Summary
Shrubs of the Mediterranean sclerophyllous species Arbutus unedo and Quercus ilex were studied under simulated habitat conditions in an environmental chamber. Temperature, humidity, and light intensity were altered stepwise to simulate diurnal changes in conditions similar to those measured in an evergreen macchia in Sobreda, Portugal. Leaves were enclosed in cuvettes which reproduced the growth chamber climate and which allowed measurement of gas exchange. Increasing atmospheric stress in the form of higher temperature and lower humidity on successive days gradually results in midday depression of transpiration rate and net photosynthesis rate of leaves due to midday stomatal closure.
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Dedicated with the greatest appreciation to a scientist, Prof. Dr. M. Evenari, who has stimulated ecological work all over the world and to a publisher, Dr. F.K. Springer, who has promoted communication among scientists and distributed results of their experimentation worldwide
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Tenhunen, J.D., Lange, O.L. & Braun, M. Midday stomatal closure in Mediterranean type sclerophylls under simulated habitat conditions in an environmental chamber. Oecologia 50, 5–11 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378788
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378788