Importance of the gradient in photosynthetically active radiation in a vegetation stand for leaf nitrogen allocation in two monocotyledons

Carex acutiformis and Brachypodium pinnatum were grown with a uniform distribution of photosynthetic photon flux density (PFD) with height, and in a vertical PFD gradient similar to the PFD gradient in a leaf canopy. Distribution of organic leaf N and light-saturated rates of photosynthesis were det...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1993-09, Vol.95 (3), p.416-424
Main Authors: Pons, T.L. (Utrecht Univ. (Netherlands). Dept. Plant Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Rijnberk, H. van, Scheurwater, I, Werf, A. van der
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Brachypodium pinnatum
CAREX
Carex acutiformis
COUVERT
CUBIERTA DE COPAS
FEUILLE
FOTOSINTESIS
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
GRAMINEAE
Growing seasons
HERBAGE
HOJAS
IRRADIACION
IRRADIATION
Leaf area
Leaves
METABOLISME DE L'AZOTE
METABOLISMO DEL NITROGENO
Nitrogen
Nitrogen allocation
Nutrient availability
PHOTOSYNTHESE
Photosynthesis
Plant growth
Plants
Plants and fungi
PRADERAS
Vegetation
Vegetation canopies
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Summary:Carex acutiformis and Brachypodium pinnatum were grown with a uniform distribution of photosynthetic photon flux density (PFD) with height, and in a vertical PFD gradient similar to the PFD gradient in a leaf canopy. Distribution of organic leaf N and light-saturated rates of photosynthesis were determined. These parameters were also determined on plants growing in a natural vegetation stand. The effect of a PFD gradient was compared with the effect of a leaf canopy. In Brachypodium, plants growing in a vegetation stand had increasing leaf N with plant height. However, distribution of leaf N was not influenced by the PFD gradient treatment. The gradient of leaf N in plants growing in a leaf canopy was not due to differences within the long, mostly erect, leaves but to differences between leaves. In Carex, however, the PFD gradient caused a clear increase of leaf N with height in individual leaves and thus also in plants. The leaf N gradient was similar to that of plants growing in a leaf canopy. Leaf N distribution was not affected by nutrient availability in Carex. In most cases, photosynthesis was positively related to leaf N. Hence, lightsaturated rates of photosynthesis increased towards the top of the plants growing in leaf canopies in both species and, in Carex, also in the PFD gradient, thus contributing to increased N use efficiency for photosynthesis of the whole plant
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/bf00320997