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Comparative Gas-Exchange In Leaves Of Intact And Clipped, Natural And Planted Cherrybark Oak (Quercus Pagoda Raf.) Seedlings, Brian Roy Lockhart, John D. Hodges

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Gas-exchange measurements, including CO2 -exchange rate (net photosynthesis), stomatal conductance, and transpiration, were conducted on intact and clipped cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedlings growing in the field and in a nursery bed. Seedlings in the field, released from midstory and understory woody competition, showed significant increases in gas-exchange compared to non-released seedlings due to increases in light levels reaching seedlings. Concurrently, little difference occurred in the CO2 -exchange rate between intact and clipped seedlings in the released treatment although clipped seedlings maintained a consistently greater rate of stomatal conductance. In order to reduce the high variability of light levels …