IMBIV   05474
INSTITUTO MULTIDISCIPLINARIO DE BIOLOGIA VEGETAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Leaf mechanical resistance in plant trait databases: comparing the results of two common measurement methods
Autor/es:
ENRICO, L.; DÍAZ, S. M.; WESTOBY, M.; RICE, B. L.
Revista:
ANNALS OF BOTANY
Editorial:
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
Referencias:
Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2015
ISSN:
0305-7364
Resumen:
Background and Aims: The influence of leaf mechanical properties in local ecosystem processes, such as trophic transfer, decomposition and nutrient cycling, has resulted in a growing interest in including leaf mechanical resistance in large-scale databases of plant functional traits. Specific Work to Shear and Force to Tear are two properties commonly used to describe mechanical resistance (toughness or strength) of leaves. Two methodologies have been widely used to measure them across big datasets. We aimed to assess correlations and standardization between both methods, as measured by two widely used apparatuses, in order to inter-convert existing data in those global datasets.Methods: We measured Specific Work to Shear (WSS ) and Force to Tear (FT ) in leaves of 72 species from south-eastern Australia. The measurements were done including and excluding midribs. Relationships between variables were tested by Spearman correlations and OLS regressions.Key Results: We found a positive and significant correlation between methods, but coefficients varied according to the inclusion or exclusion of the midrib in the measurements. Equations for prediction varied according to the leaf venation pattern. We also found a positive and significant (r= 0.90; P