How functional traits influence plant growth and shade tolerance across the life cycle.

ABSTRACT: Plant species differ in many functional traits that drive differences in rates of photosynthesis, biomass allocation, and tissue turnover. However, it remains unclear how-and even if-such traits influence whole-plant growth, with the simple linear relationships predicted by existing theory often lacking empirical support. Here, we present a theoretical framework for understanding the effect of diverse functional traits on plant growth and shade tolerance by extending a widely used model, linking growth rate in seedlings with a single leaf trait, to explicitly include influences of size, light environment, and five prominent traits: seed mass, height at maturation, leaf mass per unit leaf area, leaf nitrogen per unit leaf area, and wood density. Based on biomass growth and allocation, this

SUBMITTER: Falster DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6055161 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature