Photosynthetic capacity and leaf longevity in the canopy of a dry tropical forest.

Assimilation capacity and leaf longevity were documented for a stand of trees in a neotropical dry forest near Panama City, Panama. A construction crane was used to select leaves from exposed locations of the upper canopy of the seven most abundant species in this stand. A general negative relationship exists betwen mean A(max) and mean leaf longevity among the seven species, but this is statistically significant only for leaves produced in the late dry season.