Abstract
Seasonal dynamics in nitrogen and phosphorus content were examined for each component organ ofAucuba japonica, an evergreen understory shrub in the warmtemperate region of Japan. Evergreen foliage was the largest pool for each nutrient; nitrogen and phosphorus were accumulated and stored in autumn and then redistributed in the spring. For individual leaves, such seasonal accumulations and redistributions were repeated through two or three years and then at leaf fall, an additional amount was withdrawn. Rapid growth of new shoots and flowers during spring was supported by the massive redistribution of the nutrients from the old foliage. The redistribution accounted for 85% and 65% of the total nitrogen and phosphorus input to the new shoots, respectively. Such a high ratio of redistribution resulted in a conservative nutrient economy, and must be positively related to the photosynthetic production in the ligh-limited environment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, S.E. (Ed.). 1974. Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Brendse, F. andR. Aerts. 1987. Nitrogen-use-efficiency: a biologically meaningful definition? Functional Ecol.1: 293–296.
Chapin, F.S.III. 1980. The mineral nutrition of wild plants. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst.11: 233–260.
Chabot, B.F. andD.J. Hicks. 1982. The ecology of leaf life spans. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst.13: 229–259.
Fife, D.N. andE.K.S. Nambiar., 1982. Accumulation and retranslocation of mineral nutrients in developing needles in relation to seasonal growth of young radiata pine trees. Ann. Bot.50: 817–829.
. 1984. Movement of nutrients in radiata pine needles in relation to the growth of shoots. Ann. Bot.54: 303–314.
Gray, J.T. 1983. Nutrient use by evergreen and deciduous shrub in southern California I. Community nutrient cycling and nutrient-use efficiency. J. Ecol.71: 21–41.
Grime, J.P. 1979. Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
Grubb, P.J., E.A.A. Grubb andI. Miyata. 1975. Leaf structure and function in evergreen trees and shrubs of Japanese temperate rain forest I. The structure of the lamina. Bot. Mag. Tokyo88: 197–211.
Hadley, E.B. andL.C. Bliss. 1964. Energy relationships of alpine plants on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. Ecol. Monogr.34: 331–357.
Hirose, T. 1971. Nitrogen turnover and dry-matter production of aSolidago altissima population. Jap. J. Ecol.21: 18–32.
Kimura, M. 1983. Nitrogen economy ofAbies sapling andPteridophyllum racemosum populations in a subalpine region.In: Collection of Papers Dedicated to Professor Makoto Numata in Commemoration of His Sixty-third Birthday. Kyoritsu- shuppan, Tokyo (in Japanese).
Kimura, M., M. Ohya and E. Tanaka. 1972. Production processes ofOphiopogon planiscapus population grown in a mixed forest stand. JIBP/PP-Photosynthesis Level III, Rep. 1971: 76–79.
—,J. Suzuki, M. Tachibana andH. Tahara. 1983. Role of evergreen foliage in the nitrogen economy during shoot growth ofTernstroemia gymnanthera, a warm-temperate broadleaf tree. Bot. Mag. Tokyo96: 75–83.
Koizumi, H. 1985. Studies on the life history of an evergreen herb,Pyrola japonica, population on a forest floor in a warm-temperate region 1. Growth, net production and matter economy. Bot. Mag. Tokyo98: 383–392.
Krueger, K.W. 1967. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbohydrate in expanding and year-old Douglas-fir shoots. For. Sci.13: 352–356.
Meyer, Jr. M.M. andW.E. Splittstoesser. 1971. The utilization of carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves byTaxus during its spring growth period. Physiol. Plant.24: 306–314.
Mooney, H.A. andP.W. Rundel. 1979. Nutrient relations of the evergreen shrub,Adenostoma fasciculatum, in the California chaparral. Bot. Gaz.140: 109–113.
Mutoh, N. 1968. Phosphorus economy in seedlings ofPinus densiflora andLarix leptolepis. Bot. Mag. Tokyo81: 535–544.
Tyrrell, L.E. andR.E.J. Boerner. 1987.Larix laricina andPicea mariana: relationships among leaf life-span, foliar nutrient patterns, nutrient conservation, and growth efficiency. Can. J. Bot.65: 1570–1577.
Yamamura, Y. 1984. Matter production processes ofReineckia carnea Kunth, an evergreen forest floor herb in the warm-temperate region of Japan. Bot. Mag. Tokyo97: 179–191.
— 1986. Matter-economical roles of the evergreen foliage ofAucuba japonica, an understory shrub in the warm-temperate region of Japan 1. Leaf demography, productivity and dry matter economy. Bot. Mag. Tokyo99: 323–332.
Yokoi, Y. andA. Kishida. 1985. On the relationship between two indices, (“bulk density” and “dry-matter content”) of dry-matter accumulation in plant organs. Bot. Mag. Tokyo98: 335–345.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yamamura, Y., Kimura, M. Matter-economical roles of evergreen leaves inAucuba japonica, an understory shrub in the warm-temperate region of Japan. Bot Mag Tokyo 105, 95–104 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02489406
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02489406