| Abstract Detail
Ecophysiology Nakahashi, Christopher [1], Sack, Lawren [2]. The determinants and significance of stomatal responses to dry air in Hawaiian wet and dry forest species. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) responses may be fundamental determinants of species distribution and tolerance to drought. By hypothesis, stomatal responses of more drought tolerant species should have more responsive stomata to dry air. Using a gas exchange system we measured stomatal conductance at two different VPDs for 18 native Hawaiian wet and dry forest species grown in a common garden, and calculated indices of VPD response. We tested whether species with high maximum rates of gas exchange showed stronger VPD responses. We also aimed to test whether species with higher stomatal density and/or with smaller stomata showed stronger responses to vapor pressure deficit. We found a strong variation of VPD responses across species from wet and dry forests, and that dry forest species were significantly more responsive to VPD than wet forest species. We explore hypotheses for the determinants of stomatal vapor pressure deficit responses, their relationship to leaf anatomy, and their role in integrated leaf function and ecology. These data may also be useful for conservation and restoration projects given the need for ecophysiological information for plants of threatened dry and wet forests in Hawaii.
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1 - University of Hawaii at Manoa, Botany, 3190 Maile Way, Room 101, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA
2 - University of California, Los Angeles, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 621 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
Keywords:
stomatal conductance
Vapor pressure deficit.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 22
Location: 207/SUB
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008
Time: 4:30 PM
Number: 22011
Abstract ID:854 |
