Like a jungle sometimes: how leaves survive in the rainforest understory

Abstract

Article provides new insights into how leaves resist the rigours of life in the rainforest understory, seeking explanations of durability at multiple levels, and confirming the utility of a new way of standardizing toughness measurements. Their paper relates leaf structural and material properties, as well as chemical composition, to seedling leaf lifespan, herbivory and survival of 24 rainforest tree species in a common garden experiment in gap and understory environments.