Abstract
A plant functional trait study was conducted to know the existing relationship between important leaf traits namely, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and leaf life span (LL) in tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEFs) of Peninsular India. Widely accepted methodologies were employed to record functional traits. The relationships between SLA and LDMC, LDMC and LL, and SLA and LL were measured. Pearson’s coefficient of correlation showed a significant negative relationship between SLA and LDMC, and SLA and LL, whereas a significant positive relationship was prevailed between LDMC and LL. The mean trait values (SLA, LDMC, and LL) of evergreens varied significantly from deciduous species. SLA had a closer relationship with LDMC than LL. Similarly, LL had a closer relationship with SLA than LDMC. Species with evergreen leaf habits dominated forest sites under study. Evergreen species dominate the study area with a high evergreen-deciduous ratio of 5.34:1. The S strategy score of trees indicated a relatively higher biomass allocation to persistent tissues. TDEFs occur in low elevation, semiarid environment, but with the combination of oligotrophic habitat, high temperature and longer dry season these forests were flourishing as a unique evergreen ecosystem in the drier environment. The relationships found between leaf traits were in concurrence with earlier findings. Trees of TDEFs survive on the poor-nutrient habitat with a low SLA, high LDMC, and LL. This study adds baseline data on key leaf traits to plant functional trait database of India.
Highlights
One of the recent trends in plant ecological studies are to find plant traits capable of expressing differences in ecological behavior among species [1]
specific leaf area (SLA) value was recorded for Maytenus emarginata (5.52 ± 0.20 mm2 mg−1 ), followed by Garcinia spicata (6.9 ± 0.11 mm2 mg−1 ) and Manilkara hexandra (7.21 ± 0.21 mm2 mg−1 )
As constant the variation explained by Leaf lifespan (LL) in leaf dry matter content (LDMC) was just 7% (R23.1 = 0.07 (r2 ); p > 0.05; df = 43). These results indicate that LDMC had closer link with SLA than LL
Summary
One of the recent trends in plant ecological studies are to find plant traits capable of expressing differences in ecological behavior among species [1]. Leaf habits were recognized as remarkable tools in ecological studies [6]; closely connected with growth and survival [1,2], they are widely considered as reliable predictors of plant performance and act as efficient indicators of resource-use strategies [7]. Specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) are reported to be better predictors of resource-use strategies of plants Assessing relationships among leaf traits and how traits differ between or among growth forms (herb, shrub, tree, and liana) and plant functional types (deciduous, evergreen) can give important insights into the selective pressures that shaped the evolution of the world’s vegetation [12,13]. In an infertile habitat, natural selection generally favors species with longer LL (higher nutrient residence time), which plays a positive role in nutrient conservation [14]
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