D. Raaimakers et al., PHOTOSYNTHETIC RATES IN RELATION TO LEAF PHOSPHORUS-CONTENT IN PIONEER VERSUS CLIMAX TROPICAL RAIN-FOREST TREES, Oecologia, 102(1), 1995, pp. 120-125
In Guyana dense rainforest occurs on intensely weathered acid soils, l
ow in soil phosphorus. To investigate whether low P availability limit
s photosynthesis of trees growing on these soils more than N does, lea
f P and N content, and their relationship with the photosynthetic capa
city (A(sat) mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1)) were studied for nine pioneer and
climax tree species in a range of light climates. Light environment w
as described using hemispherical photographs. For both pioneer and cli
max species, leaf P content (r(2) = 0.71 and 0.23, respectively) is a
more important determinant of A(sat) than leaf N content (r(2) = 0.54
and 0.12, respectively). Pioneer species have a higher leaf P and N co
ntent than climax species. At similar P or N content, pioneers have a
higher A(sat) than climax species. The saplings studied had a relative
ly high A(sat), considering their low P concentration (15-30 mu mol P
g(-1)). All species studied had a constant leaf P and N concentration
and photosynthetic capacity across light climates, because specific le
af mass (g m(-2)) increased similarly with light availability. This ac
climation to a change in light environment makes a possible limitation
of A(sat) by P or N independent of light environment.