Related Concept Videos
02:16Light Acquisition
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
02:00Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
02:40Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the biosynthesis of the...
02:04Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.
02:27Basic Plant Anatomy: Roots, Stems, and Leaves
The primary organs of vascular plants are roots, stems, and leaves, but these structures can be highly variable, adapted for the specific needs and environment of different plant species.
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Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
10:14
Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoclimate and Paleoecology with Fossil Leaves Using Digital Leaf Physiognomy and Leaf Mass Per Area
Published on: October 25, 2024
Why are evergreen leaves so contrary about shade?
Christopher H Lusk1, Peter B Reich, Rebecca A Montgomery
1Department of Biological Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. clusk@bio.mq.edu.au
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|April 29, 2008
Summary
Leaf mass per area (LMA) shows varied responses to light. In evergreens, shaded leaves have lower LMA, a pattern potentially driven by leaf lifespan, cell wall investment, or genetic constraints.
Area of Science:
- Plant Ecology
- Plant Physiology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Leaf mass per area (LMA) is a critical plant functional trait, widely measured in ecological studies.
- Understanding LMA's response to light gradients is key to predicting plant community dynamics and ecosystem function.
- Previous research indicates similarities in plastic and evolutionary LMA responses to light in deciduous forests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the patterns of leaf mass per area (LMA) variation in evergreen species across light gradients.
- To explore the potential drivers of 'counter-gradient variation' in LMA observed in evergreen plants.
- To examine the interplay between plasticity, evolutionary adaptation, and genetic constraints in shaping LMA.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of LMA in sunlit versus shaded individuals of evergreen species.
- Examination of LMA differences between shade-tolerant and light-demanding evergreen species under uniform conditions.
- Hypothesizing potential mechanisms including evolutionary coordination with leaf lifespan and selection on leaf traits.
Main Results:
- Evergreen species exhibit lower LMA in shaded individuals compared to sunlit ones.
- Shade-tolerant evergreens possess higher LMA than light-demanders when grown under identical light conditions.
- This pattern suggests 'counter-gradient variation' in LMA within evergreen communities.
Conclusions:
- The observed counter-gradient variation in LMA is likely influenced by a combination of factors.
- These factors include evolutionary coordination of LMA with leaf lifespan and differential selection on leaf structure (cell walls vs. cell contents).
- Genetic correlations constraining phenotypic plasticity may also play a significant role in shaping LMA responses.