Table 3.
Correlations of mechanical traits with other leaf traits. The data are Pearson correlation coefficients (RP), with asterisks indicating the significance level (*P < 0·05; **P < 0·01; ***P < 0·001; n = 20 for all traits except those from tearing tests, for which n = 17). All mechanical traits were log-transformed for statistical analysis
| Mechanical traits | SLA | Water | NDF | Nmass | Total phenolics | Tannin activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shear tests | ||||||
| Work | –0·76*** | –0·62** | 0·84*** | –0·70** | 0·04 | 0·24 |
| Specific work | –0·60** | –0·66** | 0·85*** | –0·64** | 0·01 | 0·27 |
| Punch tests: lamina | ||||||
| Strength | –0·83*** | –0·57** | 0·80*** | –0·73*** | –0·10 | 0·02 |
| Specific strength | –0·47* | –0·63** | 0·65** | –0·52* | 0·09 | 0·25 |
| Work | –0·84*** | –0·53* | 0·79*** | –0·74*** | 0·02 | 0·18 |
| Specific work | –0·73*** | –0·61** | 0·80*** | –0·70** | 0·07 | 0·26 |
| Tear tests | ||||||
| Force per width | –0·63** | –0·50* | 0·65** | –0·55* | –0·10 | 0·10 |
| Strength | –0·44 | –0·52* | 0·61* | –0·42 | –0·08 | 0·10 |
| Work | –0·47 | –0·22 | 0·54* | –0·38 | –0·14 | 0·08 |
| Specific work | –0·13 | –0·15 | 0·43 | –0·13 | –0·12 | 0·08 |