Structure, Production and Leaf Area Dynamics: A Comparison of Lodgepole Pine and Sunflower

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Annals of Botany

Publication Date

1991

Volume

68

Issue

3

Abstract

Populations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var latifolia Engelm) and sunflower (Heltanthus annuus L) were examined to compare the influence of stand density on canopy structure and the association between canopy structure and the production of stem volume The plastic responses of canopy structure to competitive interactions indicated that the structural dynamics of lodgepole pine and sunflower populations were similar, though the degree of plastic response differed The influence of canopy structure on the production of stem volume, however, was fundamentally different efficiency decreased as the mean crown size of lodgepole pine populations increased, but this decrease did not occur in sunflower populations This difference was attributed to the large accumulation of branch biomass required to display foliage effectively in the canopies of the perennial lodgepole pine, accumulation which does not occur in the annual sunflower.

Comments

Originally published by Oxford University Press. Abstract available through remote link. Subscription required to access article fulltext.

First Page

247

Last Page

252

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