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    Which common indices of sclerophylly best reflect differencesin leaf structure?

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    146855_Groom and Lamont Ecoscience1999.pdf (599.6Kb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Groom, Philip
    Lamont, Byron
    Date
    1999
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Groom, P.K. and Lamont, B.B. (1999) Which common indices of sclerophylly best reflect differences in leaf structure? Écoscience 6, 471-474.
    Faculty
    School of Agriculture and Environment
    Faculty of Science and Engineering
    Department of Environmental Biology
    Remarks

    This item may be available from Dr Philip Groom

    Email: p.groom@curtin.edu.au

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2784
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    When describing the sclerophyllous nature of leaves, two indices are most commonly cited: fibre:protein ratio (FPR), better known as the Loveless sclerophylly index; and leaf mass per unit area (LMA), or its inverse, specific leaf area (SLA). Here, we assess the relative importance of these two indices in accounting for changes in leaf structure, the primary basis for variations in sclerophylly. FPR compares structural (i. e., lignin and cellulose [crude fibre]) to non-structural (i.e., protein = protoplasm) leaf material, on the basis that increasing sclerophylly is associated with a greater contribution of crude fibre and smaller contribution of protein to total dry weight. However, raising the crude fibre content is just one way of increasing sclerophylly, and a decrease in the nitrogen content (i. e., protein) does not contribute directly to the impression of leaf hardness. While FPR lacks a clear anatomical basis, it may provide a biochemical interpretation of sclerophylly. In contrast, LMA is the cross product of leaf thickness and leaf density, two (often independent) attributes that are linked to different components of a leaf’s anatomical/structural attributes. We show that FPR and LMA are often poorly correlated and conclude that LMA is a more useful measure of sclerophylly, especially when thickness and density are known.

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