Retain or repel? Droplet volume does matter when measuring leaf wetness traits.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Leaf wetness is an important characteristic linked to a plant's strategies for water acquisition, use and redistribution. A trade-off between leaf water retention (LWR) and hydrophobicity (LWH) may be expected, since a higher LWH/lower LWR may enhance photosynthesis, while the opposite combination may increase the leaf water uptake (LWU). However, the validation of the ecological meaning of both traits and the influence of droplet volume when measuring them have been largely neglected.

Methods

To address these questions, LWR and LWH of 14 species were measured using droplets of between 5 and 50 μL. Furthermore, the ability of those species to perform LWU was evaluated through leaf submergence in water. The droplet-volume effect on absolute values and on s

SUBMITTER: Matos IS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4866312 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature