| Light absorption and use efficiency (LAUE mol mol−1, daily gross photosynthesis per daily incident light) of each leaf depends on several factors, including the degree of light saturation. It is often discussed that upper canopy leaves exposed to direct sunlight are fully light-saturated. However, we found that upper leaves of three temperate species, a heliophytic perennial herb Helianthus tuberosus, a pioneer tree Alnus japonica, and a late-successional tree Fagus crenata, were not fully light-saturated even under full sunlight. Geometrical analysis of the photosynthetic light response curves revealed that all the curves of the leaves from different canopy positions, as well as from the different species, can be considered as different parts of a single... |
