Comparative physiology of canopy tree leaves in evergreen and deciduous forests in lowland Thailand
Authors/Creators
- 1. Kyoto University
- 2. University of Tsukuba
- 3. Mount Fuji Research Institute
- 4. National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department*
- 5. Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University
- 6. Yamagata University
- 7. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
- 8. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- 9. Nagasaki University
- 10. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
- 11. Kasetsart University
Description
Three major forest types in lowland Thailand and its adjacent parts in Southeast Asia are mixed deciduous forest (MDF), dry dipterocarp forest (DDF) and dry evergreen forest (DEF). We report the leaf physiology of canopy trees in these forests. The leaf mass-based photosynthetic rates (Amax), stomatal conductance (Gmax) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency were significantly different between the deciduous forests (MDF and DDF) and the evergreen forest (DEF). The canopy trees of MDF with thick, eutrophic soils had the highest intrinsic water use efficiency (Amax/Gmax) among the forest types. Forest-to-forest variations in leaf mass area were related to different nutrient use strategies (less vs. more conservative) associated with different soil nutrients rather than with leaf phenology/longevity. In the interspecific variations within each forest, Amax in MDF and DEF was limited by foliar phosphate, whereas that in DDF was limited by foliar nitrogen. The close association between leaf physiology and soil properties suggests that climate change and increasing human impacts will disrupt this association, leading to forest degradation and dysfunction.
Notes
Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691
Award Number: 16H02708
Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691
Award Number: 16H0587
Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691
Award Number: 18H04149
Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691
Award Number: 19H01161
Files
TableS1_MDF.csv
Additional details
Related works
- Is supplemented by
- 10.5061/dryad.44j0zpcgz (DOI)