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Coordinated changes in photosynthesis, water relations and leaf nutritional traits of canopy trees along a precipitation gradient in lowland tropical forest

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Abstract

We investigated leaf physiological traits of dominant canopy trees in four lowland Panamanian forests with contrasting mean annual precipitation (1,800, 2,300, 3,100 and 3,500 mm). There was near complete turn-over of dominant canopy tree species among sites, resulting in greater dominance of evergreen species with long-lived leaves as precipitation increased. Mean structural and physiological traits changed along this gradient as predicted by cost–benefit theories of leaf life span. Nitrogen content per unit mass (Nmass) and light- and CO2-saturated photosynthetic rates per unit mass (P mass) of upper canopy leaves decreased with annual precipitation, and these changes were partially explained by increasing leaf thickness and decreasing specific leaf area (SLA). Comparison of 1,800 mm and 3,100 mm sites, where canopy access was available through the use of construction cranes, revealed an association among extended leaf longevity, greater structural defense, higher midday leaf water potential, and lower P mass, Nmass, and SLA at wetter sites. Shorter leaf life spans and more enriched foliar δ15N values in drier sites suggest greater resorption and re-metabolism of leaf N in drier forest. Greater dominance of short-lived leaves with relatively high P mass in drier sites reflects a strategy to maximize photosynthesis when water is available and to minimize water loss and respiration costs during rainless periods. Overall, our study links coordinated change in leaf functional traits that affect productivity and nutrient cycling to seasonality in lowland tropical forests.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge: R. Condit, S. Lao and the Center for Tropical Forest Science for field sites; the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) for logistical support; K. Silvera, A. Somoza, E. Osorio, S. Davis, E. Graham, A. Virgo, D. Noletti, K. Moran and S. Bouchard for field and laboratory assistance; F.E. Putz, F.C. Meinzer, E.A. Herre, K. Winter, T. Kursar, S. Bray, M. Mack, T. Schuur and T. Martin for comments on earlier versions of the project. This research was supported by an EPA STAR graduate fellowship, a STRI short-term fellowship, the Florida-Georgia Alliance, and a Mellon Foundation exploratory grant through STRI.

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  1. Louis S. Santiago

    Present address: Integrative Biology, University of California, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118526, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

    Louis S. Santiago, Kaoru Kitajima & Stephen S. Mulkey

  2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama

    S. Joseph Wright

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  1. Louis S. Santiago
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  2. Kaoru Kitajima
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  3. S. Joseph Wright
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  4. Stephen S. Mulkey
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Correspondence to Louis S. Santiago.

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Santiago, L.S., Kitajima, K., Wright, S.J. et al. Coordinated changes in photosynthesis, water relations and leaf nutritional traits of canopy trees along a precipitation gradient in lowland tropical forest. Oecologia 139, 495–502 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1542-2

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