You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article

Components of nutrient residence time and the leaf economics spectrum in species from Mediterranean old-fields differing in successional status

  1. E. KAZAKOU1,3,*,
  2. E. GARNIER1,
  3. M-L. NAVAS1,2,
  4. C. ROUMET1,
  5. C. COLLIN1,
  6. G. LAURENT1

Article first published online: 12 JAN 2007

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01242.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 21, Issue 2, pages 235–245, April 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

KAZAKOU, E., GARNIER, E., NAVAS, M.-L., ROUMET, C., COLLIN, C. and LAURENT, G. (2007), Components of nutrient residence time and the leaf economics spectrum in species from Mediterranean old-fields differing in successional status. Functional Ecology, 21: 235–245. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01242.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    CNRS, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175), 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France,

  2. 2

    ENSA-M, Département Sciences pour la Protection des Plantes et Ecologie, 2 Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France, and

  3. 3

    University of Aegean, Department of Environment, Biodiversity Management Laboratory, Building Xenia, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece

* †Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kazakou@env.aegean.gr

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 12 JAN 2007
  2. Article first published online: 12 JAN 2007
  3. Received 8 June 2006; accepted 4 December 2006Editor: Gareth Phoenix

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (283K)

Keywords:

  • leaf economics;
  • live and dead leaf nutrient concentrations;
  • mass loss;
  • nitrogen availability;
  • resorption efficiency;
  • secondary succession

Summary

  • 1
    Leaf life span (LLS) is one of the traits involved in the leaf economics spectrum (ranging from fast acquisition to efficient conservation of resources). How it relates to nutrient resorption efficiency (REFF), another key component of resource conservation, is still under debate. Here we test how leaf traits related to leaf economy, mass loss during senescence and REFF covary among species differing in resource use, and how they respond to nitrogen limitation.
  • 2
    Leaf traits were assessed for 18 species differing in successional status and in resource use, grown in a common-garden experiment under limiting and non-limiting N supply.
  • 3
    As expected, leaf traits and nutrient REFF vary with species successional status: early successional species have high rates of resource acquisition with high specific leaf area and live-leaf phosphorus concentrations, whereas late successional species have an efficient nutrient conservation with long LLS and high nutrient REFF. Leaf life span decreased under non-limiting N conditions, while nitrogen REFF was unchanged.
  • 4
    Leaf mass loss can alter assessment of nutrient REFF. Nutrient REFF was controlled by nutrient concentration in dead leaves and hence represents a process, distinct from leaf longevity, that leads to resource conservation.
View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (283K)