Scaling relationships among photosynthetic rate, foliar nutrient concentration,
and leaf mass per unit area (LMA) have been observed for a broad range of plants.
Leaf traits of the carnivorous pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica,
endemic to southern Oregon and northern California, USA, differ substantially
from the predictions of these general scaling relationships; net photosynthetic
rates of Darlingtonia are much lower than predicted by general scaling
relationships given observed foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations
and LMA. At five sites in the center of its range, leaf traits of Darlingtonia
were strongly correlated with elevation and differed with soil calcium availability
and bedrock type. The mean foliar N : P of 25.2
Publisher
Botanical Society of America
Additional data
copyright: Aaron M. Ellison, BSA
license: http://images.botany.org/index.html#license