The objective of this study was to understand the different morpho-physiological strategies of Ligustrum lucidum, an invasive species occurring in Brazilian forest fragments under heterogeneous light conditions. Ten individuals of L. lucidum were selected and evaluated for morphological of the leaves and physiological traits. For morphological parameters were evaluated: length, width, area, ang...

Heteroblastic plants produce markedly different leaf morphologies between juvenile and adult stages, while homoblastic plants exhibit little or gradual changes. We tested the hypothesis that the leaf morphology of the seedling stage of New Zealand heteroblastic species is advantageous in dealing with low light levels found in forest understorey. We used four independent contrasts of heteroblast...

Leaf traits and physiological performance govern the amount of light reflected from leaves at visible and infrared wavebands. Information on leaf optical properties of tropical trees is scarce. Here, we examine leaf reflectance of Mesoamerican trees for three applications: (1) to compare the magnitude of withinand between-species variability in leaf reflectance, (2) to determine the potential f...

The hydraulic conductance of the leaf lamina ( K lamina ) substantially constrains whole-plant water transport, but little is known of its association with leaf structure and function. K lamina was measured for sun and shade leaves of six woody temperate species growing in moist soil, and tested for correlation with the prevailing leaf irradiance, and with 22 other leaf traits. K lamina varied ...

Leaf traits and physiological performance govern the amount of light reflected from leaves at visible and infrared wavebands. Information on leaf optical properties of tropical trees is scarce. Here, we examine leaf reflectance of Mesoamerican trees for three applications: (1) to compare the magnitude of within- and between-species variability in leaf reflectance, (2) to determine the potential...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Leaf mechanical properties, which are important to protect leaves against physical stresses, are thought to change with light and nutrient availabilities. This study aims to understand phenotypic changes of leaf mechanical properties with respect to dry mass allocation and anatomy. METHODS Leaf lamina strength (maximum force per unit area to fracture), toughness (work to f...

Comparisons of photosynthetic rates were made on leaves of ten species of woody dicotyledons grown in the field under full sun or under a canopy which transmitted approximately 18% of full light. Photosynthesis and dark respiration were measured and compared on various bases: area, chlorophyll, fresh weight of lamina, density thickness (fresh weight per unit area), and protein.Light-saturated p...

Leaf veins supply the mesophyll with water that evaporates when stomata are open to allow CO2 uptake for photosynthesis. Theoretical analyses suggest that water is optimally distributed in the mesophyll when the lateral distance between veins (dx) is equal to the distance from these veins to the epidermis (dy), expressed as dx:dy ≈ 1. Although this theory is supported by observations of many de...

Leaf veins are almost ubiquitous across the range of terrestrial plant diversity, yet their influence on leaf photosynthetic performance remains uncertain. We show here that specific physical attributes of the vascular plumbing network are key limiters of the hydraulic and photosynthetic proficiency of any leaf. Following the logic that leaf veins evolved to bypass inefficient water transport t...