Plant growth forms: an ecological and evolutionary perspective

Abstract

SummaryTrees, shrubs, lianas and herbs have widely different mechanical architectures, which can also vary phenotypically with the environment. This review investigates how environmental effects, particularly mechanical perturbation, can influence biomechanical development in self-supporting and climbing growth forms. The bifacial vascular cambium is discussed in terms of its significance to growth form variation, ecology and evolution among extant plants, and during its appearance and early evolution. A key aspect of this developmental innovation concerned its potential for architectural and mechanical variation in response to environmental effects as well as optimizing hydraulic supply before the appearance of laminate leaves. Growth form diversity and its importance to past and present ecosystems are discussed in relation to both evolutionary constraints and ecological factors such as climatic change and atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. We discuss how widely ranging growth forms such as climbers show a large range of developmental and phenotypic variation that has much to offer in understanding how the environment can modify plant development, particularly in terms of the bifacial vascular cambium. The broad approach we propose would benefit a wide range of studies from research into wood development to long-term ecological censuses of today's potentially changing ecosystems.New Phytologist (2005) 166 : 61-72 © New Phytologist (2005)

Relationships among wood anatomy, hydraulic conductivity, density and shear parallel to the grain in the wood of 24-year-old Handroanthus vellosoi (Bignoniaceae)

“…Domec & Gartner (2002) studied trade-offs between hydraulic and mechanical properties of Douglas-fir wood conclude that large radial variation in the wood anatomy of trees is an adaptation to hydraulic rather than mechanical requirements. However, hydraulic conductivity and mechanical requirements are evolutionarily related (Rowe & Speck 2005). The hydraulic conductivity appears to be slightly ahead to guide the evolution and consequently it may happen during ontogeny.…”

Root to branch wood anatomical variation and its influence on hydraulic conductivity in five Brazilian Cerrado species

“…Therefore, there is a trade-off between conductivity and stiffness or strength with changes in vessel anatomy in response to mechanical loading, suggesting that anatomical alterations occur in response to mechanical strain. According to Rowe and Speck (2005), the hydraulic and mechanical requirements are evolutionarily related to each other.…”

Plant Species Composition and Their Conspecific Association in Natural Tropical Rainforest, South Papua

“…Then, vegetation has developed such strategies as responses to ecological niche. The vegetation can be divided based on diverse forms of plants (Adamson, 1939;Cain, 1950;Richards & Champion, 1954;Rikhari, Adhikari, & Rawat, 1997;Rowe & Speck, 2005) and plant major group of interest as angiosperms, gymnosperms, pterodhipytes and bryophytes (Whittaker, 1969). Therefore, various types of vegetation use strategies to outcompete among other individuals (Pinard & Putz, 1994).…”