High leaf mass per area of related species assemblages may reflect low rainfall and carbon isotope discrimination rather than low phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations

摘要

1. Leaf morphology at the site/species level should reflect environmental constraints on plant growth. One of the oldest controversies in ecology is the environmental basis for sclerophylly. The dominant view (Beadle's theory) is that it has a nutritional, rather than a drought, basis, especially low phosphorus.