MORPHOLOGICAL PLASTICITY OF LEAVES IN NATURAL REGENERATION OF FAGUS SYLVATICA L.: EFFECTS OF DIRECT AND DIFFUSE LIGHT, ONTOGENY AND SHOOT TYPE

It is known that the role of accessible light as a growth-determining factor in beech natural regeneration rises in importance with growth of individuals. However, the accompanied changes in leaf traits underlying this shift in light demands are not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate influence of ontogenetic stage (0.5 m high 'seedlings', 2.1 m 'saplings'), shoot type (terminal, lateral long and lateral short) and diffuse and direct light on morphological traits of leaves at spring-shoot-level in naturally regenerated beech individuals - shoot mean leaf area (mLA), shoot mean leaf weight (mLW), leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf area per shoot unit length (LAL), leaf mass per shoot unit length (LWL), number of leaves per shoot unit length (NLL), and ratio of mean-leaf width to its length (LSh). Ontogenetic drift affected the values of these traits; its influence depended on shoot type and component of light. The light explained more trait variability in saplings compared to seedlings (on average 45% vs 32%). The most evident shift was in the case of direct light - while direct light explained on average 18% of traits variability in seedlings, it was about 42% in saplings. The saplings compared with seedlings showed higher values of mLA, mLW, LMA, LAL on short shoots, LWL on lateral long and short shoots, LSh on terminal and lateral long shoots, and lower NLL values on terminal and long lateral shoots. Plastic response to light was higher in saplings than in seedlings (except mLA). Generally, the observed traits showed more plastic response to diffuse than to direct light in seedlings; the response of saplings was similar in both light components. The most plastic trait was LMA, the least LSh. Individuals of saplings displayed higher plasticity in traits close correlating with annual length growth of main axis, which suggests that saplings would benefit from increased light availability more than seedlings.