TABLE 1.
A comparison of selected vegetation traits across Australian, North American and European plant species, and a combined data set (Global)
| Trait | Australia | North America | Europe | Global | Trans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood density (g cm−3) | 0.69 ± 0.0069 (890) a | 0.63 ± 0.011 (317) b | 0.55 ± 0.019 (46) c | 0.67 ± 0.0054 (1253) | |
| Sapwood specific hydraulic conductivity (kg s−1 m−1 MPa−1) | 0.54 ± 0.11 (90) a | 0.45 ± 0.11 (65) a | −0.53 ± 0.21 (23) b | 0.37 ± 0.077 (178) | ln |
| Specific leaf area (m2 kg−1) | 1.61 ± 0.033 (386) a | 2.68 ± 0.034 (407) b | 2.75 ± 0.027 (394) b | 2.36 ± 0.024 (1187) | ln |
| Foliar N (mg g DW−1) | 12.40 ± 0.38 (330) a | 21.39 ± 0.51 (330) b | 21.54 ± 0.57 (253) b | 18.18 ± 0.31 (913) | |
| V cmax mass basis (nmol CO2 g−1 s−1) | −1.10 ± 0.039 (165) a | −0.49 ± 0.068 (55) b | −0.75 ± 0.13 (24) b | −0.93 ± 0.037 (244) | ln |
| Stomatal conductance (mmol m−2 s−1) | 4.98 ± 0.053 (192) a | 5.49 ± 0.057 (173) b | 5.41 ± 0.19 (21) b | 5.23 ± 0.040 (386) | ln |
| A max Maximum assimilation rate (mass basis) (nmol CO2 g−1 s−1) | 4.16 ± 0.042 (192) a | 4.75 ± 0.045 (176) b | 5.16 ± 0.13 (40) c | 4.51 ± 0.035 (408) | ln |
| A sat/N (=photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency; PNUE) | 5.21 ± 0.17 (192) a | 6.41 ± 0.20 (170) b | 8.15 ± 0.60 (40) c | 6.01 ± 0.14 (402) | |
| Foliar 13C discrimination | 22.00 ± 0.27 (63) a | 20.30 ± 0.17 (141) b | 20.15 ± 0.21 (33) b | 20.70 ± 0.13 (237) |
Data retrieved from multiple publicly available data sets, but especially the TRY plant trait data set (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry) and GLOPNET (Macquarie University) and the Diefendorf et al., global carbon discrimination data base. Means followed by a different letter within a row are significantly different from each other. Numbers of replicates shown in parentheses. Data which have been transformed are noted in the ‘Trans’ column. Unpublished analyses of data by D. Eamus and B. Murray.