Lianas differ from trees in many life history characteristics, and we predicted that they are phenotypically more responsive to environmental variation than trees. We analyzed responsiveness to light and nutrient availability of five Bauhinia species (three lianas and two trees). Seedlings were grown in a shade house in two light regimes (5 and 25% of full sunlight) and two nutrient supply regi...

Due to the role leaf phenolics in defending against ultraviolet B (UVB) under previously controlled conditions, we hypothesize that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) could be a primary factor driving the variation in leaf phenolics in plants over a large geographic scale. We measured leaf total phenolics, ultraviolet-absorbing compounds (UVAC), and corresponding leaf N, P, and specific leaf area (SLA...

Functional trait plasticity is a major component of plant adjustment to environmental stresses. Here, we explore how multiple local environmental gradients in resources required by plants (light, water, and nutrients) and soil disturbance together influence the direction and amplitude of intraspecific changes in leaf and fine root traits that facilitate capture of these resources. We measured p...

The large variation in the relationships between environmental factors and plant traits observed in natural communities exemplifies the alternative solutions that plants have developed in response to the same environmental limitations. Qualitative attributes, such as growth form, woodiness, and leaf habit can be used to approximate these alternative solutions. Here, we quantified the extent to ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plant functional traits are assumed to be adaptive. As selection acts on individuals and not on traits, interpreting the adaptive value of a trait not may be straightforward. For example, productive leaves are associated with fertile environments. However, it is not clear if productive leaves confer an advantage in these habitats, or if they are an advantage as part of a sui...

Isabgol is a major export oriented medicinal crop of India. The genetic variability available in this crop is limited owing to the narrow gene pool existing in our country. The physiological and growth characteristics of selected 7 species of Plantago were studied at DMAPR, Boriavi to investigate the relationship with the seed yield. Among the species studied, the lowest SLA (specific leaf area...

Changes in precipitation patterns and eutrophication can cause changes plant traits abundance, potentially affecting community structure functions. Here, we studied responses of abundance Potentilla anserina to change nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) additions, the effect on its an alpine meadow Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We found that N P additions significantly affected mean value such as specific lea...

We studied relationships among branch hydraulic conductivity, xylem embolism, stomatal conductance (gs), foliar nitrogen (N) concentration and specific leaf area (SLA) of seven tree species growing at four temperate woodland sites spanning a 464-1350 mm rainfall gradient. Specifically, we examined the question: are gs and foliar N concentration coordinated with branch hydraulic conductivity and...

We investigated ecophysiological and growth responses of short (0.4 to 1.3 m in height) advance regeneration of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea L.) six years after removal of 0, 40, 50, 60 and 100% of the overstory basal area (BA) in two yellow birch-conifer stands. Partial cuts significantly increased stomatal conductance of red spruce only. Light-saturated photo...

The impact of elevated CO2 (1000μmol/mol) was assessed on the common weed, Arabidopsis thaliana (Landsberg erecta), which is used as a model plant system. Elevated CO2 stimulated relative growth rate (RGR) and leaf area gain of Arabidopsis beginning from the cotyledon stage and continuing through the juvenile stage. This early advantage in growth enabled the plants grown in elevated CO2 to gain...