Journal Article

PreJuSER-17527

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Biomass allocation to leaves, stems and roots: meta-analyses of interspecific variation and environmental control

Poorter, H.FZJ* ; Niklas, K. J. ; Reich, P. B. ; Oleksyn, J. ; Poot, P. ; Mommer, L.

2012
Wiley-Blackwell Oxford [u.a.]

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03952.x

Abstract: We quantified the biomass allocation patterns to leaves, stems and roots in vegetative plants, and how this is influenced by the growth environment, plant size, evolutionary history and competition. Dose-response curves of allocation were constructed by means of a meta-analysis from a wide array of experimental data. They show that the fraction of whole-plant mass represented by leaves (LMF) increases most strongly with nutrients and decreases most strongly with light. Correction for size-induced allocation patterns diminishes the LMF-response to light, but makes the effect of temperature on LMF more apparent. There is a clear phylogenetic effect on allocation, as eudicots invest relatively more than monocots in leaves, as do gymnosperms compared with woody angiosperms. Plants grown at high densities show a clear increase in the stem fraction. However, in most comparisons across species groups or environmental factors, the variation in LMF is smaller than the variation in one of the other components of the growth analysis equation: the leaf area : leaf mass ratio (SLA). In competitive situations, the stem mass fraction increases to a smaller extent than the specific stem length (stem length : stem mass). Thus, we conclude that plants generally are less able to adjust allocation than to alter organ morphology.

Keyword(s): Biomass (MeSH) ; Plant Leaves: growth & development (MeSH) ; Plant Roots: growth & development (MeSH) ; Plant Stems: growth & development (MeSH) ; Species Specificity (MeSH) ; J ; allocation (auto) ; allometry (auto) ; dose-response curve (auto) ; environment (auto) ; functional types (auto) ; global change (auto) ; meta-phenomics (auto) ; partitioning (auto)

Note: The generous support of Uli Schurr for the Meta-Phenomics project and the IT help of Gerhard Bonisch have been essential for this review. Special thanks go to those colleagues who were so kind to provide us with additional or as yet unpublished data: Paul Anderson, Owen Atkin, Damian Barrett, Mark Bloomberg, Charles Canham, Brenda Casper, Terry Chapin, Hans Cornelissen, Corine de Groot, Ahmed Debez, Moacyr Dias-Filho, Michael Forster, Jurgen Franzaring, Keith Funnell, Anders Glimskar, Andrzej M. Jagodzinski, Corien Jansen, Miko Kirschbaum, Ken Krauss, Fang-Li Luo, Leo Marcelis, Kerstin Nagel, Manuel Nieves, Ronald Pierik, Thijs Pons, Peter Ryser, Gunda Schulte auf'm Erley, Peter Searles, Max Taub, Danny Tholen, Elmar Veenendaal, Erik Veneklaas, Rafael Villar and Chin Wong. We thank Brian Enquist for insightful discussions. Thijs Pons, Roland Pieruschka, John Lunn, Jake Weiner and three reviewers made insightful remarks on a previous version of the manuscript. Support from the Wilderness Research Foundation and the National Science Foundation (DEB 0620652) is also acknowledged.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Pflanzenwissenschaften (IBG-2)

Research Program(s):

1. Terrestrische Umwelt (P24)

Appears in the scientific report 2012

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Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Current Contents - Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences ; JCR ; NCBI Molecular Biology Database ; National-Konsortium ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Thomson Reuters Master Journal List ; Web of Science Core Collection

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