Specific leaf area of European Larch (Larix decidua Mill.)

Abstract

Key messageThe specific leaf area of European larch depends on branch height and canopy depth, indicating that both, the effect of hydraulic limitations and low water potentials in greater branch heights, and light availability affect specific leaf area.AbstractSpecific leaf area (SLA) is defined as the ratio between projected leaf area and needle dry mass. It often serves as parameter in ecosystem modelling as well as indicator for potential growth rate. We explore the SLA of European larch (Larix decidua) and the most important factors which have an influence on it. Data were collected from eight stands in Styria, Austria. The stands varied in age, elevation and species mixture. Four stands were pure larch stands with only minor proportions of Norway spruce (Picea abies), whereas the other four were mixed stands of larch and spruce. In each stand 15 representative sample trees were felled. The crown of each sample tree was divided into three sections of equal length and in each section a random sample of needles was taken for determining projected leaf area and dry mass of 50 needles. The mean SLA of larch was established to be 117 cm2 g−1 with a standard deviation of ±27.9 cm2 g−1. SLA varies within the crown, but neither between different mixtures nor years of observation nor social position of the trees. A mixed-effects model, with the plots as random effect, revealed that SLA of larch decreased with increasing branch height (p = 0.0012) and increased with increasing canopy depth (p = 0.029). We conclude that both the hydraulic limitations due to low water potentials in greater branch heights and light availability affect specific leaf area.

Dynamic Simulation of the Crown Net Photosynthetic Rate for Young Larix olgensis Henry Trees

“…This phenomenon is consistent with the theory of low light acclimation [23,70]. LMA generally demonstrated a strong correlation with photosynthesis [31,[35][36][37] due to its close association with mesophyll conductivity to CO 2 [33,34], and LMA has also served as an indicator of the potential growth rate [75]. Figure 1 shows that LMA exhibited a positive correlation with the A max , which is consistent with previous studies [38,[76][77][78].…”

Estimating Crown Structure Parameters of Moso Bamboo: Leaf Area and Leaf Angle Distribution

“…Furthermore, such water stress might be associated with the development of xeromorphic features, including thick cuticles and lignified cell walls, both of which would tend to reduce SLA. Another reason is related to the expression of the plant species' ability to cope with changing light [66][67][68][69][70]. Light conditions for leaves in the lower crown are shadier and worse compared to that of the leaves in the upper crown; therefore, a larger SLA is likely an adaptation to more efficiently intercept light in low-light conditions [60,71,72].…”

“…Light conditions for leaves in the lower crown are shadier and worse compared to that of the leaves in the upper crown; therefore, a larger SLA is likely an adaptation to more efficiently intercept light in low-light conditions [60,71,72]. Certainly, both the hydraulic limitations of greater branch height and light availability may combine to impact SLA [70]. Although these two explanations have been accepted by previous studies to a certain extent, detailed physiology studies for the MB species are worth exploring further to uncover more potential reasons.…”

Coordination of morphological and physiological traits in naturally recruited Abies alba Mill. saplings: insights from a structural equation modeling approach

“…Furthermore, Olson et al (2014) found a universal scaling between height and anatomical functional structure (i.e., hydraulic diameter). Marshall and Monserud (2003) and Fellner et al (2016) found that specific leaf area (SLA) is tightly linked to canopy structure in many conifer species.…”