Wright Ian J, Groom Philip K, Lamont Byron B, Poot Pieter, Prior Lynda D, Reich Peter B, Schulze E-Detlef, Veneklaas Erik J, Westoby Mark
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia. Corresponding author; email:
Centre for Horticulture and Plant Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South, NSW 1797, Australia. Department of Environmental Biology, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA 6845, Australia.
Funct Plant Biol. 2004 Jun;31(5):551-558. doi: 10.1071/FP03212.
Leaf trait data were compiled for 258 Australian plant species from several habitat types dominated by woody perennials. Specific leaf area (SLA), photosynthetic capacity, dark respiration rate and leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were positively correlated with one another and negatively correlated with average leaf lifespan. These trait relationships were consistent with previous results from global datasets. Together, these traits form a spectrum of variation running from species with cheap but frequently replaced leaves to those with strategies more attuned to a nutrient-conserving lifestyle. Australian species tended to have SLAs at the lower end of the spectrum, as expected in a dataset dominated by sclerophyllous species from low fertility or low rainfall sites. The existence of broad-scale, 'global' relationships does not imply that the same trait relationships will always be observed in small datasets. In particular, the probability of observing concordant patterns depends on the range of trait variation in a dataset, which, itself, may vary with sample size or species-sampling properties such as the range of growth forms, plant functional 'types', or taxa included in a particular study. The considerable scatter seen in these broad-scale trait relationships may be associated with climate, physiology and phylogeny.
从几种以多年生木本植物为主的栖息地类型中，收集了258种澳大利亚植物物种的叶片性状数据。比叶面积（SLA）、光合能力、暗呼吸速率以及叶片氮（N）和磷（P）浓度之间呈正相关，与平均叶寿命呈负相关。这些性状关系与全球数据集先前的结果一致。这些性状共同构成了一个变化范围，从具有成本低但频繁更替叶片的物种到那些更适应养分节约型生活方式的物种。正如预期的那样，在一个以来自低肥力或低降雨量地区的硬叶植物为主的数据集里，澳大利亚物种的比叶面积往往处于该范围的较低端。广泛的“全球”关系的存在并不意味着在小数据集中总能观察到相同的性状关系。特别是，观察到一致模式的概率取决于数据集中性状变异的范围，而这个范围本身可能会因样本大小或物种采样特性（如生长形式范围、植物功能“类型”或特定研究中包含的分类群）而有所不同。在这些广泛的性状关系中看到的大量离散现象可能与气候、生理和系统发育有关。
