Leaf Physiological Adjustments to Changing Lights: Partitioning the Heterogeneous Resources across Tree Species

Author

• Atsushi Ishida
• , Akira Uemura
• , Naoko Yamashita
• , Michiru Shimizu
• , Takashi Nakano
• , Ang Lai Hoe

Abstract

Rain forest trees with various light requirements exhibit a high variation in their physiology and morphology as they encounter contrasting light environments, contributing to higher leaf carbon gain in each environment. A desire to understand the species-specific variations of capturing and using of light resources in terms of photosynthetic processes provides the setting for this chapter. Both niche partitioning and chance effects in the distribution of tropical trees are widely recognized. The objective of this chapter is to clarify tree responses at the single leaf and whole plant levels for the spatial and temporal changes of lights, providing an improved background of ideas on rain forest dynamics and coexistence and an improved plan for the sustainable forest management and conservation. Recent evidences that the ecophysiological adjustments of plant to changing lights influence replacement success under the changing environments and tropical forest dynamics, are reviewed briefly.

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