Digging deeper? Biomass allocation patterns in trees and lianas in tropical seasonal forests

Lugli, Laynara F.

doi:10.1111/nph.16366

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The balanced growth hypothesis describes changes in biomass allocation depending on resource availability and states that a plant will allocate its biomass towards the limiting resource [ 12 ]. The balanced growth hypothesis belongs to the optimal partitioning theory, suggesting trade-off-based flexibility in biomass allocation between plant organs to optimize resource acquisition when their availability is limited [ 13 , 14 ]. This theory has been challenged by the allometric partitioning theory, which, on the other hand, suggests that biomass allocation is scaled to and constrained by a plant’s size [ 6 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass Allocation and Leaf Morphology of Saplings Grown under Various Conditions of Light Availability and Competition Types

Bebre

Marques

Annighöfer

2022

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plant growth is almost always limited by light availability and competition. However, plants are generally plastic and can change their morphology and biomass allocation to optimize growth under suboptimal conditions. We set up a controlled pot experiment with three light availability levels (10%, 20%, and 50%) to study the effect of light and competition on the biomass allocation and leaf morphology in monospecific and mixed pots of recently planted European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) saplings using a quantile regression model. Specific leaf area (SLA) showed the strongest reaction and increased with decreasing light availability. Woody aboveground mass fraction (AMF) increased with decreasing light availability, but the effect of light on biomass allocation was less pronounced than on SLA. The SLA, woody AMF, and root mass fraction (RMF) of the two conifer species and European beech varied greatly, with European beech having a higher SLA and RMF than the two conifer species. The associated effect of plant size on biomass allocation was small, and the strength of the association was not meaningful on a practical level. The competitor’s effect on biomass allocation was minor overall and only present for some species, suggesting that species’ functional dissimilarity does not greatly affect allocational patterns in early tree development stages.

show abstract