Plant Ecology in a Changing World
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Topic 17 - 
Carbon balance - plant phenology and resource allocation enhance performance


Essential elements from Topic 17:
In this lecture, we discuss .  We will learn about
  • how plants allocate and reallocate resources to enhance performance 
  • how aboveground growth is a repeating sequence of vegetative, reproductive, and transport modules
  • carbon balance as an integrated approach to study growth, phenology, and reproductive patterns
  • constraints and tradeoffs in resource acquisition and utilization
  • constructions costs for tissues and the importance of understanding the distribution of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid composition
  • root-to-shoot ratio as an integrating concept
  • tradeoffs between growth and longevity
  • the importance of allocation to defensive compounds/structures

Given the autotrophic dependence and general immobility of plants, a number of adaptation allow them to persist through rather large changes in the quality of the physical environment. In this lecture, we will see just how acclimation responses allow leaves to photosynthesize across a wide range of environmental conditions.


Click here to download PDF of slides associated with Topic 17
Click here to view YOUTUBE videos on Topic 17
Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah