Leaf traits may reflect the adaptation mechanisms of plants to the environment. In this study, we investigated leaf morphological and anatomical traits in nine cold-temperate to tropical forests along a 4,200-km transect to test how they vary across latitudinal gradients. The results showed that leaf dry weight decreased (P < 0.05), while specific leaf area (SLA) increased (P < 0.05) with incre...

While the fundamental trade-off in leaf traits related to carbon capture as described by the leaf economics spectrum is well-established among plant species, the relationship of the leaf economics spectrum to stem hydraulics is much less known. Since carbon capture and transpiration are coupled, a close connection between leaf traits and stem hydraulics should be expected. We thus asked whether...

Radiative-transfer physically-based studies have previously demonstrated the relationship between leaf water content and leaf-level reflectance in the near-infrared spectral region. The successful scaling up of such methods to the canopy level requires modeling the effect of canopy structure and viewing geometry on reflectance bands and optical indices used for estimation of water content, such...

"Microscopic leaf wetness" means minute amounts of persistent liquid water on leaf surfaces which are invisible to the naked eye. The water is mainly maintained by transpired water vapor condensing onto the leaf surface and to attached leaf surface particles. With an estimated average thickness of less than 1 μm, microscopic leaf wetness is about two orders of magnitude thinner than morning dew...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS It is well known that plant aerial development is affected by light intensity in terms of the date of flowering, the length of stems and petioles, and the final individual leaf area. The aim of the work presented here was to analyse how shade-induced changes in leaf development occur on a dynamic basis from the whole rosette level to that of the cells. METHODS Care was tak...

Interspecific relationships among species mean leaf traits, performance and species resource/climate distributions help provide the foundation for a predictive, functionally based plant ecology. Intraspecific responses of leaf traits and performance to resource gradients and how these vary among species may be equally important but have received less attention. Here, we examine relationships be...

Aloe barbadensis Miller, commonly known as Aloe Vera is extensively used as a base element in preparation of medicine, cosmetics and food supplements. The objective of this study was to find out the effect of different levels of nitrogen on morphological and physiological characteristic of Aloe vera plants. Treatments included four levels of nitrogen (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg pot). After 12 mon...

The leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf)) is a major determinant of plant water transport capacity. Here, we measured K(leaf), and its basis in the resistances of leaf components, for fully illuminated leaves of five tree species that regenerate in deep shade, and five that regenerate in gaps or clearings, in Panamanian lowland tropical rainforest. We also determined coordination with stomatal c...

An automobile industry have an interest in replacement of conventional leaf spring with composite leaf spring to get better performance with less weight. This paper deals with by replacing the conventional leaf spring with composite leaf spring. The dimensions of an existing conventional steel leaf spring of a light commercial vehicle were taken to fabricate the special die which is further use...

Recent studies have demonstrated that grapevine (Vitis spp.) leaf shape can be quantified using digital approaches which indicate phylogenetic signal in leaf shape, discernible patterns of developmental context within single leaves, and signatures of local environmental conditions. Here, we extend this work by quantifying intra-individual, intraspecific, and interspecific variation in leaf morp...