Welcome to Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology! Today is Share:

Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2016, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (8): 2687-2698.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201608.018

• REVIEWS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Shade tolerance and the adaptability of forest plants in morphology and physiology: A review.

YIN Dong-sheng1,2, SHEN Hai-long1*   

  1. 1School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China;
    2Forestry Research Institute of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150081, China
  • Received:2015-12-23 Published:2016-08-18
  • Contact: * E-mail: shenhl-cf@nefu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (C201341) and the Special Fund for Forestry Scientific Research in the Public Interest (201204320).

Abstract: Shade tolerance, defined as the ability to survive and grow under low light, plays an important role in the succession of forest plant communities. The mechanism of adaptation of plants to shading has become an important topic in ecology research. In this paper, we reviewed shade tole-rance of various forest plants and examined their adaptability in terms of morphology and physiology, and discussed the plasticity on growth traits, biomass distribution, crown structure, leaf morphology and physiology, leaf anatomical structure, photosynthetic parameters, carbohydrate allocation, water and nutrient utilization related to shade tolerance of forest plants. Finally, we discussed some problems with previous studies, and proposed possible future research issues.

Key words: shade tolerance, plasticity, light availability., ontogeny, light, forest plant