Species and site effects on leaf traits of woody vegetation in a dry tropical environment

Abstract

Selected leaf traits (leaf area, leaf weight, specific leaf area and chlorophyll content) from eight woody species at four sites in the dry tropical Vindhyan forest were investigated in order to assess their variability across species and site conditions. The morphological traits such as leaf area and leaf weight were more variable than biochemical traits such as chlorophyll content. There was significant effect of species and site, and the site X species interaction was also significant for all traits. These traits were correlated except for specific leaf area, which was independent of leaf area. A combination of traits could discriminate between the sites. Between-site variability in leaf traits was smaller (1.3- 1.5-fold) than between-species variability (1.7-12.5 fold). The larger inter-species variability reflects marked genotypic variability in the leaf traits, while the smaller between-site variability reflects phenotypic plasticity leading to adaptation to site conditions.