Structure, Production and Leaf Area Dynamics: A Comparison of Lodgepole Pine and Sunflower

Populations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var latifoliaEngelm) and sunflower (Heltanthus annuus L) were examined tocompare the influence of stand density on canopy structure andthe association between canopy structure and the productionof stem volume The plastic responses of canopy structure tocompetitive interactions indicated that the structural dynamicsof lodgepole pine and sunflower populations were similar, thoughthe degree of plastic response differed The influence of canopystructure on the production of stem volume, however, was fundamentallydifferent efficiency decreased as the mean crown size of lodgepolepine populations increased, but this decrease did not occurin sunflower populations This difference was attributed to thelarge accumulation of branch biomass required to display foliageeffectively in the canopies of the perennial lodgepole pine,accumulation which does not occur in the annual sunflower Lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var latifolia Engelm, sunflower, Helianthus annuus L, leaf area, canopy structure, stand production, carbon allocation