Ecology of Leaf Longevity
Leaf longevity is a fundamental process underlying patterns of variation in foliar phenology and determining the distinction between deciduous and evergreen plant species. Variation in leaf longevity is associated with a wide array of differences in the p
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Kihachiro Kikuzawa Martin J. Lechowicz ●
Ecology of Leaf Longevity
Kihachiro Kikuzawa, Ph.D. Professor Ishikawa Prefectural University Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8836 Japan [email protected]
Martin J. Lechowicz, Ph.D. Professor Department of Biology McGill University 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue Montreal, Québec Canada H3A 1B1 [email protected]
ISSN 2191-0707 e-ISSN 2191-0715 ISBN 978-4-431-53917-9 e-ISBN 978-4-431-53918-6 DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-53918-6 Springer Tokyo Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011926414 © Springer 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover : Front Cover : Leaf senescence of Fagus crenata (Japanese beech) Back Cover : Left: Bud break of Fagus crenata Center : Bud break and new leaf emergence of Mallotus japonicus Right: Bud break of Alnus hirsuta Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
The functional ecology of foliage is organized by seasonality. In temperate regions, leaves in deciduous forests often turn brilliant colors in autumn. In spring, buds of leaves burst and new shoots elongate. Similarly, in seasonal tropical environments species respond to the timing of rainy and dry periods, and in the aseasonal tropics subtle environmental cues can influence the timing of leafing and shoot growth. Detailed consideration reveals the diversity underlying such broad patterns of foliar phenology. Even in the canopy of a single forest, leaf dynamics are variable within and among species. Although at a glance leaves seem to simultaneously appear in spring and drop in autumn in a deciduous forest, some individual leaves in fact develop later in the season and some leaves fall during the growing season. The evergreen habit of trees can be achieved through leaves that persist over many years but is also maintained by overlapping cohorts of fairly short-lived leaves that keep the plant canopy evergreen. These complex patterns of leaf demography suggest the necessity of monitoring the dynamics of leaves per se, not merely describing the broad patterns of phenology at the tree or forest level. By monitoring individual leaves we can obtain estimates for a fundamental demographic parameter, that is, leaf longevity, and in this way move phenology from the realm of descriptive lore to that of a modern science providing quantitative and predictive understanding of plant function. A foc
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