Thermal acclimation of stem respiration implies a weaker carbon-climate feedback
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The efflux of carbon dioxide (CO2) from woody stems, a proxy for stem respiration, is a critical carbon flux from ecosystems to the atmosphere, which increases with temperature on short timescales. However, plants acclimate their respiratory response to temperature on longer timescales, potentially weakening the carbon-climate feedback. The magnitude of this acclimation is uncertain despite its importance for predicting future climate change. We develop an optimality-based theory dynamically linking stem respiration with leaf water supply to predict its thermal acclimation. We show that the theory accurately reproduces observations of spatial and seasonal change. We estimate the global value for current annual stem CO2 efflux as 27.4 ± 5.9 PgC. By 2100, incorporating thermal acclimation reduces projected stem respiration without considering acclimation by 24 to 46%, thus reducing land ecosystem carbon emissions.
Date Issued
2025-05-29
Date Acceptance
2025-03-21
Citation
Science, 2025, 388 (6750), pp.984-988
ISSN
0036-8075
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Start Page
984
End Page
988
Journal / Book Title
Science
Volume
388
Issue
6750
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2025 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Publication Status
Published