Carbon relations and competition between woody species in a Central European hedgerow : III. Carbon and water balance on the leaf level.

Annual carbon and water balances of sun leaves were measured in the field for five competing woody hedgerow species of different successional stages. They were compared with carbon and water budgets of climax species from the literature. Climatic limitation of primary production, the effectiveness of leaf photosynthetic capacity in relation to actual carbon gain, costs and time of leaf formation and amortization, and net dry matter gain from the leaf were determined. Their relevance for a species' position during a natural succession from pioneer-invaded fallow land to a climax beech forest in Central Europe is discussed.