Table 2.
Phenolic concentration (total phenolics and tannin activity, the latter measured as protein precipitation) and leaf toughness (work-to-shear and specific work-to-shear) for each vegetation type
| Total phenolics (g GAE 100 g−1) | Protein precipitation (g g−1) | Work-to-shear (J m−1) | Specific work-to-shear (kJ m−2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | ||||
| Kwongan | 4·5 ± 0·5apq | 0·26 ± 0·03apq | 1·27 ± 0·20p | 2·31 ± 0·30pq |
| Eucalypt forest understorey | 4·9 ± 0·5apq | 0·29 ± 0·06abpq | 0·09 ± 0·03 | 0·51 ± 0·09apq |
| Tropical rainforest | 4·7 ± 1·1aq | 0·33 ± 0·07abq | 0·17 ± 0·02aq | 0·86 ± 0·09bcp |
| New Caledonia | ||||
| Dry forest | 4·1 ± 0·1aq | 0·16 ± 0·04aq | 0·19 ± 0·03aq | 0·67 ± 0·08abp |
| Rainforest | 6·2 ± 0·5bp | 0·48 ± 0·05bp | 0·19 ± 0·02aq | 0·56 ± 0·06acq |
| Maquis | 7·6 ± 0·7bp | 0·38 ± 0·05abp | 0·53 ± 0·08p | 1·09 ± 0·17bp |
| F, P | 5·0, <0·001 | 5·2, <0·001 | 45·6, <0·001 | 18·5, <0·001 |
The data are means ± s.e. For the south-western Australian vegetation, only kwongan species are included (n = 18). The results of ANOVA are given, with shared superscript letters indicating no significant difference among vegetation types, and shared subscripts indicating the results of PICs analysis. All data were log-transformed for analysis, except tannin activity (protein precipitation). Sources of data are given in the text.