Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/186622
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- Title
- An Evolutionary attractor model for sapwood cross section in relation to leaf area
- Related
- Journal of theoretical biology, Vol. 303, (2012), p.98-109
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jtbi.2012.03.008
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Date
- 2012
- Author/Creator
- Westoby, Mark
- Author/Creator
- Cornwell, William K
- Author/Creator
- Falster, Daniel S
- Description
- Sapwood cross-sectional area per unit leaf area (SA:LA) is an influential trait that plants coordinate with physical environment and with other traits. We develop theory for SA:LA and also for root surface area per leaf area (RA:LA) on the premise that plants maximizing the surplus of revenue over costs should have competitive advantage. SA:LA is predicted to increase in water-relations environments that reduce photosynthetic revenue, including low soil water potential, high water vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and low atmospheric CO2. Because sapwood has costs, SA:LA adjustment does not completely offset difficult water relations. Where sapwood costs are large, as in tall plants, optimal SA:LA may actually decline with (say) high VPD. Large soil-to-root resistance caps the benefits that can be obtained from increasing SA:LA. Where a plant can adjust water-absorbing surface area of root per leaf area (RA:LA) as well as SA:LA, optimal RA:SA is not affected by VPD, CO2 or plant height. If selection favours increased height more so than increased revenue-minus-cost, then height is predicted to rise substantially under improved water-relations environments such as high-CO2 atmospheres. Evolutionary-attractor theory for SA:LA and RA:LA complements models that take whole-plant conductivity per leaf area as a parameter.
- Description
- 12 page(s)
- Subject Keyword
- Soil
- Subject Keyword
- Leaf area
- Subject Keyword
- Pressure
- Subject Keyword
- Carbon dioxide
- Subject Keyword
- Evolution
- Subject Keyword
- Water relations
- Subject Keyword
- Ecology Abstracts
- Subject Keyword
- Surface area
- Subject Keyword
- D 04030:Models
- Subject Keyword
- Methods
- Subject Keyword
- Remote Sensing
- Subject Keyword
- Water potential
- Subject Keyword
- Roots
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Organisation
- Macquarie University. Dept. of Biological Sciences
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/186622
- Identifier
- ISSN:0022-5193
- Identifier
- mq_res-ext-pro1022564705
- Language
- eng
- Reviewed
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