Characterizing the leaf size / number trade-off at different scales

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URL http://hdl.handle.net/1974/5298
Autoren Scott, STEPHANIE
Beschreibung A novel interpretation of leaf mass variation in plants has been recently proposed based on its relationship with variation in leafing intensity – number of leaves produced per unit remaining above-ground dry mass. It is now widely established that between species variation in these two traits is strongly, negatively (and isometrically) correlated for woody and herbaceous species. Possible fitness advantages of higher leafing intensity (requiring smaller leaf size) can be interpreted in terms of the greater concentration of axillary meristems (larger ‘bud bank’), which may provide greater potential deployment flexibility for growth or reproduction. However, no research to date has addressed how these two traits are related at different scales, specifically at the between-individual (within-species) level, or between sexes in dioecious species. For the majority of 24 herbaceous angiosperms studied here, between-individual (within species) co-variation in leaf size and leafing intensity displayed as an isometric trade-off. For the few species with allometric trade-offs, plants with smaller body size produced disproportionately more leaves, indicating a possible mechanism for promoting reproductive economy when plant size is suppressed (e.g. by competition). For two out of three woody dioecious species, and two out of three herbaceous dioecious species, males tended to produce more, smaller leaves than females, possibly promoting pollen dispersal through a more broadly-spaced floral display (developing from more numerous axillary meristems). In contrast, the larger (but fewer) leaves in females may serve to maximize local photosynthetic resources available for axillary fruit and seed maturation. Males and females did not differ in branching rates associated with differences in leafing intensities, but in one herbaceous species, higher leafing intensity in males was associated with higher flower production than in females. In the larger 24-species data set, there was no evidence that species with higher leafing ...
Mitwirkende Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.))
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
Zugang Unbekannt
Dokumentart Thesis
Sprache en
Schlagworte plant ecology ; leaf traits ; size/number trade-off
DDC 580: Pflanzen (Botanik) (computed) ; 590: Tiere (Zoologie) (computed)
Rechte This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Beziehungen Canadian theses ; http://hdl.handle.net/1974/5298
Datenlieferant Theses Canada/Thèses Canada (Library and Archives Canada)
Land: Kanada
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