How long will a leaf live? It's an economic decision. The leaves of Monkey Puzzle trees have a lifespan of more than 20 years, while Picea trees growing in the Gongga Mountains in China can survive for millennia. Despite growing in harsh conditions, these trees grow slowly, and their leaves typical
The researchers expect the new findings to improve global and regional climate models, aid in forest and vegetation management, and provide more accurate predictions on crop yield and climate change’s impact on agriculture.The leaves of Monkey Puzzle trees have a lifespan of more than 20 years, whiletrees growing in the Gongga Mountains in China can survive for millennia. Despite growing in harsh conditions, these trees grow slowly, and their leaves typically last an average of 20 years.
“We already knew that conifers and other evergreen trees make longer-living leaves the closer they are to the poles,” she says. “Deciduous trees do the opposite. Their longest-lasting leaves are found in the tropics.”“Now, we have identified the major environmental factors at play, and summarised them in two equations,” she says. “These leaf economic traits are fundamental to the carbon cycle and nutrient economy.
“Each species is essentially taking a punt on the best way to maximize carbon absorption,” says co-author Professor Ian Wright from Macquarie University and Western Sydney University.“Evergreen conifers growing in poor soil in areas with a long cold winter can only thrive if they make long-term investments in their leaves. Whereas deciduous trees, like the maple, race to create new leaves and capture carbon in the summer sun before leaf-drop in autumn,” he says.
The researchers propose that this research will not only explain what grows where today, but it will also move ecology into a predictive science that will:allow land managers to better model forests and other vegetation, and predict how climate change will affect ecosystemsReference: “Leaf economics fundamentals explained by optimality principles” by Han Wang, I. Colin Prentice, Ian J. Wright, David I. Warton, Shengchao Qiao, Xiangtao Xu, Jian Zhou, Kihachiro Kikuzawa and Nils Chr.
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