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Ecophysiology and plant size in a tropical epiphytic fern, Asplenium nidus, in Taiwan
Martin, Craig E. Lin, Teng-Chiu Hsu, Chia-Chin Lin, Shin-Hwei Lin, Kuo-Chuan Hsia, Yue-Joe Chiou, Wen-Liang
Martin, Craig E.
Lin, Teng-Chiu
Hsu, Chia-Chin
Lin, Shin-Hwei
Lin, Kuo-Chuan
Hsia, Yue-Joe
Chiou, Wen-Liang
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Abstract
Recent studies indicate that, especially in epiphytes, plant size has a strong influence on the ecophysiology of individual leaves of a plant. Extensive data sets that address this phenomenon, however, are limited to a few taxa of flowering plants. It was the purpose of this study to examine numerous physiological parameters in individuals of varying sizes of Asplenium nidus, a widespread epiphytic tropical fern, in a rain forest in northeastern Taiwan. Although stomatal dimensions and frond thickness did not vary with plant size, frond stomatal densities were higher in larger plants. Frond elemental concentration did not vary with plant size for nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium, while the concentrations of carbon, calcium, and potassium changed with plant size, though in different ways. The osmotic concentration of liquid expressed from the fronds did not change with plant size, nor did chlorophyll concentrations and chlorophyll a/b ratio. Fronds excised from smaller plants contained more water yet lost water at lower rates in laboratory drying experiments. Although rates of net CO2 exchange of the fronds measured in situ in the field appeared to increase with plant size, this increase and other size-related differences in gas exchange parameters were not significant. Although some aspects of the ecophysiology of this epiphytic fern varied with changes in plant size, most physiological parameters did not. Thus, the results of this study lend only little support to past findings that plant size is an important consideration in ecophysiological studies of plants.
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Date
2004
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University of Chicago
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Keywords
ecophysiology, elemental nutrients, epiphytes, gas exchange, morphology, photosynthesis, plant size, Taiwan, water relations
Citation
Martin, C.E., T.-C. Lin, C.-C. Hsu, S.-H. Lin, K.-C. Lin, Y.-J. Hsia, and W.-L. Chiou. 2004. Ecophysiology and plant size in a tropical epiphytic fern, Asplenium nidus, in Taiwan. Int. J. Plant Sci. 165:65-72.