L Flashcards
Latent heat (of vaporisation)
The energy required to evaporate a given volume of water at a given temperature.
Leaf area index LAI
The ratio of total leaf area to ground area, an important quality for characterising functional behaviour.
Leaky nutrient cycle
An inefficient nutrient cycle, in which nutrients are lost from the ecosystem.
Leghaemoglobin
The pigment produced by Rhizobial cells in root noodles to maintain anaerobic conditions around the nitrogenase enzymes.
Liebigs law of the minimum
States that the yield of plants can be limited by the nutrient that is present in the environment in the least quantity relative to the plants demands for growth.
Lignotubers
Large woody swellings sprouting from buds on roots or at the stem bases of shrubs.
Lottery model
An idea that a group of species coexisting in a patch of habitat is determined by their chance arrival rather than by their relative competitive abilities.
