The dynamics of physiological properties of ebony (Diospyros celebica Bakh) based on crown position and altitude

Knowledge of the physiological properties of tree species is one of the basic requirements in determining the prescription silvicultural treatment of stands in nature. This study aims to analyze the physiological characteristics of the species of ebony (Diospyros celebica Bakh), as one of the potential endemic species of Sulawesi, based on leaf position in the crown and differences in altitude. Leaf sampling locations were in the Hasanuddin University Educational Forest (507 m asl) and Makassar city (16 m asl). The research variables consist of number of stomata, size of stomata, leaf stomata index, and leaf chlorophyll content. The results show that the physiological characteristics of the leaves were influenced by their position in the tree crown and differences in altitude. The highest number of stomata was found in the leaves exposed to the sunlights with 52.900 stomata/mm2 compared to 29.800 stomata/mm2 in shaded leaves. Likewise, the highest chlorophyll content was found in leaves exposed to the sunlights of 0.043 mg/L and shaded leaves of 0.034 mg/L. The difference occurs based on differences in altitude as well. The number of stomata in the lower area was 35.733 stomata/mm2, while in the high area was 42.667 stomata/mm2. The chlorophyll content in the low area was 0.038 mg/L and in the high area it was 0.037 mg/L. The higher a place, the more the number of stomata, this is inversely proportional to the size of the stomata and the stomata index, while the number of chlorophylls is not significantly different.