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26 results for “specific leaf area”
Specific Leaf Area in the Clearcut Site at Harvard Forest 2012
Clearcutting a forest ecosystem can result in a drastic reduction of the stand’s productivity. Despite the severity of this disturbance type, past studies have found that the productivity of young regenerating stands can quickly rebound, approaching that of mature undisturbed stands within a few years. One of the obvious reasons is increased leaf area with each year of recovery. However, a less obvious reason may be the variability in species composition and distribution during the natural regeneration process. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the increase in GEP, observed during the first four years of recovery, in a naturally regenerating clearcut stand was due to 1) an overall expansion of leaf area, and 2) an increase in the canopy’s photosynthetic capacity stemming from either species compositional shifts or drift in physiological traits within species. We found that the multi-year rise in GEP following harvest was clearly attributed to the expansion of leaf area rather than a change in vegetation composition. Sizeable changes in relative abundance of species were masked by remarkably similar leaf physiological attributes for a range of vegetation types present in this early successional environment. Comparison of upscaled leaf-chamber to eddy-covariance-based light-response curves revealed broad consistency in both maximum photosynthetic capacity and quantum yield efficiency. The approaches presented here illustrate how chamber- and ecosystem-scale measurements of gas exchange can be blended with species-level leaf area data to draw conclusive inferences about changes in ecosystem processes over time in a highly dynamic environment.
Carbon dioxide response curve, dark respiration, specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen data for the 2014 Eriophorum vaginatum reciprocal transplant gardens at Toolik Lake and Sagwon, AK, collected in 2016.
Transplant gardens at Toolik Lake and Sagwon were established in 2014. At each location, 60 tussocks each from ecotypes of Eriophorum vaginatum from Coldfoot (CF, 67°15′32″N, 150°10′12″W), Toolik Lake (TL, 68°37′44″N, 149°35′0″W), and Sagwon (SAG, 69°25′26″N, 148°42′49″W) were transplanted. Half the transplanted tussocks were grown under ambient conditions, while the other half were exposed to passive warming supplied by open-top chambers (OTC). Data were collected in late June through July 2016 include carbon dioxide response curve data, dark respiration, specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen content.
Carbon Dynamics Along a Permafrost Gradient at Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed (CPCRW) in Interior Alaska: Specific Leaf Area (SLA) for alder (Alnus crispa) and black spruce (Picea mariana) in a 75x75m spatial domain along a permafrost and vegetation gradient.
This dataset includes specific leaf area (SLA) data for two dominant tree species in the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed: alder (Alnus crispa) and black spruce (Picea mariana). Up to 10 leaf samples were collected per species per sampling location. Project summary: Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate-sensitive permafrost regions. We measured SLA and soil and topographic properties across a boreal forest permafrost transition, in which forest composition changed as permafrost deepened from 54 to >150 cm over 75 m hillslope transects in Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska. This is an exploratory study to begin understanding SLA variation and controls thereof in a non-contiguous permafrost system.
Carbon Dynamics Along a Permafrost Gradient at Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed (CPCRW) in Interior Alaska: Specific Leaf Area (SLA) for alder (Alnus crispa) and black spruce (Picea mariana) in a 75x75m spatial domain along a permafrost and vegetation gradient.
This dataset includes depth-resolved soils data from September 2014 coring: soil pH, gravimetric soil moisture, roots/rocks, bulk density, humification indices as determined by FTIR, total elemental composition (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur), depth to mineral horizon, thickness of the moss layer, percent groundcover at the sampling location of several common species, and soil temperature at the time of coring. Project summary: Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate-sensitive permafrost regions. We measured SLA and soil and topographic properties across a boreal forest permafrost transition, in which forest composition changed as permafrost deepened from 54 to >150 cm over 75 m hillslope transects in Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska. This is an exploratory study to begin understanding SLA variation and controls thereof in a non-contiguous permafrost system.
Data from: Specific leaf area is lower on ultramafic than on neighbouring non-ultramafic soils
<p>These are datasets in csv format for ultramafic and non-ultramafic sampling sites where specific leaf area (SLA) was collected in five climatically diverse regions: Puerto Rico (tropical wet), Costa Rica (tropical dry), South Africa (subtropical), California and Lesbos (both with Mediterranean climate). The datasets include plant species level mean SLA values, regional coordinates, regional climate data, bioclimatic variables for individual sites, and a joined dataset that includes site level coordinates and climate variables. The R script to reproduce all analyses and figures is also included.</p>
Data from: Specific leaf area is lower on ultramafic than on neighbouring non-ultramafic soils
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Data from: Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient inputs
Leaf traits are frequently measured in ecology to provide a 'common currency' for predicting how anthropogenic pressures impact ecosystem function. Here, we test whether leaf traits consistently respond to experimental treatments across 27 globally distributed grassland sites across 4 continents. We find that specific leaf area (leaf area per unit mass)—a commonly measured morphological trait inferring shifts between plant growth strategies—did not respond to up to four years of soil nutrient additions. Leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium concentrations increased in response to the addition of each respective soil nutrient. We found few significant changes in leaf traits when vertebrate herbivores were excluded in the short-term. Leaf nitrogen and potassium concentrations were positively correlated with species turnover, suggesting that interspecific trait variation was a significant predictor of leaf nitrogen and potassium, but not of leaf phosphorus concentration. Climatic conditions and pretreatment soil nutrient levels also accounted for significant amounts of variation in the leaf traits measured. Overall, we find that leaf morphological traits, such as specific leaf area, are not appropriate indicators of plant response to anthropogenic perturbations in grasslands.
Mercury accumulation in leaves of different plant types – the significance of tissue age and specific leaf area
<p></p><p>Mercury, Hg, is one of the most problematic metals from an environmental perspective. To assess the problems caused by Hg in the environment it is crucial to understand the processes of Hg biogeochemistry, but the exchange of Hg between the atmosphere and vegetation is not sufficiently well characterised. We explored the mercury concentration, [Hg], in foliage from a diverse set of plant types, locations and sampling periods to study whether there is a continuous accumulation of Hg in leaves/needles over time. Measurements of [Hg] were made in deciduous and conifer trees in Gothenburg, Sweden (Botanical Garden and city area) as well as of evergreen trees in Rwanda. In addition, data for wheat from an ozone experiment conducted at Östad, Sweden, were included. Conifer data were quantitatively compared with literature data. In every case where older foliage was directly compared with younger, [Hg] was higher in older tissue. Covering the range of current year up to four-year old needles, there was no sign of Hg saturation in conifer needles with age. Thus, over time scales of approximately one month to several years, the Hg uptake in foliage from the atmosphere always dominated over Hg evasion. Rwandan broadleaved trees had generally older leaves due to lack of seasonal abscission and higher [Hg] than Swedish broadleaved trees. The significance of atmospheric Hg uptake in plants was shown in a wheat experiment where charcoal filtrated air lead to significantly lower leaf [Hg]. To search for general patterns, the accumulation rates of Hg in the diverse set of tree species in the Gothenburg area were related to the specific leaf area (SLA). Leaf area based [Hg] was strongly negatively and non-linearly correlated with SLA, while mass-based [Hg] had a somewhat weaker positive relationship with SLA (both relationships with p < 0.001). An elaborated understanding of the relationship behind [Hg] and SLA would support large-scale modelling of Hg uptake by vegetation and Hg circulation in general. </p><p></p>
Intra- and interspecific variability of specific leaf area mitigate the reduction of community stability in response to warming and nitrogen addition
<p><span>Global environmental changes are reducing the diversity and affecting the functioning of natural ecosystems as well as their ability to reliably provide ecosystem functions and services to mankind. Many studies have shown that a greater plant diversity can stabilize community productivity against environmental fluctuations. However, most of these studies focused on plant species richness, thus overlooking the potential role of functional traits in stabilizing community productivity against environmental fluctuations.</span> <span>Whether and how functional trait mean and variability influence community stability in response to environmental changes and their relative contributions to community stability are largely unknown. Here, we used a 10-year experiment to investigate the role of species richness, as well as functional mean and intra- and interspecific variability of specific leaf area (SLA) of plants within- and among communities in driving community stability in response to nitrogen (N) addition and warming.</span> <span>We found that both N addition and warming reduced the temporal stability of community productivity by reducing species richness and its contribution to species asynchrony and species stability. In contrast, changes in the mean and variability of SLA in response to N addition and warming mitigated the reduction of community stability. Specifically, N addition reduced variation in SLA both by reducing interspecific differences in SLA within communities and differences in mean values of SLA among communities. Warming increased intraspecific differences in SLA among communities, leading to higher species stability that partly buffered the reduction of community stability.</span><span> Our study demonstrates the role of trait mean and variability in mitigating the reduction of community stability in response to two pervasive global environmental changes. Gaining a deeper understanding of the processes linking global changes and the stability of our ecosystems requires integrating both trait mean values and trait variability.</span></p>
Phenotypic plasticity and the leaf economics spectrum: plasticity is positively associated with specific leaf area
<p>Phenotypic plasticity is a key mechanism by which plants respond to changing or heterogeneous conditions. Efforts to predict phenotypic plasticity across plant species have mainly focused on environmental variability or abiotic conditions, i.e., site characteristics. However, the considerable variation in phenotypic plasticity within sites calls for alternative approaches. Different functional groups are thought to differ in their plasticity levels. Further, traits such as leaf specific area (SLA), leaf area (LA) and maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax) reflect central aspects of plant strategies. Lower values of SLA, LA and Amax are indicative of a resource-conservative strategy, which is thought to be associated with lower phenotypic plasticity. We used meta-analytical data to test whether plant functional group (herbs, woody deciduous and woody evergreens) and SLA, LA and Amax are associated with phenotypic plasticity in four trait types: biomass allocation, plant size, leaf morphology and physiology. We obtained data from 168 plant species and accounted for phylogenetic relationships in all analyses. We found a positive relationship between SLA and phenotypic plasticity in biomass allocation, leaf morphology and physiology, with differences across functional groups. In contrast, there was no evidence of greater plasticity in plant size in species with higher SLA; rather the opposite was true for woody evergreens. Amax and LA showed similar, but less consistent associations with phenotypic plasticity. Our results show the potential of building predictive frameworks for phenotypic plasticity based on easily measured plant functional characteristics. Results also provide insights into plant strategies and suggest the existence of potential compromises: resource-conservative, low-SLA species tend to be more stress-tolerant but may be less able to cope with variable conditions due to their generally lower phenotypic plasticity. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms and the potential implications of this association.</p>
Divergent response and adaptation of specific leaf area to environmental change at different spatio-temporal scales jointly improve plant survival
<p><span>Specific leaf area (SLA) is one of the most important plant functional traits. </span><span>It </span><span>integrates multiple functions and reflects strategies of plants to obtain resources. </span><span>How plants employ different strategies (e.g., through SLA) to respond to dynamic environmental conditions remains poorly understood.This study aimed to </span><span>explore the s</span><span>patial variation in SLA and divergent adaptation of plants by changing SLA </span><span>through the lens of biogeographic patterns, evolutionary history, and short-term responses. SLA data for 5424 plant species from 76 natural communities in China were systematically measured and integrated with meta-analysis of field experiments (i.e., global warming, drought, and nitrogen addition). The mean value of SLA across all species was 21.8 m2 kg–1, ranging from 0.9 to 110.2 m2 kg–1. SLA differed among different ecosystems, temperature zones, vegetation types, and functional groups. Phylogeny had a weak effect on SLA, but plant species evolved toward higher SLA. Furthermore, plants responded nonlinearly to environmental change by changing SLA. Unexpectedly, radiation was one of the main factors determining the spatial variation in SLA on a large scale. Conversely, short-term manipulative experiments showed that SLA increased with increased resource availability and tended to stabilize with treatment duration. However, different species exhibited varying response patterns. Overall, long-term adaptation of plants to environmental gradients and its short-term response to resource pulses through variation in SLA jointly improve plant adaptability to a changing environment. Overall SLA-environment relationships should be emphasized as a multidimensional strategy for elucidating environmental change in future research. </span></p>
Data from: Rooting depth and specific leaf area modify the impact of experimental drought duration on temperate grassland species
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Mercury accumulation in leaves of different plant types – the significance of tissue age and specific leaf area
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Intra- and interspecific variability of specific leaf area mitigate the reduction of community stability in response to warming and nitrogen addition
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Phenotypic plasticity and the leaf economics spectrum: plasticity is positively associated with specific leaf area
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient inputs
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Divergent response and adaptation of specific leaf area to environmental change at different spatio-temporal scales jointly improve plant survival
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Specific Leaf Area: BioCON : Biodiversity, Elevated CO2, and N Enrichment
BioCON (Biodiversity, CO2, and Nitrogen) is an ecological experiment started in 1997 at the University of Minnesota's Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. BioCON's goal is to explore the ways in which plant communities will respond to three environmental changes that are known to be occurring on a global scale: increasing nitrogen deposition, increasing atmospheric CO2, and decreasing biodiversity. Why Biodiversity, CO2, and Nitrogen? While there are many uncertainties in global change biology, there are also some well documented facts. Some of these are: 1. The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is rising. Since the industrial revolution, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased from approximately 275 parts per million (ppm) to about 378 ppm today. This has been largely the result of fossil fuel burning. It is expected that CO2 levels will continue to rise, and that by the year 2050 these levels will be approximately 550 ppm. CO2 is the raw material for photosynthesis and is known to affect plant growth and development. 2. The amount of nitrogen moving through terrestrial ecosystems has increased in the recent past. While natural "background" levels of nitrogen fixation have remained constant, human additions to the system through fertilizer production and fossil fuel use have increased dramatically. Nitrogen is a key nutrient for plant growth and plays a critical role in plant community structure and composition in many environments. 3. Biodiversity levels are falling. While the research and data are not as complete as they are for CO2 and nitrogen, data indicate that the number of species globally, is being reduced. Perhaps more important for ecosystem function, diversity levels on local to regional scales have fallen due to land use change, biotic invasion and many other drivers. While much is known about how each of these factors affects ecosystem functioning, many questions remain. There is also little data on how these issues affe
Specific Leaf Area for a chronosquence of Morella cerifera shrub thickets on Hog Island, VA, 2012
Leaf area and mass for Morella cerifera leaves were measured inside and outside shrub thickets of different age (ranging from ~12 to ~50 years old) on Hog Island Virginia and Specific Leaf Area (SLA) was calculated.
Data from: Specific leaf area predicts dryland litter decomposition via two mechanisms
1. Litter decomposition plays important roles in carbon and nutrient cycling. In dryland both microbial decomposition and abiotic degradation (by UV light or other forces) drive variation in decomposition rates, but whether and how litter traits and position determine the balance between these processes is poorly understood. 2. We investigated relationships between litter quality and their decomposition rates among diverse plant species in a desert ecosystem in vertically contrasting positions representing distinct decomposition environments driven by different relative contributions of abiotic and microbial degradation. Thereto, leaf litter samples from 17 desert species were sealed into litterbags and placed on the soil surface under strong solar exposure versus shade conditions, or buried in the soil at 10 cm depth, for a whole year. 3. Litter decomposition rates were 21 and 17 % higher in burial and light-exposed treatments, respectively, than those in shade. Leaf traits, i.e. specific leaf area (SLA), litter C:N ratio and lignin concentration could predict litter decomposition to some degree, but their predictive power was dependent on litter position. However, multiple linear regression showed that SLA, litter C and P significantly affected k values for leaf litter decomposition besides litter position, with SLA standing out as a strong determinant of litter decomposition rate as related either to solar radiation or the environment below the soil surface. Furthermore, the interspecific differences in litter decomposition rate decreased over time, implying that afterlife effects of leaf traits on decomposition were attenuated. 4. Synthesis. These findings suggest that abiotic photodegradation and soil burial mediated microbial decomposition could be responsible for higher than expected litter turnover in dryland. They point to a dual role of specific leaf area as a promotor of decomposition rates: via relative exposure of the leaf surface to abiotic factors such as UV light versus to soil moisture and microbes under soil burial.
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