Although leaf optical properties encompas an extensive subject, reviews are rare and generally tackle questions closer to plant physiology than remote sensing. Different ways these properties are measured and used in inversion models to estimate leaf biophysical properties are described in this paper. We examine critically the most common methods according to the type of leaf material (broad le...

Leaf senescence constitutes the last stage of leaf development in plants and proceeds through a highly regulated program in order to redistribution of microand macro-nutrients from the senescing leaves to the developing/growing plant organs. Initiation and progression of leaf senescence is accompanied by massive sequential alterations at various levels of leaf biology including leaf morphology ...

The causal relationship between cell division and growth in plants is complex. Although altered expression of cell-cycle genes frequently leads to altered organ growth, there are many examples where manipulation of the division machinery leads to a limited outcome at the level of organ form, despite changes in constituent cell size. One possibility, which has been under-explored, is that altere...

The prediction of leaf area for cherrybark oak (eerm pagoda Raf.) seedlings is important for studying the physiology of the species. Linear and polynomial models involving leaf length, width, fresh weight, dry weight, and internodal length were tested independently and collectively to predict leaf area. Twenty-nine cherrybark oak seedlings were grown in a greenhouse for one growing season and a...

Assessing family- and species-level variation in physiological responses to global change across geologic time is critical for understanding factors that underlie changes in species distributions and community composition. Here, we used stable carbon isotopes, leaf nitrogen content and stomatal measurements to assess changes in leaf-level physiology in a mixed conifer community that underwent s...

Light and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition are among the important environmental factors influencing plant growth and forest regeneration. We used Quercus acutissima, a dominant broadleaf tree species native to the deciduous forests of Northern China, to study the combined effects of light exposure and N addition on leaf physiology and individual plant growth. In the greenhouse, we exposed Q...

  In a three-year (2004-2006), field experiment, we aimed to study changes in leaf physiological traits (leaf water potential-Ψleaf, leaf water content-LWC, carbon isotope discrimination-Δ, specific leaf area-SLA, chlorophyll content as assessed by SPAD and modified SPAD-MSPAD) and elemental composition (K, Na, Ca, Mg, K/Na, Ca/Mg, total leaf salinity-TLS) of sugar beets (cv. Rizor) grown unde...

Adult leaf fenestration in "Swiss cheese" plants (Monstera Adans.) is an unusual leaf shape trait lacking a convincing evolutionary explanation. Monstera are secondary hemiepiphytes that inhabit the understory of tropical rainforests, where photosynthesis from sunflecks often makes up a large proportion of daily carbon assimilation. Here I present a simple model of leaf-level photosynthesis and...

Abstract Key message Defoliation significantly affected biomass allocation of Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Sophora japonica L., but leaf physiology readjusted to control levels at the end experiment. Considering carbon or sink limitation relative height growth rate, defoliated R. grew faster than S. under well-watered conditions, while had similar performance drought conditions. Context Climate ...