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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Seedling Growth Rates And Light Requirements Of Subtropical Rainforest Trees Associated With Basaltic And Rhyolitic Soils, C H. Lusk, Kerrie M. Sendall, P J. Clarke Jan 2014

Seedling Growth Rates And Light Requirements Of Subtropical Rainforest Trees Associated With Basaltic And Rhyolitic Soils, C H. Lusk, Kerrie M. Sendall, P J. Clarke

Kerrie M Sendall

A trade-off between shade tolerance and growth in open conditions is widely believed to underlie the dynamics of humid forests. Little is known about how the growth versus shade tolerance trade-off interacts with other major trade-offs associated with differential adaptation to major environmental factors besides light. We asked whether the growth versus shade tolerance trade-off differed between subtropical rainforest tree assemblages native to basaltic (fertile) and rhyolitic (infertile) soils in northern New South Wales, because of the allocational costs of adaptation to low nutrient availability. Seedling relative growth rates of six basalt specialists and five rhyolite specialists were measured in …


Variation In Leaf And Fine Stem Co2 Flux As A Function Of Plant Size: A Comparison Of Seedlings, Saplings And Trees, Kerrie M. Sendall, Peter B. Reich Jan 2013

Variation In Leaf And Fine Stem Co2 Flux As A Function Of Plant Size: A Comparison Of Seedlings, Saplings And Trees, Kerrie M. Sendall, Peter B. Reich

Kerrie M Sendall

Rates of tissue-level function have been hypothesized to decline as trees grow older and larger, but relevant evidence to assess such changes remains limited, especially across a wide range of sizes from saplings to large trees. We measured functional traits of leaves and twigs of three cold-temperate deciduous tree species in Minnesota, USA, to assess how these vary with tree height. Individuals ranging from 0.13 to 20 m in height were sampled in both relatively open and closed canopy environments to minimize light differences as a potential driver of size-related differences in leaf and twig properties. We hypothesized that (H1) …


Light Interception Efficiency Explained By Two Simple Variables: A Test Using A Diversity Of Small- To Medium-Sized Woody Plants, R A. Duursma, D S. Falster, F Valladares, F J. Sterck, R W. Pearcy, C H. Lusk, Kerrie M. Sendall, M Nordenstahl, N C. Houter, B J. Atwell, N Kelly, J.W. G. Kelly, M Liberloo, D T. Tissue, B E. Medlyn, D S. Ellsworth Jan 2012

Light Interception Efficiency Explained By Two Simple Variables: A Test Using A Diversity Of Small- To Medium-Sized Woody Plants, R A. Duursma, D S. Falster, F Valladares, F J. Sterck, R W. Pearcy, C H. Lusk, Kerrie M. Sendall, M Nordenstahl, N C. Houter, B J. Atwell, N Kelly, J.W. G. Kelly, M Liberloo, D T. Tissue, B E. Medlyn, D S. Ellsworth

Kerrie M Sendall

• Plant light interception efficiency is a crucial determinant of carbon uptake by individual plants and by vegetation. Our aim was to identify whole-plant variables that summarize complex crown architecture, which can be used to predict light interception efficiency. • We gathered the largest database of digitized plants to date (1831 plants of 124 species), and estimated a measure of light interception efficiency with a detailed three-dimensional model. Light interception efficiency was defined as the ratio of the hemispherically averaged displayed to total leaf area. A simple model was developed that uses only two variables, crown density (the ratio of …


Latitude, Solar Elevation Angles And Gap-Regenerating Rainforest Pioneers, C H. Lusk, Kerrie M. Sendall, R Kooyman Jan 2011

Latitude, Solar Elevation Angles And Gap-Regenerating Rainforest Pioneers, C H. Lusk, Kerrie M. Sendall, R Kooyman

Kerrie M Sendall

No abstract provided.


Seasonal Variation In The Maximum Rate Of Leaf Gas Exchange Of Canopy And Understory Trees In An Amazonian Semideciduous Forest, Kerrie M. Sendall, George L. Vourlitis, Francisco A. Lobo Jan 2009

Seasonal Variation In The Maximum Rate Of Leaf Gas Exchange Of Canopy And Understory Trees In An Amazonian Semideciduous Forest, Kerrie M. Sendall, George L. Vourlitis, Francisco A. Lobo

Kerrie M Sendall

Leaf gas exchange, water potential, and specific leaf area of two tropical semi-deciduous tree species, Brosimum lactescens S. Moore and Tovomita schomburgkii Planch & Triana, were quantified to establish how these properties were affected by seasonal variations in rainfall and leaf canopy position. The study was conducted at a site near Sinop Mato Grosso, Brazil, which is located within the ecotone of savanna and tropical rain forest. Both species exhibited significant declines in leaf water potential (ΨL), specific leaf area, area- and mass-based light saturated photosynthesis and dark respiration, and maximum stomatal conductance during the dry-season, suggesting that leaf structural …


Energy Balance And Canopy Conductance Of A Tropical Semi-Deciduous Forest Of The Southern Amazon Basin, George L. Vourlitis, Jose De Souza Nogueira, Francisco De Almeida Lobo, Kerrie M. Sendall, Sergio Roberto De Paulo, Carlos Alberto Antunes Dias, Osvaldo Borges Pinto Jr, Nara Luisa Reis De Andrade Jan 2008

Energy Balance And Canopy Conductance Of A Tropical Semi-Deciduous Forest Of The Southern Amazon Basin, George L. Vourlitis, Jose De Souza Nogueira, Francisco De Almeida Lobo, Kerrie M. Sendall, Sergio Roberto De Paulo, Carlos Alberto Antunes Dias, Osvaldo Borges Pinto Jr, Nara Luisa Reis De Andrade

Kerrie M Sendall

Deforestation and climate change have the capacity to alter rainfall regimes, water availability, and surface-atmosphere flux of water and energy of tropical forests, especially in ecotonal, semi-deciduous tropical forests of the southern Amazon Basin, which have experienced rapid regional warming and deforestation over the last three decades. To reduce uncertainty regarding current and future energy and water flux, micrometeorological measurements of latent (Qe) and sensible heat flux (Qh) and canopy conductance (Gc) were combined with measurements of sap flux density (Fd) and maximum leaf conductance (gsmax) to characterize the seasonal controls on mass (H2O) and energy exchange of an ecotonal, …