Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
Volume 46, Issue 12, Pages 1475-1482Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING, NRC RESEARCH PRESS
DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-2015-0417
Keywords
delta N-15; heterobaric leaf; LMA; nitrogen; leaf toughness
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Funding
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [12J10102] Funding Source: KAKEN
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The morphological and physicochemical traits of leaves are important in terms of plant adaptation to various growth environments, because such traits play central roles in various functions including photosynthesis. We measured the toughness, mass per unit area (LMA), nitrogen content, and delta N-15 levels of the leaves of different life-forms of 39 broadleaf woody plants in interior Alaska. The plants were divided into three life-forms based on the maximum height of adult plants: understory (<1 m), small (>= 1 m to <5 m), and canopy (>= 5 m). Evergreen species accounted for a large proportion of understory woody plants (44%), whereas most small (87%) and canopy (100%) trees were deciduous. Higher LMA, increased toughness, and higher C-to-N ratios prolonged leaf life-span in evergreen species. We also evaluated the presence or absence of bundle-sheath extensions (BSEs), which contribute to the mechanical support of leaves and enhance photosynthetic ability by improving hydraulic properties. In total, 11 species (28%) had homobaric leaves (BSEs were absent) and 28 species (72%) had heterobaric leaves; these proportions are similar to those of woody plants of other temperate deciduous forests. The delta N-15 values reflected the presence of root symbionts such as ericoid mycorrhiza or Frankia sp. Our results suggest that leaf traits may affect both the life-form of the host plants and leaf longevity in both evergreen and deciduous species.
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