Distinct physiological responses underlie defoliation tolerance in African lawn and bunch grasses

Abstract

Conclusions. The varied responses of lawn and bunch grasses to defoliation appear to arise from their different investments in defense and carbon assimilation subsequent to defoliation. Bunch grasses invest relatively more in carotenoid production, likely as a mechanism to enhance regrowth and protect costly leaves from photodamage. Moreover, bunch grasses maintain efficient carbon assimilation by structural adjustments in leaves (decreasing LDMC subsequent to defoliation), while lawn grasses maintain efficient water use by increasing leaf [N] subsequent to defoliation. Thus, we conclude that a key difference between lawn and bunch grasses is not defoliation tolerance per se but physiological adaptations that constrain them to environments with different moisture availability subsequent to defoliation.

Keywords

assimilation rate; carotenoids; grazing; leaf nitrogen; leaf tissue density; photosynthesis; SLA; structural equation model

Published in

International journal of plant sciences
2013, volume: 174, number: 5, pages: 769-778
Publisher: UNIV CHICAGO PRESS

SLU Authors

• Kumordzi, Bright Boye

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/670237

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53248