LEAF AND BIOMASS TRAITS OF MONGOLIAN FOREST-STEPPE SHRUBS LINKING TO THEIR ECOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Structural and functional parameters of leaves and biomass for 10 species of Mongolian forest-steppe shrubs were studied. The shrub species had 5-10-fold differences on the sizes and above-ground biomass and 1.5-2-fold distinctions on the leaf parameters. Two groups of parameters connected with ecological properties of shrubs were emphasized. The first group - bush height and diameter, leaf area ratio, leaf thickness and density, water content - was connected with species competitiveness. The second group - leaf area, transpiration rate and water use efficiency - was concerned with plant tolerance to arid stress.