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SEASONAL ALTERATION OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC UNIT SIZES IN THREE HERB LAYER COMPONENTS OF A DECIDUOUS FOREST COMMUNITY
Author(s) -
Harvey Geoffrey W.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1980.tb07654.x
Subject(s) - evergreen , biology , photosynthesis , deciduous , herb , botany , photosynthetic capacity , evergreen forest , medicine , medicinal herbs , traditional medicine
The pigment content and photosynthetic unit size of three herbs on the floor of a mature yellow oak ( Quercus meuhlenbergii ) forest were measured during most of the growing season. Two species, dutchman's breeches ( Dicentra cucullaria ) and Virginia bluebell ( Mertensia virginica ) are spring ephemerals, while Hepatica acutiloba has a semi‐evergreen habit. Although pigment composition changed in Dicentra , photosynthetic unit size only varied slightly. Mertensia was nearly invariant in pigment composition, but unit size was modified as the growing season progressed. The semi‐evergreen herb, Hepatica , underwent a remarkable alteration in pigment content, photosynthetic unit size, and number following overstory leaf expansion. The results indicate that an alteration of photosynthetic unit size is possible in fully expanded leaves of two forest floor herbs.