title: Does shade improve light interception efficiency? A comparison among seedlings from shade-tolerant and -intolerant temperate deciduous tree species.
abstract: Here, we tested two hypotheses: shading increases light interception efficiency (LIE) of broadleaved tree seedlings, and shade-tolerant species exhibit larger LIEs than do shade-intolerant ones. The impact of seedling size was taken into account to detect potential size-independent effects on LIE. LIE was defined as the ratio of mean light intercepted by leaves to light intercepted by a horizontal surface of equal area. Seedlings from five species differing in shade tolerance (Acer saccharum, Betula alleghaniensis, A. pseudoplatanus, B. pendula, Fagus sylvatica) were grown under neutral shading nets providing 36, 16 and 4% of external irradiance. Seedlings (1- and 2-year-old) were three-dimensionally digitized, allowing calculation of LIE. Shading induced dramatic reduction in total leaf area, which was lowest in shade-tolerant species in all irradiance regimes. Irradiance reduced LIE through increasing leaf overlap with increasing leaf area. There was very little evidence of significant size-independent plasticity of LIE. No relationship was found between the known shade tolerance of species and LIE at equivalent size and irradiance.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Forestière interuniversitaire, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succ. Centre ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3P 3P8.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delagrange
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montpied
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dreyer
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Messier
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sinoquet
mesh_terms: D008834:Microclimate; D008954:Models, Biological; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D036226:Seedlings / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D013472:Sunlight; D014197:Trees / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*