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Abstract
Cycas micronesica K.D. Hill trees on the island of Yap were used to determine the influence of position along the leaf rachis on macro- and micro-nutrient concentrations and how leaf age affected the results. The outcomes revealed improvements to sampling protocols for future cycad leaf research. The concentration of every element except carbon and copper was influenced by leaflet position along the rachis. Most elements exhibited similar patterns for the oldest and youngest leaves on a tree, but the influence of position along the rachis for nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and boron was highly contrasting for old versus young leaves. The elements with the greatest variability along the rachis were potassium, phosphorus, manganese, and zinc, with the difference in basal and terminal leaflets as great as four-fold. Sampling leaflets at one position on a cycad leaf may generate inaccurate elemental concentration results for most essential nutrients other than carbon and copper. We have added position of sampled leaflets within leaves as a mandatory component of what is recorded and reported for future cycad leaf tissue analyses. Leaflets that span the full length of the rachis should be included in cycad leaf samples that are collected for tissue analysis.
Highlights
The determination of essential element concentrations in leaves is useful for improving managed plant protocols and understanding ecological relations
Knowledge of the various plant and environment traits that directly influence leaf nutrients is required to maximize the benefits of leaf tissue sampling for any given species or plant group
Our objective was to determine the influence of location along the rachis of mature C. micronesica tree leaves on macro- and micro-nutrient concentrations
Summary
The determination of essential element concentrations in leaves is useful for improving managed plant protocols and understanding ecological relations. For the results of leaf tissue analyses to be useful, the leaf tissue sampling approaches need to be appropriate and repeatable. Knowledge of the various plant and environment traits that directly influence leaf nutrients is required to maximize the benefits of leaf tissue sampling for any given species or plant group. Cycads remain the most threatened plants worldwide [1,2,3]. Much interest in cycad gardening and species conservation has created a need for practical knowledge that greatly exceeds the actual knowledge that has accumulated from applied research [4,5]. Cycad conservationists often lack the information that is needed to inform management decisions [6,7]
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