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of the leaf production rate. Reich et al. (1992) reported the expected negative correlation
in a sampling of diverse species (Fig.
7.2
). Comparison of 46 species in Barro
Colorado Island in Panama also showed negative correlations between the height
growth rates of individual trees and some defensive characteristics of leaves such as
leaf fiber content and toughness that are commonly associated with longer-lived
1
2
3456
10
Leaf life span (days below axis, years above)
Fig. 7.1
Relationship between number of leaves on a shoot and leaf longevity for species with
indeterminate shoot growth. The isoclines are plastochron intervals.
Circles
, pioneer species;
triangles
, palms;
cross
, woody ferns, cycads;
square
, mangroves. (From Ackerly 1996)
10000
r
2
= 0.61
1000
100
10
1
10
100
LEAF LIFE-SPAN (months)
Fig. 7.2
Relationship between relative growth rate of a plant and leaf longevity. (From Reich
et al. 1992)
