| Abstract Detail
Ecophysiology Simonin, Kevin [1], Dawson, Todd [2]. Biophysical constraints to Angiosperm leaf size. The vast majority of carbon, water, and energy exchange between plants and the atmosphere occurs at the leaf surface. As such variation in lamina surface area has important implications on whole-plant light interception, water use, growth rate, and reproduction. Globally lamina surface area is positively correlated with precipitation and soil nutrient availability and negatively correlated with mean annual temperature. Despite the strength of these global correlations our understanding of size dependent scaling of leaf function and the biophysical constraints on maximum lamina surface area lack a unifying framework. Recent studies show strong support for two biophysical constraints on maximum lamina surface area: 1) leaf energy balance and 2) the biomechanics of leaf display. We argue that these two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and that size-dependent economics of leaf energy balance and biomechanics are functionally linked to size-dependent scaling of leaf water transport efficiency also known as leaf hydraulic conductance.
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1 - University of California, Berkeley, Integrative Biology, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Bldg. #3140, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
2 - University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Bldg #3140, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA
Keywords:
leaf size
leaf hydraulic conductance
biomechanics.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Ball Room & Party Room/SUB
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008
Time: 12:30 PM
Number: PEP003
Abstract ID:632 |
