ArticleAnnals of botany2020
Corner's rules pass the test of time: little effect of phenology on leaf-shoot and other scaling relationships.
Article in Annals of botany, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Plant size differences between quartz islands and their surroundings in a South African desert ecosystem.AoB PLANTS · 2026Article
- Leaf Length Predicts Twig Xylem Vessel Diameter Across Angiosperms.Plant, cell & environment · 2026Article
- Soil and plant communities co-regulating plant biomass allocation patterns along a saline-alkali gradient, case study ofFrontiers in plant science · 2025Article
- Allometric relationships between leaf and petiole traits across 31 floating-leaved plants reveal a different adaptation pattern from terrestrial plants.Annals of botany · 2023Article
- Scaling the leaf length-times-width equation to predict total leaf area of shoots.Annals of botany · 2022Article
- Even when the seasons change our allometry stays the same. A Commentary on: 'Corner's rules pass the test of time: little effect of phenology on leaf-shoot and other scaling relationships'.Annals of botany · 2020Article
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsTwig cross-sectional area and the surface area of leaves borne on it are expected to be isometrically correlated across species (Corner's rules). However, how stable this relationship remains in time is not known. We studied inter- and intraspecific twig leaf area-cross-sectional area (la-cs) and other scaling relationships, including the leaf-shoot mass (lm-sm) scaling relationship, across a complete growing season. We also examined the influence of plant height, deciduousness and the inclusion of reproductive buds on the stability of the scaling relationships, and we discuss results from a functional perspective.
methodsWe collected weekly current-year twigs of six Patagonian woody species that differed in growth form and foliar habit. We also used prominent inflorescences from Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae) to assess whether reproductive buds alter the la-cs isometric relationship. Mixed effects models were fitted to obtain parameter estimates and to test whether interaction terms were non-significant (invariant) for the scaling relationships. KEY
resultsThe slope of the la-cs scaling relationship remained invariant across the growing season. Two species showed contrasting and disproportional (allometric) la-cs scaling relationships (slope ≠ 1). Scaling relationships varied significantly across growth form and foliar habit. The lm-sm scaling relationship differed between reproductive- and vegetative-origin twigs in E. coccineum, which was explained by a significantly lower leaf mass per area in the former.
conclusionsAlthough phenology during the growing season appeared not to change leaf-shoot scaling relationships across species, we show that scaling relationships departed from the general trend of isometry as a result of within-species variation, growth form, foliar habit and the type of twig. The identification of these functional factors helps to understand variation in the general trend of Corner's rules.
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