Interaction between sapwood and foliage area in alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) trees of different heights.

In native stands of Eucalyptus delegatensis R. T. Baker, sapwood area (As) to foliage area (Af) ratios (As:Af) decreased as tree height increased, contradicting the common interpretation of the Pipe Model Theory as well as the generally observed trend of increasing As:Af ratios with tree height. To clarify this relationship, we estimated sapwood hydraulic conductivity theoretically based on measurements of sapwood vessel diameters and Poiseuille's law for fluid flow through pipes. Despite the observed decrease in As:Af ratios with tree height, leaf specific conductivity increased with total tree height, largely as a result of an increase in the specific conductivity of sapwood. This observation supports the proposition that the stem's ability to supply foliage with water must increase as trees grow taller, to compensate for the increased hydraulic path length. The results presented here highlight the importance of measuring sapwood hydraulic conductivity in analyses of sapwood-foliage interactions, and suggest that measurements of sapwood hydraulic conductivity may help to resolve conflicting observations of how As:Af ratios change as trees grow taller.

[1]  R. Florence.  Ecology and Silviculture of Eucalypt Forests , 2004 .

[2]  M. G. Ryan,et al.  The relationship between tree height and leaf area: sapwood area ratio , 2002, Oecologia.

[3]  T. Brodribb,et al.  Stem hydraulic supply is linked to leaf photosynthetic capacity: evidence from New Caledonian and Tasmanian rainforests , 2000 .

[4]  John Tenhunen,et al.  The effect of tree height on crown level stomatal conductance , 2000 .

[5]  Maurizio Mencuccini,et al.  Age‐related decline in stand productivity: the role of structural acclimation under hydraulic constraints , 2000 .

[6]  Stan D. Wullschleger,et al.  Hydraulic limitation of tree height: a critique , 2000 .

[7]  James H. Brown,et al.  A general model for the structure and allometry of plant vascular systems , 1999, Nature.

[8]  Rodger B. Grayson,et al.  Large-scale modelling of forest hydrological processes and their long-term effect on water yield , 1999 .

[9]  M. G. Ryan,et al.  Evidence that hydraulic conductance limits photosynthesis in old Pinus ponderosa trees. , 1999, Tree physiology.

[10]  E. DeLucia,et al.  Hydraulic adjustment of maple saplings to canopy gap formation , 1997, Oecologia.

[11]  M. G. Ryan,et al.  Hydraulic Limits to Tree Height and Tree Growth , 1997 .

[12]  Maurizio Mencuccini,et al.  Biomechanical and hydraulic determinants of tree structure in Scots pine: anatomical characteristics. , 1997, Tree physiology.

[13]  S. Gower,et al.  Aboveground net primary production decline with stand age: potential causes. , 1996, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[14]  Maurizio Mencuccini,et al.  Developmental patterns of above‐ground hydraulic conductance in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) age sequence , 1996 .

[15]  Maurizio Mencuccini,et al.  Hydraulic conductance, light interception and needle nutrient concentration in Scots pine stands and their relations with net primary productivity. , 1996, Tree physiology.

[16]  A. Mäkelä,et al.  Effects of age and site quality on the distribution of biomass in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) , 1996, Trees.

[17]  R. Benyon,et al.  Relationships between stem diameter, sapwood area, leaf area and transpiration in a young mountain ash forest. , 1995, Tree physiology.

[18]  F. Berninger,et al.  Foliage area-sapwood area relationships of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees in different climates , 1994 .

[19]  D. Connor,et al.  An analysis of sap flow in mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of different age. , 1993, Tree physiology.

[20]  M. Greenwood,et al.  Maturation in larch: age-related changes in xylem development in the long-shoot foliage and the main stem. , 1993, Tree physiology.

[21]  M. Tyree,et al.  Hydraulic resistance in Acer saccharum shoots and its influence on leaf water potential and transpiration. , 1993, Tree physiology.

[22]  H. Margolis,et al.  Factors affecting the relationship between sapwood area and leaf area of balsam fir , 1992 .

[23]  F. Ewers,et al.  The hydraulic architecture of trees and other woody plants , 1991 .

[24]  K. F. Wells,et al.  Predicting tree diameter and height from above-ground biomass for four eucalypt species , 1991, Trees.

[25]  G. Gerrish.  Relating Carbon Allocation Patterns to Tree Senescence in Metrosideros Forests , 1990 .

[26]  F. Smith,et al.  Leaf Area-Sapwood Area Relations of Lodgepole Pine as Influenced by Stand Density and Site Index , 1988 .

[27]  G. Weetman,et al.  Leaf area – sapwood cross-sectional area relationships in repressed stands of lodgepole pine , 1987 .

[28]  J. N. Long,et al.  Variation in Sapwood Area-Leaf Area Relations Within Two Stands of Lodgepole Pine , 1986 .

[29]  P. Jarvis,et al.  Conducting sapwood area, foliage area, and permeability in mature trees of Piceasitchensis and Pinuscontorta , 1984 .

[30]  Richard H. Waring,et al.  Application of the pipe model theory to predict canopy leaf area. , 1982 .

[31]  James K. Brown,et al.  Comparison of Tree Biomass Estimators—DBH and Sapwood Area , 1978 .

[32]  J. Petty.  Fluid Flow through the Vessels of Birch Wood , 1978 .

[33]  R. Waring,et al.  Evaluating stem conducting tissue as an estimator of leaf area in four woody angiosperms , 1977 .

[34]  G. Baskerville.  Use of Logarithmic Regression in the Estimation of Plant Biomass , 1972 .

[35]  T. Kira,et al.  A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PLANT FORM-THE PIPE MODEL THEORY : II. FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE THEORY AND ITS APPLICATION IN FOREST ECOLOGY , 1964 .

[36]  T. Kira,et al.  A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PLANT FORM-THE PIPE MODEL THEORY : I.BASIC ANALYSES , 1964 .

[37]  M. Zimmermann,et al.  Xylem Structure and the Ascent of Sap , 2002, Springer Series in Wood Science.

[38]  Michael G. Ryan,et al.  Stomatal conductance and photosynthesis vary linearly with plant hydraulic conductance in ponderosa pine , 2001 .

[39]  Andrea Nardini,et al.  Xylem cavitation and hydraulic control of stomatal conductance in Laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) , 2000 .

[40]  H. Bartelink.  Allometric relationships for biomass and leaf area of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). , 1997 .

[41]  Maurizio Mencuccini,et al.  Climate influences the leaf area/sapwood area ratio in Scots pine. , 1995, Tree physiology.

[42]  S. Davis,et al.  Biophysical Perspectives of Xylem Evolution: is there a Tradeoff of Hydraulic Efficiency for Vulnerability to Dysfunction? , 1994 .

[43]  M. Greenwood,et al.  Maturation as a Developmental Process , 1993 .

[44]  R. Horne,et al.  Growth response following variable espacement of 28-year-old Alpine Ash regeneration in New South Wales , 1990 .

[45]  V. Baldwin.  Is sapwood area a better predictor of loblolly pine crown biomass than bole diameter , 1989 .

[46]  J. Wilkes.  Variations Inwoodanatomy Within Species of Eucalyptus , 1988 .

[47]  D. Bowman,et al.  Establishment, suppression and growth of eucalyptus delegatensis R.T. Baker in multiaged forests. III: Intraspecific allelopathy, competition between adult and juvenile for moisture and nutrients, and frost damage to seedlings , 1986 .

[48]  D. Bowman,et al.  Establishment, suppression and growth of Eucalyptus delegatensis R.T. Baker in multiaged forests .II. Sapling growth and its environmental correlates , 1986 .

[49]  N. Legge.  Anatomical Aspects of Water Movement Through Stems of Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) , 1985 .

[50]  D. Boland,et al.  Geographic variation in alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis R.T. Baker) , 1985 .

[51]  Frank W. Ewers,et al.  Xylem' Structure and Water Conduction in Conifer Trees, Dicot Trees, and Llanas , 1985 .

[52]  A. Albrektson.  Sapwood Basal Area and Needle Mass of Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) Trees in Central Sweden , 1984 .

[53]  Richard H. Waring,et al.  Estimating Forest Growth and Efficiency in Relation to Canopy Leaf Area , 1983 .

[54]  T. Hinckley,et al.  Foliar Weight and Area Related to Current Sapwood Area in Oak , 1979 .