Spring leaf phenology has been intensively studied in temperate deciduous broad-leaved tree species, but the phenology of evergreen broad-leaved tree species has seldom been focused on. Evaluation of the difference in spring leaf phenology between coexisting deciduous and evergreen species is essential to predict their responses to climate change. In this study, spring leaf phenology was investigated for the 12 deciduous and 12 evergreen broad-leaved species coexisting in a warm-temperate forest in Japan, based on the predictions that selection pressure for earlier leaf production in spring results in less intraspecific variation in phenology at a given timing (SD_max) and a shorter duration of leaf expansion in deciduous than in evergreen species. In contrast to this prediction, SD_max did not differ between deciduous and evergreen species and was not related to leaf area or LMA. On the other hand, the duration of leaf expansion was longer in evergreen than in deciduous species, and was positively correlated with LMA. The leaves of greater LMA required longer periods of leaf expansion, probably due to a higher cost of and/or more conservative leaf development in the face of herbivory. As a consequence, the timing of full leaf expansion was delayed not only by later budburst (approximately two weeks) but also by a longer duration of leaf expansion (approximately two weeks) in evergreen than in deciduous broad-leaved species, which would probably influence the productivity of newly emerging leaves in spring.

对温带落叶阔叶树种的春季叶片物候学进行了深入研究，但常绿阔叶树种的物候学很少关注。共存的落叶树种和常绿树种之间的春季叶片物候差异的评估对于预测其对气候变化的响应至关重要。在这项研究中，对日本暖温带森林中共存的12种落叶和12种常绿阔叶树种的春季叶片物候进行了研究，基于以下预测：春季早期叶片生产的选择压力导致物候变化的种内变异较小。与常绿树种相比，在给定的时间（SD _max）和落叶的叶片扩张持续时间短。与此预测相反，SD _max落叶和常绿物种之间没有差异，与叶面积或LMA无关。另一方面，常绿的叶片扩张持续时间长于落叶树种，并且与LMA呈正相关。较大的LMA叶片需要更长的叶片扩张时间，这可能是由于面对草食动物而言，叶片的叶片发育需要更高的成本和/或更为保守。结果，与落叶阔叶树种相比，常绿乔木的全叶扩张时间不仅被较晚的芽萌芽（约两周）延迟，而且还被更长的叶片扩张持续时间（约两周）所延迟。春季新出现的叶子的生产力。