Instantaneous photosynthetic responses to temperature of deciduous and evergreen Nothofagus species
M. Kohout A B and J. Read A CA School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Vic. 3800, Australia.
B Current address: Department of Sustainability and Environment, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, PO Box 137, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: jenny.read@sci.monash.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 54(3) 249-259 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT04175
Submitted: 26 October 2004 Accepted: 8 September 2005 Published: 15 May 2006
Abstract
Deciduous species of Nothofagus tend to replace evergreen Nothofagus at the highest altitudes. We investigated whether deciduous Nothofagus species have higher maximum rates of net photosynthesis (Pmax) and specific leaf area (SLA) than evergreen species and whether there is an increasing photosynthetic advantage (e.g. higher Pmax) in deciduous species relative to evergreen species with increasing altitude that might explain their replacement of evergreen species. Net photosynthesis was investigated in (1) five deciduous and five evergreen species of Nothofagus grown in a common environment and (2) two co-occurring species, N. gunnii (Hook.f.) Oerst. (deciduous) and N. cunninghamii (Hook.) Oerst. (evergreen), across a range of altitudes in Tasmania. In the first experiment, the maximum rate of net photosynthesis per leaf mass (Pmax, mass) and SLA were higher in deciduous species, whereas the maximum rate of net photosynthesis per leaf area (Pmax, area) did not differ between leaf habits. However, in the field-based study, both mass- and area-based Pmax were higher in N. gunnii than N. cunninghamii across all sites. The high Pmax, mass of deciduous species may provide a competitive advantage at higher altitudes by maximising carbon gain during the growing season. However, in the study of sympatric populations of N. gunnii and N. cunninghamii there was no evidence of increasing photosynthetic advantage of the deciduous N. gunnii with increasing altitude.
Acknowledgments
We thank Zinifex Australia Limited and Henty Gold Limited for access to Mt Read study sites, the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (Tasmania) for permission to undertake research at Cradle Mountain and Mt Field and Vladimir Kohout for assistance in the field. This project was funded by an Australian Postgraduate Research Award to MK.
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