Leaf value: Effects of damage to individual leaves on growth and reproduction of mountain birch shoots

: Ruohomaki K, Haukioja E, Repka S, Lehtila K

Publisher: ECOLOGICAL SOC AMER

: 1997

Ecology

: ECOLOGY

: 78

: 7

: 2105

: 2117

: 13

: 0012-9658

In the treatment year, removal of long shoot leaves from a growing long shoot did not affect growth of the long shoot, indicating that such growth was supported by resources external to the shoot. However, local effects were evident in the posttreatment year: leaf mass decreased in shoots that developed from axillary buds in long shoots whose supporting leaves had been clipped in the previous year. Consequently, removal of individual leaves may have local effects on shoot survivorship, reproduction, and growth. Timing of damage and shoot type modified the consequences of local leaf damage, and there were no consistent responses for all situations. Due to the limited extent of damage, the effects were not likely to result from nutrient loss due to damage. Instead, consequences of local leaf damage could be explained largely by effects on local sinks and meristem primordia.