22 April 2004
Take stock of the plant world
Glopnet — the Global Plant Trait Network — is a major international collaboration, set up to accumulate data on all types of plants in all types of environments. The first fruits of the work are now published. Data from over 2,500 species and 175 sites around the world, representing every major biome, reveal that much of the wealth of plants is determined by their position along a leaf economics 'spectrum'. At one end are 'live-fast-die-young' plants, with a quick return on investment. They have high rates of photosynthesis and respiration, short leaf lifespan and low investment in woody tissue. At the more conservative extreme are species that invest more resources in structures and repay their investment over a longer period. The leaf economics spectrum explains much about the interaction of plants with their environment, and how they will respond to changes in climate and land use.
The worldwide leaf economics spectrum
IAN J. WRIGHT et al.
Nature 428, 821–827 (2004); doi:10.1038/nature02403
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