Mark Westoby

The worldwide leaf economics spectrum

Strategy shifts in leaf physiology, structure and nutrient content between species of high‐ and low‐rainfall and high‐ and low‐nutrient habitats

Summary Relationships were examined among photosynthetic capacity ( A mass and A area ), foliar dark respiration rate ( R d‐mass and R d‐area ), stomatal conductance to water ( ...

Leaves at low versus high rainfall: coordination of structure, lifespan and physiology

• Across species, leaf lifespan (LL) tends to be correlated with leaf mass per area (LMA). Previously we found that Australian perennial species from low-rainfall sites had c . ...

Least‐Cost Input Mixtures of Water and Nitrogen for Photosynthesis

In microeconomics, a standard framework is used for determining the optimal input mix for a two-input production process. Here we adapt this framework for understanding the way ...

Nutrient concentration, resorption and lifespan: leaf traits of Australian sclerophyll species

Summary Most plants withdraw nutrients from leaves as they age, and redeploy them elsewhere in the plant. The proportion of nutrients resorbed and the residual nutrient concentr...

The Time Value of Leaf Area

When a plant invests in construction of a leaf, the revenue-stream that accrues is shaped by three variables: first, the light-capture area per milligram dry mass invested, anal...