ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess

Abstract Number: 2433
Poster No. = 1474


LEAF PHYSIOGNOMY AND CLIMATE RELATIONSHIPS IN AUSTRALIAN MESIC FORESTS


David GREENWOOD, Barbara PUCHALSKI, & Darren BALDYGA, School of Life Sciences & Technology, Victoria University of Technology, AUSTRALIA.


Dicot leaf features along climatic gradients were examined for eastern Australian mesic forest sites. Sites ranged from monsoonal deciduous (MAP >800mm/yr, dry season <50mm/qtr, MAT >18°C) and humid tropical rainforest (>3000mm/yr, >500mm/qtr, 18-25°C), to temperate rainforest (>1200mm/yr, >150mm/qtr, 6-14°C). Mean leaf width was significantly correlated with MAT for high rainfall sites (R2 = 0.75, p > 0.000), but was not significant (R2 = 0.29, p > 0.001) when low MAP or high rainfall seasonality sites were included, reflecting the influence of water deficit as the primary limiting factor in the latter sites. The proportion of species with toothed leaf margins in local vegetation was also correlated with MAT, but the regression line was significantly different from that derived for other regions.

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