Within-leaf allometric relationships of mature forests in different bioclimatic zones vary with plant functional types

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.00687

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Our objectives are to determine allometric relationships between petiole mass and lamina mass, area, and volume in different bioclimatic zones and to detect the effect of plant functional types on the relationships.
Methods Typical and zonal mature forests were selected from boreal Huzhong, temperate Changbai Mountain, warm-temperate Dongling Mountain, subtropical Gutian Mountain, Shennongjia and Dujiangyan in China, and one 1 hm² plot was investigated at each site. Traits of lamina and petiole of the dominant woody species were measured in August 2009. The relationship between lamina and lamina support was analyzed by the Standardized Major Axis estimation (model type II regression) with software (S)MATR Version 2.0.
Important findings Statistically significant allometric scaling relationships were found between petiole mass and lamina mass, area, and volume in all functional types and climate zones, with common slopes of 0.82, 0.70 and 0.80, respectively, all of which significantly departed from 1.0. Shrubs had greater lamina volume at a given petiole mass than trees, but the lamina mass and area they support were not significantly different. Evergreen species were observed to have greater lamina mass and lamina volume than deciduous ones, whereas deciduous species had a greater lamina area at a given petiole mass than evergreen ones. With the exception of Shennongjia, the species in subtropical sites were found to have greater lamina mass, lamina area, and lamina volume than temperate sites at a given petiole mass. However, the petiolar support efficiency in the subtropical climate of Shennongjia was close to sites in temperate climate. Our results indicate that the petiole constrains the maximization of lamina size (including mass, area and volume) and that the allometric relationship between lamina and lamina support varies with plant functional type, climate and habitat.

Key words: allometry, functional type, lamina, leaf traits, petiole, zonal climate

ZHU Jie-Dong, MENG Ting-Ting, NI Jian, SU Hong-Xin, XIE Zong-Qiang, ZHANG Shou-Ren, ZHENG Yuan-Run, XIAO Chun-Wang. Within-leaf allometric relationships of mature forests in different bioclimatic zones vary with plant functional types[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2011, 35(7): 687-698.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.00687

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2011/V35/I7/687

Figures/Tables 8

Table 1 Natural condition of six zonal mature forests in China

Table 2 Hierarchical variance component analysis for each variable (ANOVA type I sums of squares)

组分 Component	叶片面积 Lamina area	叶片体积 Lamina volume	叶片干重 Lamina mass	叶柄干重 Petiole mass
物种 Species (%)	93.57	90.20	88.60	88.51
个体 Individual (%)	6.43	9.80	11.40	11.49

Table 3 Standardized Major Axis (SMA) regression parameters of lamina-lamina support relationships for each functional type and site

Fig. 1 Growth relationships between lamina area, lamina volume and lamina mass vary with life form (A, D), leaf phenology (B, E) and climatic zone (C, F). CBM, Changbai Mountain; DLM, Dongling Mountain; DJY, Dujiangyan; GTM, Gutian Mountain; HZ, Huzhong; SNJ, Shennongjia.

Table 4 Tests for heterogeneity of slope, and shift in intercept for leaf lamina-lamina support relationships in different life forms when the slopes are homogeneity

Y	X	沿共同斜率的变异 Shift along the common slope		Y轴截距差异 Shift in elevation		斜率异质性 Heterogeneity of slopes
Y	X	乔木 Tree	灌木 Shrub	乔木 Tree	灌木 Shrub	斜率异质性 Heterogeneity of slopes
LA	LM	-	-	-	-	p < 0.05
LV	LM	-	-	-	-	p = 0.02
LM	PM	2.90	2.61	1.44	1.45	p = 0.88
LA	PM	4.04^a	3.76^b	2.88	2.83	p = 0.06
LV	PM	-	-	-	-	p = 0.04

Table 5 Tests for heterogeneity of slope, and shift in intercept for leaf lamina-lamina support relationships in different leaf phenology when the slopes are homogeneity

Y	X	沿共同斜率的变异 Shift along the common slope		Y轴截距差异 Shift in elevation		斜率异质性 Heterogeneity of slopes
Y	X	落叶 Deciduous	常绿 Evergreen	落叶 Deciduous	常绿 Evergreen	斜率异质性 Heterogeneity of slopes
LA	LM	-	-	-	-	p = 0.04
LV	LM	5.48^b	5.77^a	1.67	1.71	p = 0.15
LM	PM	2.72	2.84	1.41^b	1.54^a	p = 0.99
LA	PM	-	-	-	-	p < 0.05
LV	PM	4.18	4.34	2.97^b	3.14^a	p = 0.15

Table 6 Tests for heterogeneity of slope, and shift in intercept for leaf lamina-lamina support relationships in different sites when the slopes are homogeneity

Fig. 2 Allometric relationships between lamina size (area, volume and mass) and petiole mass vary with life form (A, D and G), leaf phenology (B, E and H), and climatic zone (C, F and I). CBM, Changbai Mountain; DLM, Dongling Mountain; DJY, Dujiang- yan; GTM, Gutian Mountain; HZ, Huzhong; SNJ, Shennongjia.

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