Abstract
Key message
The strategies of net carbon gain and defense/storage are evidenced to be complementary for the shade tolerance of seedlings of an emergent tropical tree.
Abstract
Cariniana legalis is one of the largest endemic tree species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. From two independent experiments we investigated the influence of nine leaf traits and leaf damage on the growth and whole-plant carbon gain of C. legalis seedlings in a wide gradient of light availability. Two hypotheses were tested: (a) At leaf scale, C. legalis seedlings are able to simultaneously maximize net carbon gain and maintain characteristics associated to defense/storage strategy under dense shade conditions. (b) At a whole-plant scale, leaf damage by simulated herbivory affects the ratio between carbon gain by leaves and carbon loss by stems and roots, altering the minimum thresholds of light to shade tolerance of C. legalis seedlings. All seedlings had positive relative growth rates (RGR) in low daily light integral (DLI), i.e. from 0.6 mol photons m−2 day−1. Our first hypothesis was partially accepted, as the highest plasticity values for light compensation point (LCP) and dark respiration rate (Rd) indicated that the net carbon gain under low light is related to a decrease in leaf metabolism and carbon loss. Additionally, the high values of leaf mass per area (LMA) and the low individual leaf area (ILA) can be important survival mechanisms for C. legalis seedlings under dense shade conditions. Our second hypothesis was accepted, as the whole-plant light compensation point (WPLCP) was significantly higher in seedlings with simulated herbivory compared to control. Leaf damage can affect the minimum thresholds of light for shade tolerance of C. legalis seedlings.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.
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Acknowledgements
Marayana P. Pinheiro and Catriane Sousa-Santos acknowledge Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for their doctoral fellowships. Amanda Freitas Cerqueira acknowledges CAPES for the postdoctoral scholarship. Ândrea Carla Dalmolin (07604/2020-9) and Marcelo S. Mielke (308860/2021-7) gratefully acknowledge the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for their fellowships award of scientific productivity.
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This study was financed in part by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001, and Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz.
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Mielke, M.S., Pinheiro, M.P., Dalmolin, Â.C. et al. Does leaf net carbon gain and damage explain the minimum thresholds of light for shade tolerance in seedlings of an emergent rainforest tropical tree?. Trees 37, 1727–1741 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-023-02455-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-023-02455-9