article id 348,
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                            Quercus aquifolioides Rehder & E.H. Wilson, an evergreen alpine and  subalpine shrub species, occupies a wide range of habitats on the  eastern slopes of the Himalaya in China. In this study, we measured leaf  morphology, nitrogen content and carbon isotope composition (as an  indicator of water use efficiency) of Q. aquifolioides along an  altitudinal gradient. We found that these leaf morphological and  physiological responses to altitudinal gradients were non-linear with  increasing altitude. Specific leaf area, stomatal length and index  increased with increasing altitude below 2800 m, but decreased with  increasing altitude above 2800 m. In contrast, leaf nitrogen content per  unit area and carbon isotope composition showed opposite change  patterns. Specific leaf area seemed to be the most important parameter  that determined the carbon isotope composition along the altitudinal  gradient. Our results suggest that near 2800 m in altitude could be the  optimum zone for growth and development of Q. aquifolioides, and  highlight the importance of the influence of altitude in research on  plant physiological ecology.
                        
                
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                            Li,
                            Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            licy@cib.ac.cn
                                                                                          
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                            Zhang,
                            Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China; Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, P.R. China
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            xz@nn.cn
                                                                                
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                            Liu,
                            Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu 610081, P. R. China
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            xl@nn.cn
                                                                                
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                            Luukkanen,
                            Viikki Tropical Resources Institute, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            ol@nn.fi
                                                                                
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                            Berninger,
                            Département des sciences biologiques, Cp 8888 succ centre ville, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal (QC) H3C 3P8, Canada
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            fb@nn.ca