Overview
No other book treats leaf longevity as a central topic
Leaf longevity is a key element in foliar function
Leaf longevity provides a link for scaling productivity from leaf to canopy
Part of the book series: Ecological Research Monographs (ECOLOGICAL)
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
Leaf longevity is a fundamental process underlying patterns of variation in foliar phenology and determining the distinction between deciduous and evergreen plant species. Variation in leaf longevity is associated with a wide array of differences in the physiology, anatomy, morphology and ecology of plants. This book brings together for the first time information scattered widely in the botanical literature to provide a clear and comprehensive introduction to the nature and significance of variation in leaf longevity. It traces the development of ideas about leaf longevity from the earliest descriptive studies to contemporary theory of leaf longevity as a key element in the function of leaves as photosynthetic organs. An understanding of variation in leaf longevity reveals much about the nature of adaptation at the whole plant level and provides fundamental insights into the basis of variation in plant productivity at the ecosystem level. The analysis of leaf longevity also provides a process-based perspective on phenological shifts associated with the changing climate. Readers will find this an informative synthesis summarizing and illustrating different views in a readily accessible narrative that draws attention to a central but too often unappreciated aspect of plant biology. The nature and causes of seasonal patterns in the birth and death of individual plant leaves are essential to the understanding of the health of plant communities, biomes, and consequently our planet.
Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Ecology of Leaf Longevity
Authors: Kihachiro Kikuzawa, Martin J. Lechowicz
Series Title: Ecological Research Monographs
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53918-6
Publisher: Springer Tokyo
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer 2011
Hardcover ISBN: 978-4-431-53917-9Published: 15 July 2011
Softcover ISBN: 978-4-431-54742-6Published: 12 October 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-4-431-53918-6Published: 21 June 2011
Series ISSN: 2191-0707
Series E-ISSN: 2191-0715
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 147
Topics: Ecology, Forestry, Plant Sciences