Morphological and moisture availability controls of the leaf area-to-sapwood area ratio: analysis of measurements on Australian trees

Authors

Henrique Furstenau Togashi, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Iain Colin Prentice, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Bradley John Evans, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
David Ian Forrester, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Paul Drake, Department of Parks and Wild Life, Bentley, Western Australia
Paul Feikema, Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany
Kim Brooksbank, Department of Agriculture and Food, Albany, Western AustraliaFollow
Derek Eamus, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Daniel Taylor, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-25-2015

Journal Title

Ecology and Evolution

ISSN

ISSN 2045-7758 eISSN 2045-7758

Keywords

Climatic moisture, Leaf area, Pipe model, Plant hydraulics, Sapwood area, Tree morphology

Disciplines

Agricultural Science | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Cellular and Molecular Physiology | Climate | Environmental Monitoring | Forest Biology | Forest Management | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Plant Biology

Abstract

1. The leaf area-to-sapwood area ratio (LA:SA) is a key plant trait that links photosynthesis to transpiration. The pipe model theory states that the sapwood cross-sectional area of a stem or branch at any point should scale isometrically with the area of leaves distal to that point. Optimization theory further suggests that LA:SA should decrease toward drier climates. Although acclimation of LA:SA to climate has been reported within species, much less is known about the scaling of this trait with climate among species.
2. We compiled LA:SA measurements from 184 species of Australian evergreen angiosperm trees. The pipe model was broadly confirmed, based on measurements on branches and trunks of trees from one to 27 years old. Despite considerable scatter in LA:SA among species, quantile regression showed strong (0.2 < R1 < 0.65) positive relationships between two climatic moisture indices and the lowermost (5%) and uppermost (5–15%) quantiles of log LA:SA, suggesting that moisture availability constrains the envelope of minimum and maximum values of LA:SA typical for any given climate.
3. Interspecific differences in plant hydraulic conductivity are probably responsible for the large scatter of values in the mid-quantile range and may be an important determinant of tree morphology.

Recommended Citation

Togashi, H F, Prentice, I C, Evans, B J, Forrester, D I, Drake, P, Feikema, P, Brooksbank, K, Eamus, D, and Taylor, D. (2015), Morphological and moisture availability controls of the leaf area-to-sapwood area ratio: analysis of measurements on Australian trees. Ecology and Evolution, 5 (6), 1263-1270.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/nrm_research/78