil organic carbon and total nitrogen could mediate the negative grazing impacts. The results suggest SLA is a better leaf trait to reveal plant adaptability to grazing. Our findings have practical implications for range management and productivity maintenance in the semiarid grassland, and it is feasible to take some measures such as ameliorating soil water and nutrient availabilities to prevent grassland degradation.

scholarly journals Global Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Leaf Area Index: The Impact of Updating More State Variables Within a Land Surface Model

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azbina Rahman ◽  
Xinxuan Zhang ◽  
Paul Houser ◽  
Timothy Sauer ◽  
Viviana Maggioni
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Random Errors ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
The Impact

As vegetation regulates water, carbon, and energy cycles from the local to the global scale, its accurate representation in land surface models is crucial. The assimilation of satellite-based vegetation observations in a land surface model has the potential to improve the estimation of global carbon and energy cycles, which in turn can enhance our ability to monitor and forecast extreme hydroclimatic events, ecosystem dynamics, and crop production. This work proposes the assimilation of a remotely sensed vegetation product (Leaf Area Index, LAI) within the Noah Multi-Parameterization land surface model using an Ensemble Kalman Filter technique. The impact of updating leaf mass along with LAI is also investigated. Results show that assimilating LAI data improves the estimation of transpiration and net ecosystem exchange, which is further enhanced by also updating the leaf mass. Specifically, transpiration anomaly correlation coefficients improve in about 77 and 66% of the global land area thanks to the assimilation of leaf area index with and without updating leaf mass, respectively. Random errors in transpiration are also reduced, with an improvement of the unbiased root mean square error in 70% (74%) of the total area without the update of leaf mass (with the update of leaf mass). Similarly, net ecosystem exchange anomaly correlation coefficients improve from 52 to 75% and random errors improve from 49 to 62% of the total pixels after the update of leaf mass. Better performances for both transpiration and net ecosystem exchange are observed across croplands, but the largest improvement is shown over forests and woodland. The global scope of this work makes it particularly important in data poor regions (e.g., Africa, South Asia), where ground observations are sparse or not available altogether but where an accurate estimation of carbon and energy variables can be critical to improve ecosystem and crop management.

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