Fig. 5

Seedling total chlorophyll concentration, chlorophyll a/b, leaf thickness, and specific leaf area (SLA) of Amorpha fruticosa (a, c, e, g) and Robinia pseudoacacia (b, d, f, h) under different defoliation position treatments at day 60. The values shown are mean ± SE (n = 3–4). Different letters indicate significant differences among different defoliation treatments (p < 0.05) with Duncan’s test. CK, no defoliation; TD, defoliation of the top down 50% of the crown; BU, defoliation of the bottom up 50% of the crown