부산대학교 도서관

We asked whether the ability of individual plants to adjust leaf traits during ontogeny reflected immediate morphological means of responding to current light availability or was consistent with a developmental strategy to meet predictable future light conditions. We determined leaf mass per unit area (specific leaf mass, SLM), leaf area, toughness, and water content of seedlings, juveniles, and adults of eight nonpioneer tropical tree species of different maximum mature heights ranging from 8 to 40 m. For SLM and leaf area, immediate responses to environmental conditions, reported as the ratio of leaf traits in sun and shade environments (leaf plasticity), were similar for seedlings, juveniles, and adults of all species irrespective of maximum mature height. For toughness and water content, leaf plasticity at different ontogenetic stages depended on species identity. To facilitate comparisons across species, developmental changes were reported as the correlations between the ratio in leaf traits for three ontogenetic stages (developmental leaf change) and maximum mature height. Tall species showed greater change in SLM and leaf area from seedling to adult stages than short species, as might be expected of taxa that experience more heterogeneous light environments during their lives. Leaf traits changed in response to current light levels during ontogeny, but the magnitude of the response is related to the adult habitat of a species.