Spatial distribution and functional significance of leaf lamina shape in Amazonian forest trees

Malhado, Ana C. M.; Whittaker, Robert J.; Malhi, Yadvinder; Ladle, Richard J.; Steege, Hans ter; Butt, Nathalie; Aragão, L. E. O. C.; Quesada, Carlos A.; Murakami-Araujo, A.; Phillips, Oliver L.; Peacock, Julie; López-González, Gabriela; Baker, Timothy R.; Anderson, Liana O.; Arroyo, Luzmila; Almeida, Samuel; Higuchi, Níro; Killeen, Timothy J.; Monteagudo, Abel; Neill, David; Pitman, Nigel C. A.; Prieto, A.; Salomão, Rafael de Paiva; Vásquez-M., R.; Laurance, William F.

doi:10.5194/bg-6-1577-2009

Cited by 31 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…and there is abundant variation in leaf phenotypic characteristics between and within individuals, populations and species (Malhado et al, 2009). Moreover, the allometric relationship between tree size and leaf area is poorly known for many species making scaling-up problematic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal leaf dynamics in an Amazonian tropical forest

Malhado

Costa

Lima

et al. 2009

Forest Ecology and Management

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal leaf dynamics in an Amazonian tropical forest

Malhado

Costa

Lima

et al. 2009

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…; Malhado et al . (, b, )) have demonstrated consistent ecological differences in tree characteristics among different regions of the Amazon. Here, to aid direct comparisons, we split the Amazon forest biome into four main regions: Region 1, North Amazonia, containing plots from Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela; Region 2, North–West Amazonia, containing plots from Ecuador, Colombia, and North Peru; Region 3, Central‐East Amazonia, all Brazilian plots (states of Amazonas and Pará only); Region 4, South–West Amazonia, containing plots from Bolivia and South Peru.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Malhado et al . (, b, )). It should be noted that the required diameter at breast height (dbh) data are unavailable for ATDN plots and, consequently, they were not included in some analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following Malhado et al . (, b, ), we use a combination of detailed information on species composition from permanent botanical plots with data extracted from herbaria (in this case leaf tip characteristics). We use this information to investigate the spatial (macrogeographic) associations between contemporary climatic variables, soil types, and occurrence of drip‐tips.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Drip‐tips are Associated with Intensity of Precipitation in the Amazon Rain Forest

et al. 2012

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Drip‐tips are a common feature of the leaves of rain forest trees, but their functional significance remains contested. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that drip‐tips assist drainage of the lamina thereby aiding drying of the leaf surface and reducing the rate of colonization and abundance of epiphyllic organisms. The drying action of drip‐tips may also enhance transpiration and reduce the need for investment in support structures. Furthermore, drip‐tips may help prevent splash erosion around the base of the tree. Data from 130 forest Amazonian plots are used to investigate the abundance and distribution of drip‐tips and, through regression methods that incorporate spatial autocorrelation, seek to identify associations between the frequency of drip‐tips and a range of climatic variables. The average frequency of species and trees with drip‐tips across all plots was 32 and 33 percent, respectively. Trees and species with drip‐tips were significantly more prevalent in the Central‐East Amazon than the other regions. Drip‐tips were also associated with tree species that have smaller maximum heights and with trees with smaller trunk diameters. The proportion of species and individuals with drip‐tips was more strongly correlated with precipitation of the wettest trimester than with total annual precipitation or length of the dry season. Our results extend and provide support for both existing hypotheses for the functional benefit of possessing a drip‐tip. Moreover, the currently unrecognized macrogeographic association between the frequency of drip‐tips in trees of the tropical forest understory and areas of heavy precipitation suggests a new function for this trait.

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“…Such approaches are even taking root in fields where structural models of ecosystem function dominate. For example, the RAINFOR network of permanent Amazonian forest plots is developing a functional traits database (Peacock et al , 2007) and was recently used to explore the correlations between leaf traits and environmental gradients and infer adaptive causation (Malhado et al , 2009a,b).…”

Section: Defining and Identifying Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to adaptive reasoning in community ecology

McLachlan

Ladle

2010

Biological Reviews

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Recent high-profile calls for a more trait-focused approach to community ecology have the potential to open up novel research areas, generate new insights and to transform community ecology into a more predictive science. However, a renewed emphasis on function and phenotype also requires a fundamental shift in approach and research philosophy within community ecology to more fully embrace evolutionary reasoning. Such a subject-wise transformation will be difficult due to at least four factors: (1) the historical development of the academic discipline of ecology and its roots as a descriptive science; (2) the dominating role of the ecosystem concept in the driving of contemporary ecological thought; (3) the practical difficulties associated with defining and identifying (phenotypic) adaptations, and; (4) scaling effects in ecology; the difficulty of teasing apart the overlapping and shifting hierarchical processes that generate the observed environment-trait correlations in nature. We argue that the ability to predict future ecological conditions through a sufficient understanding of ecological processes will not be achieved without the placement of the concept of adaptation at the centre of ecology, with influence radiating outwards through all the related (and rapidly specializing) sub-disciplines.

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Spatial distribution and functional significance of leaf lamina shape in Amazonian forest trees

Cited by 31 publications

References 41 publications

Seasonal leaf dynamics in an Amazonian tropical forest

Seasonal leaf dynamics in an Amazonian tropical forest

Drip‐tips are Associated with Intensity of Precipitation in the Amazon Rain Forest

Barriers to adaptive reasoning in community ecology

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