Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species

Abstract Total leaf area per plant is an important measure of the photosynthetic capacity of an individual plant that together with plant density drives the canopy leaf area index, that is, the total leaf area per unit ground area. Because the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) varies a...

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Main Authors: Chengkang Wang, Yi Heng, Qingwei Xu, Yajun Zhou, Xuyang Sun, Yuchong Wang, Weihao Yao, Meng Lian, Qiying Li, Liuyue Zhang, Ülo Niinemets, Dirk Hölscher, Johan Gielis, Karl J. Niklas, Peijian Shi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-07-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70002
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author Chengkang Wang
Yi Heng
Qingwei Xu
Yajun Zhou
Xuyang Sun
Yuchong Wang
Weihao Yao
Meng Lian
Qiying Li
Liuyue Zhang
Ülo Niinemets
Dirk Hölscher
Johan Gielis
Karl J. Niklas
Peijian Shi
author_facet Chengkang Wang
Yi Heng
Qingwei Xu
Yajun Zhou
Xuyang Sun
Yuchong Wang
Weihao Yao
Meng Lian
Qiying Li
Liuyue Zhang
Ülo Niinemets
Dirk Hölscher
Johan Gielis
Karl J. Niklas
Peijian Shi
author_sort Chengkang Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Total leaf area per plant is an important measure of the photosynthetic capacity of an individual plant that together with plant density drives the canopy leaf area index, that is, the total leaf area per unit ground area. Because the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) varies among conspecifics and among mixed species communities, this variation can affect the total leaf area per plant and per canopy but has been little studied. Previous studies have shown a strong linear relationship between the total leaf area per plant (or per shoot) (AT) and the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) (NT) on a log–log scale for several growth forms. However, little is known whether such a scaling relationship also holds true for bamboos, which are a group of Poaceae plants with great ecological and economic importance in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions. To test whether the scaling relationship holds true in bamboos, two dwarf bamboo species (Shibataea chinensis Nakai and Sasaella kongosanensis ‘Aureostriatus’) with a limited but large number of leaves per culm were examined. For the two species, the leaves from 480 and 500 culms, respectively, were sampled and AT was calculated by summing the areas of individual leaves per culm. Linear regression and correlation analyses reconfirmed that there was a significant log–log linear relationship between AT and NT for each species. For S. chinensis, the exponent of the AT versus NT scaling relationship was greater than unity, whereas that of S. kongosanensis ‘Aureostriatus’ was smaller than unity. The coefficient of variation in individual leaf area increased with increasing NT for each species. The data reconfirm that there is a strong positive power‐law relationship between AT and NT for each of the two species, which may reflect adaptations of plants in response to intra‐ and inter‐specific competition for light.
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spelling doaj-art-ca7638204294410e803cbfaa1aceb5dc2025-08-20T03:31:42ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-07-01147n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70002Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo speciesChengkang Wang0Yi Heng1Qingwei Xu2Yajun Zhou3Xuyang Sun4Yuchong Wang5Weihao Yao6Meng Lian7Qiying Li8Liuyue Zhang9Ülo Niinemets10Dirk Hölscher11Johan Gielis12Karl J. Niklas13Peijian Shi14Co‐Innovation Centre for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Landscape Architecture Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaCo‐Innovation Centre for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Landscape Architecture Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaCo‐Innovation Centre for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Landscape Architecture Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaCo‐Innovation Centre for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Landscape Architecture Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaCo‐Innovation Centre for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Landscape Architecture Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaCo‐Innovation Centre for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Landscape Architecture Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaBamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Estonian University of Life Sciences Tartu EstoniaTropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology University of Göttingen Göttingen GermanyDepartment of Biosciences Engineering University of Antwerp Antwerp BelgiumSchool of Integrative Plant Science Cornell University Ithaca New York USABamboo Research Institute, College of Ecology and Environment Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing ChinaAbstract Total leaf area per plant is an important measure of the photosynthetic capacity of an individual plant that together with plant density drives the canopy leaf area index, that is, the total leaf area per unit ground area. Because the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) varies among conspecifics and among mixed species communities, this variation can affect the total leaf area per plant and per canopy but has been little studied. Previous studies have shown a strong linear relationship between the total leaf area per plant (or per shoot) (AT) and the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) (NT) on a log–log scale for several growth forms. However, little is known whether such a scaling relationship also holds true for bamboos, which are a group of Poaceae plants with great ecological and economic importance in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions. To test whether the scaling relationship holds true in bamboos, two dwarf bamboo species (Shibataea chinensis Nakai and Sasaella kongosanensis ‘Aureostriatus’) with a limited but large number of leaves per culm were examined. For the two species, the leaves from 480 and 500 culms, respectively, were sampled and AT was calculated by summing the areas of individual leaves per culm. Linear regression and correlation analyses reconfirmed that there was a significant log–log linear relationship between AT and NT for each species. For S. chinensis, the exponent of the AT versus NT scaling relationship was greater than unity, whereas that of S. kongosanensis ‘Aureostriatus’ was smaller than unity. The coefficient of variation in individual leaf area increased with increasing NT for each species. The data reconfirm that there is a strong positive power‐law relationship between AT and NT for each of the two species, which may reflect adaptations of plants in response to intra‐ and inter‐specific competition for light.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70002coefficient of variationfoliage length‐times‐width equationlandscape plantMontgomery equationpower‐law functionscaling theory
spellingShingle Chengkang Wang
Yi Heng
Qingwei Xu
Yajun Zhou
Xuyang Sun
Yuchong Wang
Weihao Yao
Meng Lian
Qiying Li
Liuyue Zhang
Ülo Niinemets
Dirk Hölscher
Johan Gielis
Karl J. Niklas
Peijian Shi
Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
Ecology and Evolution
coefficient of variation
foliage length‐times‐width equation
landscape plant
Montgomery equation
power‐law function
scaling theory
title Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
title_full Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
title_fullStr Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
title_full_unstemmed Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
title_short Scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
title_sort scaling relationships between the total number of leaves and the total leaf area per culm of two dwarf bamboo species
topic coefficient of variation
foliage length‐times‐width equation
landscape plant
Montgomery equation
power‐law function
scaling theory
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70002
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