Traditional
views suggest that total C concentration is mostly dominated by
C-rich elements like lignin (Lamlom and Savidge, 2003). It is, thus,
reasonable to assume that small trees have higher C concentrations
than large trees because small trees generally contain higher lignin
concentrations (Martin et al., 2013), supporting mechanical stability
(Alvarez-Clare and Kitajima, 2007) and defence mechanisms
(Wainhouse et al., 1990). However, our findings suggest that thesize-associated trend of total C concentration is likely led by
change in the concentration of volatile C compounds (Figs. 1 and 2).
These results support Martin et al. (2013),