Specific Leaf Area (SLA)

Knowledge graph centered on Specific Leaf Area (SLA) with 76 nodes and 168 connections. Top connected: Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Scarlet Gilia, Slender-tube Skyrocket, Barbey's Larkspur.

Method synopsis

Comprehensive measurement of vegetative traits including specific leaf area, trichome density, water use efficiency, and percent water content from field-collected leaves using scanning, drying, weighing, and photosynthesis measurements.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 27 papers using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — Herbivory and water availability interact to shape the adaptive landscape in the perennial forb, Boechera stricta (2025), Evolution. The protocol was originally introduced by The Relationship between Soil Properties and Variation in the Morphology and Phenology of non-native mustard plant <i>Thlaspi arvense</i> in Subalpine Meadows (2018). Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Measure foliar traits and herbivory
   Sampled each plant 2-3 times per growing season by counting total number of leaves and number of damaged leaves, estimating amount of per-leaf damage visually. Quantified leaf damage by multiplying number of damaged leaves by average per-leaf damage and dividing by total number of leaves. Sampled leaves for foliar traits in late July 2022 and 2023, approximately one month after first flowering. Collected both bolt and rosette leaves where possible, scanning for leaf area using ImageJ, weighing for fresh and dry leaf weight.
   Quantities: 2-3 sampling times per growing season, 68 plants had collections for bolt leaves only, 581 plants had data on rosette leaves, 42 plants had both bolt and rosette collectionsDuration: Late July 2022 and 2023, approximately one month after first floweringConditions: Field sampling during peak growing season
   Equipment: ImageJ software, leaf area scanner, precision balance

Typical Equipment

• coin envelopes
• cooler
• scanner
• balance
• ImageJ software
• drying oven
• LI-COR 6400 XT Portable Photosynthesis System
• razor blade

Output Measurements

• specific leaf area
• trichome density
• water use efficiency
• percent leaf water content
• photosynthetic rate
• stomatal conductance

Papers Using This Protocol (27)

Species Studied With This Protocol

Places Where Used