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I. INTRODUCTION
Although the amount of solar energy intercepted by a community of herbaceous species
may be comparable with that intercepted by forest (Monsi & Saeki 1953), the height of
the shaded stratum will certainly differ. In grassland the shaded stratum is low and is
usually renewed annually by extension of shoots and individual leaves from positions
near the ground. In forests, however, the shaded stratum is high and arises by expansion
of foliage in situ.
Many seedlings grow out of the shaded stratum of grassland within a few days after
germination, while in forests shading persists beyond the seedling phase and may extend
over many years.
Within low vegetation, small differencesin height are associated with large changes in
intensity, direction and quality of radiation, and establishment may depend upon height,
aspect or inclination of the first leaves produced by the seedling. Because vertical
gradients are less pronounced near the forest floor, initial growth in height may be un-
important; here tolerance ratherthan avoidance of shade would appear to have ecological
significance. Hence, radical differences in adaptation to shade may be expected between
woodland and grassland plants.
To recognize mechanisms by which shade is avoided or tolerated we have examined
the reaction of a variety of seedlings to standardized gradients of light intensity.
c57,
FIG. 1. Two methods of subjecting seedlings to vertical gradients of light. Above: side
view; below: vertical projection. c = Black cylinder; f = filter of coloured plastic or (for
short-term experiments) leaf discs laminated between plastic sheets; s = supporting stake.
screens and plants occurred beneath the screens, and, in bright sunlight, the intensity
of illumination at the top of the 2-8% daylight (D.L.) screen exceeded that at the
bottom of the 7-7% D.L. screen. At 2-8% D.L., rapid stem extension was induced in
C. mollissima, and foliage was carried up into the brighter light near the top of the
screen. In Quercus rubra no comparable extension occurred, and the slowest growth
rate was measured under the 2-8% D.L. screen.)
The light intensity gradients in this experiment were extreme. Nevertheless smaller
gradients may explain, in part, the conflicting reports of daylight compensation points
to which attention has been drawn by Bourdeau & Laverick (1958).
One approach to the problem of unequal distribution of radiation in shade experiments
U
00 Ve ( / 0~~~1
C.~ 5
i2 - G
FIG. 2. The correlation between vertex angle in a vertical black-walled cylinder and the
incident visible radiation. Radiation measured with flat-window light meter extending over
whole cross-sectional area of cylinders. Measurements carried out at 3.00-3.10 p.m., 1
March 1964, with sky overcast at site of experiment 3 (New Haven, Connecticut) using sec-
tioned tube. Inset: cylinder (c) to show position of window (w) for given vertex angle (v).
FIG. 3. Relationship between vertex angle and hours of exposure to potential sunlight
at centre of a vertical black-walled cylinder. Calculation for 27 July in New Haven,
Connecticut, assuming no obstruction of horizon.
transparent cylinder standing on the root medium and enclosing a single shoot. A
gradient in intensity is created within the tube by means of a layer of black paint on the
inner surface. The intensity and vertical extent of shading depend upon the diameter of
the tube and the height of the painted layer. Control plants are grown without tubes or
in wholly transparent tubes. Because radiation from low angles is excluded from the
shaded portion of the tube, illumination is virtuallyindependentof neighbouringobstacles.
The light collecting propertyof a shade tube may be characterizedby a curvein which the
vertex angle through which incident light reaches the centre of the tube is plotted against
height. In diffuse light vertex angle is linearly related to the quantity of incident radiation
(Fig. 2). On sunny days the relationship does not hold; however, vertex angle is an index
of the potential length of exposure to direct sunlight in parts of the tube to which direct
sunlight is admitted (Fig. 3).
The gradients inside tubes differ in several ways from those in vegetation. Lateral
70
10
60 - 9-
C50.
:3 E
O I o 7-6/
|0 40I- 4 F6-
"o_ 7 -- )
rn
46
20 1- ' I
/ "
'''
/
/ /I 2
~~~10
1~~- /, 1
'
0 25 30 35 40 1020 30 40 50 60 70 80 9 100
Airtemperature(0C) Full daylight(/o)
FIG. 4 FIG. 5
III. EXPERIMENTS
Three groups of species were used:
Experiment (1) five grasses
Experiment (2) five dicotyledons J from grand n Derbyshre, England.
Experiment (3) ten woody species of the Connecticut suburban forest, U.S.A.
Experiments 1 and 2 were carried out at Sheffield and 3 at New Haven.
A. Experiment 1
Design: Five species were subjected to three shade conditions on two soil types in
five randomized blocks.
Species: The grasses were all of common occurrence in Derbyshire, but differed
markedly in quantity of seed reserve, growth form, and habitat (Table 1).
Soils: Two soils from Derbyshire were used: a rendzina (pH at field capacity 7-1)
from the top 10 cm of a stabilized scree in Coombsdale and a highly fertile brown earth
(pH 6-4) from the overburden of a limestone quarry near Buxton.
Shade treatments: Each shade tube was made from a 15-0 x 2-5 cm glass boiling tube
with a 2-3 mm drainage hole punched in the base. The outside received first a black and
then a white coat of paint. Before painting, a strip of black adhesive cloth tape, 2 cm in
width, was applied along the length which was to be painted. The tape served as a shutter
over an observation window. Tubes were painted to heights that provided 0, 6 and 12 cm
shade.
The penetration of light into the tubes was determinedin diffuse light (Fig. 5) by means
of a pair of matched Weston photoelectric cells.
Procedure: The soils were air-dried, mixed thoroughly and sieved to pass 2 mm. The
tubes were filled to 3 cm, the drainage hole first being covered with a disc of plastic cloth.
Seeds of each species were germinated in daylight on filter paper, and on emergence of the
radicle immediately transferred to the tubes. The tubes were supported by 2 cm high
wooden racks which held them erect at a minimum of 4 cm apart in a quincuncial
arrangement.The experimentwas carried out in a glasshouse with temperaturefluctuating
between 15 and 20? C over the period November-December 1961. Natural illumination
was supplemented by warm white fluorescent tubes suspended 4 ft over the bench and
providing a daylength of 18 h. De-ionized water was added to the soils every 2 or 3 days.
At intervals, the seedlings were examined through the observation slit and measure-
ments of their height were made by inserting a mm scale into the tube. The dry weight of
each seedling was determined after 5 weeks.
Results: Of 150 seedlings in the experiment, nine failed to survive transplanting;
these were the only fatalities to occur. Since no significant effects of soil type were
detected, the shoot heights and yields presented are combined from rendzina and brown
earth.
12 -----------
10-
o lS _
168
2 /// ^-Y -N.S..
(1
.NS.(S) N.S.
^ aftr
r o
N.S.NN.S.
DayN.S.
FIG. 6. Growth in height in seedlingsof five grasses,in 12 cm clear glass tubes (D); glass
tubes with 6 cm shading(z) and 12 cm shading(*). (a) Arrhenatherum elatus; (b) Festuca
rubra;(c) Holcuslanatus;,(d) H. mollis; (e) Deschampsiaflexuosa.Arrows show occasions
when statisticaltests were madeof the significanceof differencesof shadedtreatmentsfrom
clear N.S. == not
controls. N.S.
glass controls.
clear glass not significant; two and
one, two
significant; one, and three
three dots
dots represent P<0'05,
represent P<0.05,
P << 0.01
P 0-01 and 0 001 respectively.
and PP << 0.001 respectively.
In6 cmshade yields of dry weight decreased by more than 30 (P<0001) in each
Results with other species show, however, that the initial rate of height growth is not
In height
(Table 2). upon
speciesdependent 12weight
the cm seedlingsoffive
treatment,
the yieldFestuca
seed reserve. de12clearrubra
cm glass tubes
);dfurther.glass 054 mg)
always
always
The
dependent upon
reductionubes
the weight of the seed reserve. Festuca rubra (seed
(seed
in yield 6caused by cm shading were inatherselyrelated to initial
weight 0.54
weight mg)
height
elongated slowly in fall in
light and shade, while Deschampsiaflexuosa(0.20
Deschampsiafiexuosa (0a20mg) responded
10 days (Fig.c)
toafter
moderate Holcus lanatus;
shading a (d) flexuosa,
H. mollis;
withDeschampsia
marked e) in hArrowever,
increase rate of height in shade was considerably
yield growth.
higherthanexpestatistical
tests were
mof regression fitting thedifferences
the of shadedtreatmentsfromThis
(b) Dry
(b) Dry weight
weight
In 6 cm -shadeyields of dry weight decreased by more than 30% (P<0.001) in each
species (Table 2). In the 12 cm shade treatment, yield declined further.
The reductions in yield caused by 6 cm shading were inversely related to initial height
growth. Log (yield in 6 cm shade/yield
shade/yield in sun) was linearly related to shoot height
height attained
after 10 days (Fig. 7). In Deschampsiafiexuosa, however, yield in shade was considerably
higher than expected from the regression fitting the data from the other species. This
suggests that D. flexuosa was adapted to shade by some mechanism other than rapid
elongation. D. flexuosa grew slowly in full daylight (Table 2), a feature associated with
shade tolerance by Went (1957).
1'8 Arrhenatherum
elatius
1-7
"~~_ en 0-Holcus
cEX * lanatus
U'1
.]15o Deschampsia
^flexuosa
o
o 1-3-
12
1-2 * Festuca rubra
*Holcus mollis
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Heightof seedlings at 10days(cm)
FIG.7. The relation between the percentagereductionin dry weight of seedlings after 5
weeks in 6 cm shadingand their height at 10 days.
B. Experiment2
The design, shade tubes and soils were the same as in experiment 1. In addition to the
total height, the lengths ofhypocotyl, cotyledons, leaf laminae and petioles were measured
regularly. The experiment was carried out in August-October, 1961 and was harvested
after 8 weeks.
The species grown in experiment 2 were all dicotyledons, familiar in Derbyshire
grassland (Table 3).
Results: There were no significant effects of soil type. Data were therefore pooled as in
experiment 1.
(a) Height
Betonica officinalis and Rumex acetosa, which are frequent in dense grassland,
made effective growth in height in the shade treatments. In Betonica officinalis, the tall
The species capable of sustained height growth in the tubes had comparatively large
seeds. In Lotus corniculatus,however, extension of the stem produced an unstable structure
liable to fall and succumb to soil fungi. Exceptional shoots which emerged from 6 cm
shade were supported by the tube.
Increased petiole length in shade in Betonica officinaliswas correlated with a reduction
in size of the laminae (Fig. 10).
6
(a) (b) (c)
5 -l
4 -
I I I I I I
10 20 30 10 20 30 40 50 10
6
(d) (e)
2 N.S.
1 /
Yieldt
No. of fatalities* 0 cm 6 cm 12 cm
Species 0 cm 6 cm 12 cm shade shade shade
shade shade shade (Dry wt (mg)) (% Unshaded)
Lotus corniculatus 0 7 10 10-7 17
Betonica officinalis 0 0 2 10-7 27 13
Rumex acetosa 0 4 6 23-0 13 4
Hieracium pilosella 0 2 8 4-8 12 9
Arenaria serpyllifolia 0 7 10 10-8 3
* Maximumpossible 10.
t Each value tabulatedis the mean for survivingseedlings.
4 (a)
3-
2 -
1 ,\#[. \*.
5r
4- (b)
3-
,-
1-
3, (c)
0 0
0 5 10 15 20
controls, plants were grown both in transparent tubes and in the open. The experiment
was replicated in five randomized blocks.
Species: With the exception of Castanea mollissima, a native of China, the species
used in experiment 3 commonly occur in the second-growth forests and suburbs of New
England. The group includes several species which regenerate in moderate forest shade
(Table 5). In addition to these 'tolerant' species, there were several pioneer species which
do not persist below a closed canopy.
Soil: The soil was a Cheshire (Conn.) fine sandy loam of high fertility.
Shade treatments: The tubes were 55 x 8-5 cm cylinders of transparent plastic. They
were masked to heights of 0, 20, 38 and 55 cm with black paint. Each tube was supported
by a wooden stake.
Procedure:The soil was sieved to pass 1 0 cm and mixed thoroughly. After the addition
of lime and fertilizer, it was placed in 250 containers of 4600 cm3 capacity. The containers
were arranged outdoors with minimum distance of 33 cm between their centres. Seeds
were germinated on Cheshire loam, and when the radicle emerged, a seedling was set in
the centre of each container and a tube placed over it. The height of each seedling was
recorded and dead specimens were replaced by freshly-germinated seedlings at weekly
intervals. Thus as many as twelve fatalities were possible in a single container during the
experiment. Due to shortage of seed, dead seedlings were not replaced in Ailanthus
altissima.
(b)
r, / . i I i.. I.. ..
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 5 60
5
@
23- (a)
2-/
3
-2v~vVV ?(b)
0
2 (C)
25 30 4050 55
5 10 15 20 35
2r (b)
. I 1i - I -
IT I
-
0
' T.
0 tT, T T T7
20 25
5 10 15
Days after germination
FIGS. 10-12. Mean length of hypocotyl, cotyledons, internodes, petioles and laminae of
seedlings of Betonica officinalis (Fig. 10), Rumex acetosa (Fig. 11) and Hieracium pilosella
(Fig. 12). (a) Unshaded control; (b) 6 cm shade; (c) 12 cm shade.
70
(a) (c) (e)
60 '
-
0
0 2 6 8 10 12 0 2 6 8 10 12 0 2 6 8 10 12
- L(b) (d) (f)
.0 60 - -
50 -
40-
30
10 - m
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Weeks
FIG. 13. Growth in height in seedlings of six tree species in control (no tube) (0) and in
55 x 8-5 cm plastic cylinders,unshaded(w), and with shade strataof 20 cm (B), 38 cm (1)
and 55 cm (1). (a) Castanea mollissma; (b) Ailanthus altissima; (c) Quercus rubra; (d)
Liriodendron tulipifera; (e) Gleditzia triacanthos; (f) Rhus glabra.
(a) Height
Castanea mollissima was the only species to emerge from 55 and 38 cm shade tubes.
All species showed some height growth in shade (Table 6). With the exception of
Quercusrubra and Betula lenta the height attained in the two most severe shade treat-
ments was linearly related to the logarithm of the mean weight of seed reserve (Fig. 14,
Table 6). The relatively poor height growth of Q. rubra was most apparent when we
compare height growth with that of Castanea mollissima, a species of similar seed weight
(Fig. 13).
Castanea
mollissima
2.5-
E Quercusrubra
E
._
*Gleditsiatriacanthos
20 * Pinus strobus
_.
E
:3 Acer rubrum
xE Liriodendron
tulipifera
2 I - Rhus glabra
*Betula populifolia
Betulalenta
* Rhusglabra
Betulapopulifolia
4-
* Pinus strobus
Liriodendron ?
tulipifera
a-^O4 ?Acer rubrum
2
*Gleditsia triacanthos
1 _Quercus rubra *
Castanea
mollissima
I I
, I I*
-0 5055 0 1-0 1-5 2-0 2-5 3-0 35
log Mean wt.seed reserve (mg)
FIG. 15. The relation between death rate (mean number of fatalities per container in 12
weeks) in 55 cm shade stratum and log mean weight of seed reserve in nine tree species.
IV. DISCUSSION
The investigation provides evidence of two distinct responses to shade which may be of
ecological significance. The first is shade avoidance by rapid initial growth in height.
The second is shade tolerance, apparent in the persistence of seedlings in dim light.
24-
22
20-
18-
16-
12
H C L1 L2 L3 H C L1 L2 L3
FIG. 16. Scale drawing of hypocotyl (H), cotyledon (C) and leaves (L) on two representa-
tive seedlings from an experiment in which seedlings of Plantago lanceolata were grown in
2-5 cm diameter clear glass tube, unpainted (left) and painted to 12 cm (right), for 6 weeks.
F S F S F S F S F S
Betonica Arenaria Hieracium Lotus Rumex
officinais serpyllifolia pilosella corniculatus acetosa
FIG. 17. Silhouettes of seedlings of five herbaceous species after 8 weeks growth in full
light (F) and in 6 x 2.5 cm shade tubes (S).
produced in a 6 cm shade tube were linear-lanceolate and extended to double the length
of the control leaves (Fig. 16). The third and fourth leaves of shaded seedlings were ovate-
lanceolate. Experiments are in progress to determine whether the eventual appearance of
broad leaves in the shaded plants is due to an inherent difference in plasticity between
B. Shade tolerance
(a) Resistance to disease
In both experiments with dicotyledons many fatalities occurred and these were most
frequent in shade treatments. Results obtained by Vaartaja (1952, 1953, 1962), Vaartaja
& Cran (1956) and Wardle (1959) have established that soil fungi are important factors
in the elimination of shaded seedlings. In experiment 3, damping-off was observed in
shaded seedlings both above (20 cm shade tube) and below (38 and 55 cm shade tubes)
the compensation point.
Among the tree seedlings examined, longevity in shade was greatest in species having
large seeds (Fig. 15). There is as yet no clear evidence of a mechanism relating resistance
to fungal infection with quantity of seed reserve. In considering the influence of large
seeds on survival in shade, account also must be taken of the greaterinitial height growth
(Fig. 14) and lower relative growth rate of large seeded tree species. This last point is
particularly clear if we compare the yields of Rhus glabra and Ailanthus altissima with
those of two large seeded species, Quercusrubraand Castaneamollissimain the unshaded
treatment of experiment 3 (Table 6).
There is some evidence which supports this hypothesis. Bohning & Burnside (1956),
using single attached leaves, reported that photosynthetic rates in tolerant species were
exceeded by those measured in intolerant species, even when measurements were made
at low light intensities. Grime (1965a), using small seedlings in which mutual shading
was slight, found that relative growth rates in full summer sunlight were consistently
slower in shade species, e.g. Acer saccharumand Pachysandra spp. than in sun species,
e.g. Paulownia tomentosa and Helianthus annus. In addition, respiration rates of leaf
discs from plants growing under high light intensities were found to be slower in the
former species.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The experimentsat Sheffieldwere carriedout with the support of the Nature Conservancy.
The authors are indebted to Mr David Peckham for his careful assistance in the work at
New Haven and to Dr P. E. Waggoner, Dr G. R. Stephens, Jr., and Dr J. P. C. Kuiper for
their interest in the investigation and their most helpful criticism of the manuscript.
SUMMARY
1. Cylinders may be used to provide shade for comparative study of seedling morpho-
genesis in vertical gradients of light.
2. The facility with which a seedling escapes low shade is related to the amount of
storage material available from the seed and the number and properties of extension sites
in the shoot.
3. Initial height growth in shade is well marked in seedlings of species occurring in
dense grassland (Arrhenatherumelatius, Betonica officinalis,Plantago lanceolata), but it is
negligible in herbaceous species which are restricted to low turf and bare soil (Arenaria
serpyllifolia, Hieraciumpilosella) and in trees which are pioneers of abandoned arable
land (Betula populifolia, Betula lenta, Rhus glabra).
4. Survival of seedlings at low light intensities was greater in species with inherently
slow rates of increase in dry weight. Shade fatalities were more frequent in 'intolerant'
trees, e.g. Ailanthus altissima and Rhus glabra which grow rapidly in full sunlight.
Analysis of the relationship between growth rate and tolerance of shade is complicated
by the vulnerability of intolerant species to fungi.
5. The present investigation suggests that a late phase of forest succession involves the
replacement of species which as seedlings are productive at both high and low light
intensities, by species with slow-growing seedlings capable of enduring long periods in
shade.
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