Interspecific variations in tree allometry and functional traits in subtropical plantations in southern China
Liwei Zhu
A B , Yanting Hu A B and Ping Zhao A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
B Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
C Corresponding author. Email: zhaoping@scib.ac.cn
Functional Plant Biology 47(6) 558-564 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP19325
Submitted: 11 November 2019 Accepted: 14 January 2020 Published: 29 April 2020
Abstract
Mechanical stability against buckling and water transport resistance through xylem vary with increasing tree height. To explore interspecific allometry based on morphological and physiological traits can play a crucial role in revealing their ecological adaptation. Four architectural traits (tree height, diameter at the breast height (DBH), crown width and crown depth) and seven functional traits (specific leaf area (SLA), leaf total carbon concentration (TC), midday leaf water potential, leaf δ13C and δ18O, wood density and xylem water transport efficiency) were measured in Schima superba, Acacia auriculiformis and Eucalyptus citriodora plantations in the subtropical region of China. The mechanical stability declined in the order of S. superba > A. auriculiformis > E. citriodora. Taller species at a given DBH had slender stems and narrower crowns. Smaller leaf δ18O and more efficient xylem water transport were observed in two taller tree species, A. auriculiformis and E. citriodora. Smaller SLA, higher leaf TC and larger leaf area indicated more carbon allocation to leaves of S. superba. The variations in architectural and functional traits with tree allometry among tree species may provide a more complete understanding of species-specific growth strategies in this subtropical region.
Additional keywords: functional traits, leaf δ18O, southern China, subtropical region, tree allometry.
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