Leaf traits may reflect the adaptation mechanisms of plants to the environment. In this study, we investigated leaf morphological and anatomical traits in nine cold-temperate to tropical forests along a 4,200-km transect to test how they vary across latitudinal gradients. The results showed that leaf dry weight decreased (P < 0.05), while specific leaf area (SLA) increased (P < 0.05) with incre...

Pinus wallichiana dominated forest communities, located in the Hindukush ranges of Swat, Pakistan were analysed for variability in the cone and seed traits. The results disclosed significant variability in mean values, critical difference, coefficient of variation, broad sense heritability, genetic gain and genetic advance. Genotypic variance (Vg) and genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) wer...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY A new infrafamilial circumscription of the Verbenaceae with eight tribes: Casselieae, Citharexyleae, Duranteae, Lantaneae, Neospartoneae, Petreeae, Priveae, and Verbeneae, has been recently proposed, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies. Two genera, Dipyrena and Rhaphithamnus, remain unplaced. The aim of this work is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of morp...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Fine root decomposition is an important determinant of nutrient and carbon cycling in grasslands; however, little is known about the factors controlling root decomposition among species. Our aim was to investigate whether interspecific variation in the potential decomposition rate of fine roots could be accounted for by root chemical and morphological traits, life history an...