Abstract
Growth responses and changes in leaf chemical composition of hybrid mahogany (big-leaf × small-leaf) seedlings grown under contrasting light regimes were measured over 417 days. The seedlings showed strong reductions in relative growth rates under low light, but maintained a positive carbon gain, indicated by continuous biomass accumulation under these conditions. Light intensity seemed to affect more markedly the growth of individuals with the largest intrinsic growth capacity. Growth under full light resulted in pronounced water stress, particularly in seedlings without a large root system. The seedlings showed high plasticity in leaf area but not in leaf dry weight, which explains the larger area:weight ratios of seedlings developing under low light. Nitrogen concentration was significantly higher in low-light seedlings, but because of the larger area: weight ratios of low-light leaves, the N concentration per unit area was higher under the intermediate- and high-light (~70mmolm−2) than in the low-light treatment (55mmolm−2).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Literature Cited
Anten, N.P.R., Hernández, R., and Medina, E. 1996. The photosynthetic capacity and leaf nitrogen concentration as related to light regime in shade leaves of a montane tropical forest tree Tetrorchidium rubri enium. Functional Ecology 10:491–500.
Chiariello, N.R., Mooney, H.A., and Williams, K. 1989. Growth, carbon allocation and cost of plant tissues. In Plant Physiological Ecology, eds. R.W. Pearcy, J. Ehleringer, H.A. Mooney, and P.W. Rundel, pp. 327–365. Chapman & Hall, London.
Fetcher, N., Strain, B.R., and Oberbauer, S.F. 1983. Effects of the light regime on the growth, leaf morphology, and water relations of seedlings of two species of tropical trees. Oecologia (Berlin) 58:314–319.
Geary, T.F., Barres, H., and Briscoe, C.B. 1972. Hybrid Mahogany Recommended for Planting in the Virgin Islands. Research Paper ITF-15. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Institute of Tropical Forestry, RÍo Piedras, PR.
Gerhardt, K. 1994. Seedling Development of Four Tree Species in Secondary Tropical Dry Forest in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Dissertation, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Gullison, R.E., Panfil, S.N., Strouse, J.J., and Hubbell, S.D. 1996. Ecology and management of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) in the Chimanes forest, Beni, Bolivia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 122:9–34.
Harborne, J.B. 1973. Flavonoids. In Phytochemistry, Vol. 2, ed. L.P. Miller, pp. 344–380. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
Huang, C.Y., and Schulte, E.E. 1985. Digestion of plant tissue for analysis by ICP emission spectroscopy. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 16:943–958.
Hunter, A.H. 1982. International Soil Fertility Evaluation and Improvement: Laboratory Procedures. Department of Soil Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
Kitajima, K. 1994. Relative importance of photosynthetic traits and allocation patterns as correlates of seedling shade tolerance of 13 tropical trees. Oecologia (Berlin) 98:419–428.
Kitajima, K. 1996. Ecophysiology of tropical tree seedlings. In Tropical Forest Plant Ecophysiology, eds. S.S. Mulkery, R.L. Chazdon, and A.P. Smith, pp. 559–596. Chapman & Hall, New York.
Lamb, F.B. 1966. Mahogany of Tropical America. Its Ecology and Management. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI.
Lee, D.W., Baskaran, K., Manzor, M., Manzor, M., Mohamed, H., and Yap, S.K. 1996. Irradiance and spectral quality affect Asian tropical rain forest tree seedling development. Ecology 77:568–580.
Lehto, T., and Grace, J. 1994. Carbon balance of tropical tree seedlings: a comparison of two species. New Phytologist 127:455–463.
Marrero, J. 1950. Results of forest planting in the insular forests of Puerto Rico. Caribbean Forester 11:107–147.
Marschner, H. 1995. Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants, second edition. Academic Press. London.
Mole, S., Rogler, J.A.M., and Waterman, P.G. 1988. Light-induced variation in phenolic levels in foliage of rain forest plants. I. Chemical changes. Journal of Chemical Ecology 14:1–21.
Nelson, D.W., and Sommers, L.E. 1982. Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2, pp. 576–571. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI.
Newton, A.C., Baker, P., Ramnarine, S., Mesen, J.F., and Leakey, R.R.B. 1993. The mahogany shoot borer: prospects for control. Forest Ecology and Management 57:301–328.
Nobles, R.W., and Briscoe, C.B. 1966. Height Growth of Mahogany Seedlings, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. Research Note ITF-10. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Institute of Tropical Forestry, RÍo Piedras, PR.
Osunkowya, O.O., Ash, J.E., Hopkins, M.S., and Graham, A.W. 1994. Influence of seed size and seedling ecological attributes on shade-tolerance of rain-forest tree species in northern Queensland. Journal of Ecology 82:149–163.
Ramos, J., and Grace, J. 1990. The effects of shade on the gas exchange of seedlings of four tropical trees from México. Functional Ecology 4:667–677.
Snook, L.K. 1996. Catastrophic disturbance, logging and the ecology of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King): grounds for listing a major tropical timber species in CITES. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 122:35–46.
Strauss-Debenedetti, S., and Bazzaz, F.A. 1991. Plasticity and acclimation to light in tropical Moraceae of different successional positions. Oecologia (Berlin) 87:377–387.
Tabatabai, M.A., and Bremmer, J.M. 1991. Automated instruments for determination of total carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in soils by combustion techniques. In Soil Analysis, Modern Instrumental Techniques, second edition, pp. 261–286. Dekker, New York.
Tinoco-Ojanguren, C., and Pearcy, R.W. 1995. A comparison of light quality and quantity effects on the growth and steady-state and dynamic photosynthetic characteristics of three tropical tree species. Functional Ecology 9:222–230.
Verissimo A., Barreto, P., Tarifa, R., and Uhl, C. 1995. Extraction of a high value natural resource in Amazonia: the case of mahogany. Forest Ecology and Management 72:39–60.
Waterman, P.G., and Mole, S. 1998. Analysis of phenolic plant metabolites. In Methods in Ecology. Blackwell, Oxford.
Whitmore, J.L., and Hinojosa, G. 1977. Mahogany (Swietenia) Hybrids. Research Paper ITF-23. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Institute of Tropical Forestry, RÍo Piedras, PR.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Medina, E., Wang, HH., Lugo, A.E., Popper, N. (2003). Growth-, Water-, and Nutrient-Related Plasticity in Hybrid Mahogany Leaf Development Under Contrasting Light Regimes. In: Lugo, A.E., Figueroa Colón, J.C., Alayón, M. (eds) Big-Leaf Mahogany. Ecological Studies, vol 159. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21778-9_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21778-9_8
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-98837-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-21778-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive