Summary
Photosynthetic and water relations characteristics of small juvenile and large reproductive plants were investigated during one growing season for four woody species native to Red Butte Canyon, Utah, USA: Acer negundo, Artemisia tridentata, Chrysothamnus nauseosus, and Salix exigua. For all species, juvenile plants differed from reproductive plants in at least one of the following characters: water potential, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, or water-use efficiency. Late in the growing season, mortality occurred within juvenile plants (apparently due to a lack of water), but not within reproductive plants. The observed differences between juvenile and reproductive classes are discussed in terms of environment, development, and mortality selection.
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Donovan, L.A., Ehleringer, J.R. Ecophysiological differences among juvenile and reproductive plants of several woody species. Oecologia 86, 594–597 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318327
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318327