JXB Advance Access originally published online on November 22, 2005
Journal of Experimental Botany 2006 57(2):355-371; doi:10.1093/jxb/erj002
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RESEARCH PAPER |
Construction costs, chemical composition and payback time of high- and low-irradiance leaves
1Plant Ecophysiology, Utrecht University, PO Box 800.84, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
2Institute of Botany, Schönbeinstrasse 6, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
3Environmental Biology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, GPO Box 475, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
4Département des Sols et de Génie Agroalimentaire, Université Laval, Québec G1K 7P4, Canada
5Centre for Ecosystem Studies, Forest Ecology and Forest Management, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
* To whom correspondence should be addressed in Utrecht. Fax: +31 30 2518366. E-mail: H.Poorter{at}bio.uu.nl
The effect of irradiance on leaf construction costs, chemical composition, and on the payback time of leaves was investigated. To enable more generalized conclusions, three different systems were studied: top and the most-shaded leaves of 10 adult tree species in a European mixed forest, top leaves of sub-dominant trees of two evergreen species growing in small gaps or below the canopy in an Amazonian rainforest, and plants of six herbaceous and four woody species grown hydroponically at low or high irradiance in growth cabinets. Daily photon irradiance varied 3–6-fold between low- and high-light leaves. Specific leaf area (SLA) was 30–130% higher at low light. Construction costs, on the other hand, were 1–5% lower for low-irradiance leaves, mainly because low-irradiance leaves had lower concentrations of soluble phenolics. Photosynthetic capacity and respiration, expressed per unit leaf mass, were hardly different for the low- and high-light leaves. Estimates of payback times of the high-irradiance leaves ranged from 2–4 d in the growth cabinets, to 15–20 d for the adult tree species in the European forest. Low-irradiance leaves had payback times that were 2–3 times larger, ranging from 4 d in the growth cabinets to 20–80 d at the most shaded part of the canopy of the mixed forest. In all cases, estimated payback times were less than half the life span of the leaves, suggesting that even at time-integrated irradiances lower than 5% of the total seasonal value, investment in leaves is still fruitful from a carbon-economy point of view. A sensitivity analysis showed that increased SLA of low-irradiance leaves was the main factor constraining payback times. Acclimation in the other five factors determining payback time, namely construction costs, photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf mass, respiration per unit leaf mass, apparent quantum yield, and curvature of the photosynthetic light-response-curve, were unimportant when the observed variation in each factor was examined.
Key words: Chemical composition, construction costs, payback time, photosynthesis, respiration, shade leaf, soluble phenolics, specific leaf area, sun leaf
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  O. O. Osunkoya, S. D. Daud, and F. L. Wimmer Longevity, Lignin Content and Construction Cost of the Assimilatory Organs of Nepenthes Species Ann. Bot., August 28, 2008; (2008) mcn162v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Ryser, J. Bernardi, and A. Merla Determination of leaf fresh mass after storage between moist paper towels: constraints and reliability of the method J. Exp. Bot., June 1, 2008; 59(9): 2461 - 2467. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Gayler, T. E. E. Grams, W. Heller, D. Treutter, and E. Priesack A Dynamical Model of Environmental Effects on Allocation to Carbon-based Secondary Compounds in Juvenile Trees Ann. Bot., May 1, 2008; 101(8): 1089 - 1098. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Y. Onoda, F. Schieving, and N. P.R. Anten Effects of Light and Nutrient Availability on Leaf Mechanical Properties of Plantago major: A Conceptual Approach Ann. Bot., April 1, 2008; 101(5): 727 - 736. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
U. Niinemets, A. Portsmuth, D. Tena, M. Tobias, S. Matesanz, and F. Valladares Do we Underestimate the Importance of Leaf Size in Plant Economics? Disproportional Scaling of Support Costs Within the Spectrum of Leaf Physiognomy Ann. Bot., August 1, 2007; 100(2): 283 - 303. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
O. O. Osunkoya, S. D. Daud, B. Di-Giusto, F. L. Wimmer, and T. M. Holige Construction Costs and Physico-chemical Properties of the Assimilatory Organs of Nepenthes Species in Northern Borneo Ann. Bot., May 1, 2007; 99(5): 895 - 906. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Barthod, Z. Cerovic, and D. Epron Can dual chlorophyll fluorescence excitation be used to assess the variation in the content of UV-absorbing phenolic compounds in leaves of temperate tree species along a light gradient? J. Exp. Bot., May 1, 2007; 58(7): 1753 - 1760. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. F. Sage and A. D. McKown Is C4 photosynthesis less phenotypically plastic than C3 photosynthesis? J. Exp. Bot., January 1, 2006; 57(2): 303 - 317. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|