Ecophysiological consequences of differences in plant size: in situ carbon gain and water relations of the epiphytic bromeliad, Vriesea sanguinolenta

ABSTRACT This field study with the C3 bromeliad Vriesea sanguinolenta (Cogn. & Marchal 1874) was initiated to explore the importance of size‐related ecophysiological changes in vascular epiphytes in a natural tropical setting. In this species, a step change from atmospheric to tank‐forming life form occurs during early ontogeny, followed by a continuous size increase of individuals with water‐impounding tanks. Although our study focused on the water‐impounding phase, this growth pattern also allowed us to compare ecophysiological consequences of a step change in life form with those associated with size increments among plants of identical life form. The shift in life form was accompanied by relatively minor changes, for example in leaf morphology (decrease in leaf thickness and trichome density) and leaf physiology (decrease in photosynthetic capacity), while there were more substantial changes during the tank‐forming phase. A major trend was a decreasing dependence of larger plants on internally stored water due to a more efficient tank. We suggest that the resulting, more reliable water supply in larger plants may be the proximate cause for the observed size‐related differences in leaf anatomy (relative reduction of water storage tissue, and relative and absolute increase in chlorenchyma thickness), leaf morphology (increase in stomatal density, decrease in trichome density), and leaf physiology (increase in net rates of CO2 uptake, more conservative stomatal behaviour, higher residual transpiration). The results are compared with previous studies on heteroblasty in bromeliads, but are also discussed in the context of a gradual shift from a drought‐tolerance to a drought‐avoidance strategy.