Causes and consequences of variation in conifer leaf life-span

Conference · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:62355

Reich, P B; Koike, T; Gower, S T; Schoettle, A W

Species with mutually supporting traits, such as high N{sub mass}, SLA, and A{sub mass}, and short leaf life-span, tend to inhabit either generally resource-rich environments or spatial and/or temporal microhabitats that are resource-rich in otherwise more limited habitats (e.g., {open_quotes}precipitation{close_quotes} ephemerals in warm deserts or spring ephemerals in the understory of temperate deciduous forests). In contrast, species with long leaf life-span often support foliage with low SLA, N{sub mass}, and A{sub mass}, and often grow in low-temperature limited, dry, and/or nutrient-poor environments. The contrast between evergreen and deciduous species, and the implications that emerge from such comparisons, can be considered a paradigm of modern ecological theory. However, based on the results of Reich et al. (1992) and Gower et al. (1993), coniferous species with foliage that persists for 9-10 years are likely to assimilate and allocate carbon and nutrients differently than other evergreen conifers that retain foliage for 2-3 years. Thus, attempts to contrast ecophysiological or ecosystem characteristics of evergreen versus deciduous life forms may be misleading, and pronounced differences among evergreen conifers may be ignored. Clearly, the deciduous-evergreen contrast, although useful in several ways, should be viewed from the broader perspective of a gradient in leaf life-span.

• Research Organization: Wyoming Univ., Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Botany
• OSTI ID: 62355
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/61253--1-Vol.1; CONF-9109550--Vol.1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
CARBON CYCLE
CONIFERS
DISEASES
GENETIC VARIABILITY
INSECTS
LEAVES
LIFE SPAN
POLLUTANTS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE