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Water supply and demand remain balanced during leaf acclimation of Nothofagus cunninghamii trees
Citation
Brodribb, TJ and Jordan, GJ, Water supply and demand remain balanced during leaf acclimation of Nothofagus cunninghamii trees, New Phytologist, 192, (2) pp. 437-448. ISSN 0028-646X (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2011 New Phytologist Trust The definitive published version is available online at: http://www.interscience.wiley.com
DOI: doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03795.x
Abstract
• Higher leaf vein density (Dvein) enables higher rates of photosynthesis because
enhanced water transport allows higher leaf conductances to CO2 and water. If
the total cost of leaf venation rises in proportion to the density of minor veins, the
most efficient investment in leaf xylem relative to photosynthetic gain should
occur when the water transport capacity of the leaf (determined by Dvein) matches
potential transpirational demand (determined by stomatal size and density).
• We tested whether environmental plasticity in stomatal density (Dstomata) and
Dvein were linked in the evergreen tree Nothofagus cunninghamii to achieve a balance
between liquid and gas phase water conductances. Two sources of variation
were examined; within-tree light acclimation, and differences in sun leaves among
plants from ecologically diverse populations.
• Strong, linear correlations between Dvein and Dstomata were found at all levels of
comparison. The correlations between liquid- and vapour-phase conductances
implied by these patterns of leaf anatomy were confirmed by direct measurement
of leaf conductance in sun and shade foliage of an individual tree.
• Our results provide strong evidence that the development of veins and stomata
are coordinated so that photosynthetic yield is optimized relative to carbon investment
in leaf venation.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
---|---|
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Evolutionary biology |
Research Field: | Biological adaptation |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
Objective Field: | Terrestrial biodiversity |
UTAS Author: | Brodribb, TJ (Professor Tim Brodribb) |
UTAS Author: | Jordan, GJ (Professor Greg Jordan) |
ID Code: | 71956 |
Year Published: | 2011 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 112 |
Deposited By: | Plant Science |
Deposited On: | 2011-08-16 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
Downloads: | 1 View Download Statistics |
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