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Branching, nitrogen distribution, and carbon gain in solitary plants of an annual herb, Xanthium canadense

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Abstract

The theory of optimal nitrogen (N) distribution predicts that the carbon gain of plants will be maximised when leaves of higher irradiance have higher N content per area (N area). Most previous studies have examined optimal N distribution without explicitly considering the branching status of plants. I investigated light environment, N distribution and photosynthetic traits of individual leaves of an herbaceous species, Xanthium canadense. X. canadense was grown solitary under high (HN) and low nutrients (LN). Light availability, leaf mass per unit area and N area were measured for all leaves within plants. Daily photosynthesis of the plants of actual N distribution was compared with those of optimal and constant N distribution. Branch production was facilitated in HN but not in LN plants. N area was correlated more with leaf order than with leaf light environment. Although N was more limited and the light environment was less heterogeneous within crowns in LN than in HN plants, leaf N distribution was closer to optimal in the latter. These results suggest that leaf N distribution was not optimised in solitary plants of X. canadense. Because this species often regenerates in a dense stand, leaf N distribution might be selected to maximise carbon gain only in such a stand. Leaf N distribution might thus be constrained by the regeneration strategy of the species.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Kouki Hikosaka, Satoki Sakai, Shimpei Oikawa, and Naoko Tokuchi for their valuable suggestions. I also thank Thijs Pons and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was partly supported by a Grant of from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (18770011 and 21780140), and Nissan Foundation (08336).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan

    Noriyuki Osada

  2. Field Science, Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Noriyuki Osada

  3. Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Tomakomai, 053-0053, Japan

    Noriyuki Osada

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  1. Noriyuki Osada
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Correspondence to Noriyuki Osada.

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Appendix S1

Relationships between the parameters of light response curve in photosynthesis and leaf N content in Xanthium canadense (155 KB)

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Osada, N. Branching, nitrogen distribution, and carbon gain in solitary plants of an annual herb, Xanthium canadense . Plant Ecol 214, 1493–1504 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0270-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0270-2

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