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Herbaceous monocot plant form and function along a tropical rain-forest light gradient: a reversal of dicot strategy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2009

Nathan G. Swenson
Nathan G. Swenson*
Affiliation:
Center for Tropical Forest Science – Asia Program, Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
*
Email: nswenson@oeb.harvard.edu
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Extract

Whole plant form and function vary spectacularly across the seed plants. In recent years, plant evolutionary ecologists have begun to document this diversity on large geographic scales by analysing ‘functional traits’ that are indicative of whole plant performance across environmental gradients (Swenson & Enquist 2007, Wright et al. 2004). Despite the high degree of functional diversity in tropical forests, convergence in function does occur locally along successional or light gradients (Bazzaz & Pickett 1980, Swaine & Whitmore 1988).

Keywords

CalatheaCostusHeliconiaRenealmiaSpecific Leaf Areatissue densitytissue water content
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 103 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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