Abstract
Leaf traits have long been recognized as influential factors in the acquisition and processing of resources by plants. However, there is less knowledge of between-species variations in seasonal changes in leaf traits and trait interrelationships. Therefore, we examined variations in leaf area (LA), dry biomass (DM), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf gas-exchange parameters in one non-native and seven native tree species under field environmental conditions, in a karst area in China subjected to desertification. Measurements were taken three times during the growing season. The results show that the seven native trees had higher LA, DM, and water-use efficiency (WUE) than the non-native Cinnamomum camphora. In contrast, all the native tree species except Ligustrum lucidum had lower photosynthetic rates (P N) than the non-native species. In all species, the relationship between LA and DM was less variable than the relationship between SLA and LA. However, leaves of the non-native C. camphora and native species Sterculia lanceolata, Cleidiocarpon cavalerei and Cyclobalanopsis glauca were highly sensitive to seasonal conditions, leaves of Sapindus mukorossi and Ligustrum lucidum were less sensitive to seasonal changes, and leaves of Syzygium cumini and Cephalomappa sinensis were insensitive. An understanding of leaf traits will aid the selection of suitable species for land restoration.
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Abbreviations
- DM:
-
dry biomass
- LA:
-
leaf area
- P N :
-
photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area
- SLA:
-
leaf area per unit dry mass
- WUE:
-
instantaneous water-use efficiency
- WUEi :
-
intrinsic water-use efficiency
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Science and Technology Support Project (2006BAC01A10), and the Action-plan for Western China Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-XB2-08-02).
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Wei, L.Y., Zeng, D.J., Lv, S.H. et al. Variation in structural and physiological leaf traits of eight species in karst desertification area of China. Photosynthetica 49, 43–47 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-011-0018-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-011-0018-y