Journal
NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volume 173, Issue 2, Pages 306-312Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01914.x
Keywords
chlorophyll content; foliar design; GLOPNET; leaf economics spectrum; leaf mass per area (LMA); net photosynthetic rate; nitrogen content; seedless vascular plants
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Broad-based studies of gymnosperms and angiosperms reveal consistent and functionally significant correlations among foliar traits such as leaf mass per area (LMA), maximum photosynthetic rate (A(area)), foliar nitrogen (N-area), foliar chlorophyll (Chl) and leaf longevity. To assess the generality of these relationships, we studied 20 fern species growing in the understorey of a temperate deciduous forest. We found that foliar N-area increases with LMA, and that foliar N-area and A(area) are positively correlated with one another, as are foliar N-area and Chl. The ferns in general have very low LMA compared with most seed plants; A(area), N-area and Chl are below median values for seed plants but are not extreme. Species with overwintering fronds have significantly higher LMA than species with fronds that senesce at the end of the growing season, as well as a significantly higher C : N ratio in frond tissue and relatively high foliar N on an areal basis. Correlations among foliar traits associated with gas exchange in these forest understorey ferns are in accordance with patterns reported for seed plants, suggesting a high degree of functional constraint on the interrelationships among key elements in foliar design.
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