바로가기메뉴

본문 바로가기 주메뉴 바로가기

logo

ISSN : 2287-8327

Article Contents

Prev Next
e-Submission

Vol.31 No.3
Citation Share

Intraspecific Variation in Leaf Life Span for the Semi-evergreen Liana Akebia trifoliata is Caused by Both Seasonal and Aseasonal Factors in a Temperate Forest

Journal of Ecology and Environment / Journal of Ecology and Environment, (P)2287-8327; (E)2288-1220
2008, v.31 no.3, pp.207-211
Koyama, Kohei (Kyoto University)
Kihachiro Kikuzawa (Ishikawa Prefectural University)
Koyama,, K. , & Kihachiro, K. (2008). Intraspecific Variation in Leaf Life Span for the Semi-evergreen Liana Akebia trifoliata is Caused by Both Seasonal and Aseasonal Factors in a Temperate Forest. Journal of Ecology and Environment, 31(3), 207-211.
  • Downloaded
  • Viewed
PDF Download

Abstract

We investigated the leaf demography of a temperate woody liana, Akebia trifoliata, in a temperate forest in Japan. Akebia is semi-evergreen: some leaves are shed before winter, while others remain through the winter. Previous studies of semi-evergreen species found that variation in leaf life span was caused by variation in the timing of leaf emergence. Leaves that appeared just before winter over-wintered, while leaves appearing earlier were shed. However, it is unclear whether leaves of the same cohort (i.e., leaves that appear at the same time within a single site) show variation in life span under the effect of strong seasonality. To separate variation in life span among the leaves in each cohort from variation among cohorts, we propose a new method - the single leaf diagram, which shows the emergence and death of each leaf. Using single leaf diagrams, our study revealed that Akebia leaves within a cohort showed substantial variation in life span, with some over-wintering and some not. In addition, leaves on small ramets in the understory showed great variation in life span, while leaves on large ramets, which typically reach higher positions in the forest canopy, have shorter lives. As a result, small ramets were semi-evergreen, whereas large ramets were deciduous. The longer lives of leaves on small ramets can be interpreted as a shade-adaptive strategy in understory plants.

keywords
Akebia trifoliata, Leaf demography, Leaf lifespan, Leaf phenology, Liana, Phenotypic plasticity, Semi-evergreen

Reference

1.

Ackerly DD, Bazzaz FA. 1995. Leaf dynamics, self-shading and carbon gain in seedlings of a tropical pioneer tree. Oecologia 101: 289-298.

2.

Chabot BF, Hicks DJ. 1982. The ecology of leaf life spans. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 13: 229-259.

3.

Franklin O, Agren GI. 2002. Leaf senescence and resorption as mechanisms of maximizing photosynthetic production during canopy development at N limitation. Funct Ecol 16: 727-733.

4.

Hikosaka K. 2003. A model of dynamics of leaves and nitrogen in a plant canopy: An integration of canopy photosynthesis, leaf life span, and nitrogen use efficiency. Am Nat 162: 149-164.

5.

Hikosaka K. 2005. Leaf canopy as a dynamic system: ecophysiology and optimality in leaf turnover. Ann Bot 95: 521-533.

6.

Jurik TW, Chabot BF. 1986. Leaf dynamics and profitability in wild strawberries. Oecologia 69: 296-304.

7.

Karst AL, Lechowicz MJ. 2007. Are correlations among foliar traits in ferns consistent with those in the seed plants? New Phytol 173: 306-312.

8.

Kikuzawa K. 1983. Leaf survival of woody plants in deciduous broadleaved forests. 1. Tall trees. Can J Bot 61: 2133-2139.

9.

Kikuzawa K. 1984. Leaf survival of woody plants in deciduous broadleaved forests. 2. Small trees and shrubs. Can J Bot 62: 2551-2556.

10.

Kikuzawa K. 1988. Leaf survivals of tree species in deciduous broadleaved forests. Pl Sp Biol 3: 67-76.

11.

Kikuzawa K. 1991. A cost-benefit analysis of leaf habit and leaf longevity of trees and their geographical pattern. Am Nat 138: 1250-1263.

12.

Kikuzawa K, Ackerly D. 1999. Significance of leaf longevity in plants. Pl Sp Biol 14: 39-45.

13.

Kikuzawa K, Lechowicz MJ. 2006. Toward synthesis of relationships among leaf longevity, instantaneous photosynthetic rate, lifetime leaf carbon gain, and the gross primary production of forests. Am Nat 168: 373-383.

14.

Kume A, Tanaka C. 1996. Adaptation of stomatal response of Camellia rusticana to a heavy snowfall environment: Winter drought and net photosynthesis. Ecol Res 11: 207-216.

15.

Kyparissis A, Grammatikopoulos G, Manetas Y. 1997. Leaf demography and photosynthesis as affected by the environment in the drought semi-deciduous Mediterranean shrub Phlomis fruticosa L. Acta Oecologica 18: 543-555.

16.

Noda H, Muraoka H, Washitani I. 2004. Morphological and physiological acclimation responses to contrasting light and water regimes in Primula sieboldii. Ecol Res 19: 331-340.

17.

Ohwi J, Kitagawa M. 1992. New Flora of Japan, Revised (in Japanese). Shibundo, Tokyo, pp 724-725.

18.

Oikawa S, Hikosaka K, Hirose T. 2006. Leaf lifespan and lifetime carbon balance of individual leaves in a stand of an annual herb, Xanthium canadense. New Phytol 172: 104-116.

19.

Oikawa S, Hikosaka K, Hirose T. 2008. Does leaf shedding increase the whole-plant carbon gain despite some nitrogen being lost with shedding? New Phytol 178: 617-624.

20.

Oikawa S, Hikosaka K, Hirose T, Hori Y, Shiyomi M, Takahashi S. 2004. Cost-benefit relationships in leaves emerging at different times in a deciduous fern Pteridium aquilinum. Can J Bot 82: 521-527.

21.

Poorter L. 2007. Are species adapted to their regeneration niche, adult niche, or both? Am Nat 169: 433-442.

22.

Reich PB, Ellsworth DS, Walters MB, Vose JM, Gresham C, Volin JC, Bowman WD. 1999. Generality of leaf trait relationships: a test across six biomes. Ecology 80: 1955-1969.

23.

Reich PB, Uhl C, Walters MB, Prugh L, Ellsworth DS. 2004. Leaf demography and phenology in Amazonian rain forest: a census of 40,000 leaves of 23 tree species. Ecol Monogr 74: 3-23.

24.

Sakai A. 1976. (In Japanese) Adaptation of plants to deposited snow. Low Temp Sci Ser B 34: 47-76.

25.

Seiwa K. 1999. Ontogenetic changes in leaf phenology of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica, a deciduous broad-leaved tree. Tree Physiol 19: 793-797.

26.

Seiwa K, Kikuzawa K. 1991. Phenology of tree seedlings in relation to seed size. Can J Bot 69: 532-538.

27.

Vincent G. 2006. Leaf life span plasticity in tropical seedlings grown under contrasting light regimes. Ann Bot 97: 245-255.

28.

Wright IJ, Reich PB, Westoby M, Ackerly DD, Baruch Z, Bongers F, Cavender-Bares J, Chapin T, Cornelissen JHC, Diemer M, Flexas J, Garnier E, Groom PK, Gulias J, Hikosaka K, Lamont BB, Lee T, Lee W, Lusk C, Midgley JJ, Navas ML, Niinemets U, Oleksyn J, Osada N, Poorter H, Poot P, Prior L, Pyankov VI, Roumet C, Thomas SC, Tjoelker MG, Veneklaas EJ, Villar R. 2004. The worldwide leaf economics spectrum. Nature 428: 821-827.

29.

Yagi T, K Kikuzawa K. 1999. Patterns in size-related variations in current-year shoot structure in eight deciduous tree species. J Plant Res 112: 343-352.

Journal of Ecology and Environment

e-Submission OA Policy