Relationship between photosynthetic rate, water use and leaf structure in desert annual and perennial forbs differing in their growth
Specific leaf area (SLA) is a key trait to screen plants for ecological performance and productivity; however, the relationship between SLA and photosynthesis is not always up-scalable to growth when comparing multiple species with different life cycles. We explored leaf anatomy in annual and perenn...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2018 |
| País: | Argentina |
| Institución: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repositorio: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/94489 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/94489 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | LEAF ANATOMY PHYSARIA RELATIVE GROWTH RATE SPECIFIC LEAF AREA TOTAL BIOMASS XYLEM ANATOMY https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 |
| Sumario: | Specific leaf area (SLA) is a key trait to screen plants for ecological performance and productivity; however, the relationship between SLA and photosynthesis is not always up-scalable to growth when comparing multiple species with different life cycles. We explored leaf anatomy in annual and perennial species of Physaria, and related it to photosynthesis and water loss. The annual Physaria gracilis had higher SLA, thinner leaves, and lower investment in protective tissues, than perennial P. mendocina. Physaria angustifolia (annual), and P. pinetorum (perennial) showed intermediate values. Both perennials had a thicker palisade and high photosynthesis, relative to annuals. The larger leaf veins of perennials should allow high water availability to the mesophyll. The thicker palisade should determine high resistance to water flow and help explain their high water-use efficiency. These leaf functions reflect the construction of long-lived leaves that efficiently use resources under environmental limitations of arid environments. |
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