Net Assimilation Rate Determines the Growth Rates of 14 Species of Subtropical Forest Trees.

ABSTRACT: Growth rates are of fundamental importance for plants, as individual size affects myriad ecological processes. We determined the factors that generate variation in RGR among 14 species of trees and shrubs that are abundant in subtropical Chinese forests. We grew seedlings for two years at four light levels in a shade-house experiment. We monitored the growth of every juvenile plant every two weeks. After one and two years, we destructively harvested individuals and measured their functional traits and gas-exchange rates. After calculating individual biomass trajectories, we estimated relative growth rates using nonlinear growth functions. We decomposed the variance in log(RGR) to evaluate the relationships of RGR with its components: specific leaf area (SLA), net assimilation rate (NAR) an

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4783115 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature