Plant respiration: controlled by photosynthesis or biomass?
File(s)
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Two simplifying hypotheses have been proposed for whole‐plant respiration. One links respiration to photosynthesis; the other to biomass. Using a first‐principles carbon balance model with a prescribed live woody biomass turnover, applied at a forest research site where multidecadal measurements are available for comparison, we show that if turnover is fast the accumulation of respiring biomass is low and respiration depends primarily on photosynthesis; while if turnover is slow the accumulation of respiring biomass is high and respiration depends primarily on biomass. But the first scenario is inconsistent with evidence for substantial carry‐over of fixed carbon between years, while the second implies far too great an increase in respiration during stand development—leading to depleted carbohydrate reserves and an unrealistically high mortality risk. These two mutually incompatible hypotheses are thus both incorrect. Respiration is not linearly related either to photosynthesis or to biomass, but it is more strongly controlled by recent photosynthates (and reserve availability) than by total biomass.
Date Issued
2020-03
Date Acceptance
2019-10-01
Citation
Global Change Biology, 2020, 26 (3), pp.1739-1753
ISSN
1354-1013
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
1739
End Page
1753
Journal / Book Title
Global Change Biology
Volume
26
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14857. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Sponsor
European Research Council
Identifier
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14857
Grant Number
787203
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecology
Environmental Sciences
Biodiversity & Conservation
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
biomass accumulation
carbon use efficiency
gross primary production
maintenance respiration
metabolic scaling theory
net primary production
nonstructural carbohydrates
plant respiration
GLOBAL VEGETATION MODEL
STEM CO2 EFFLUX
FOREST ECOSYSTEM MODEL
NET PRIMARY PRODUCTION
CARBON ALLOCATION
NONSTRUCTURAL CARBON
METABOLIC THEORY
FAGUS-SYLVATICA
STORED CARBON
BGC-MODEL
biomass accumulation
carbon use efficiency
gross primary production
maintenance respiration
metabolic scaling theory
net primary production
nonstructural carbohydrates
plant respiration
Biomass
Carbon
Carbon Dioxide
Cell Respiration
Forests
Photosynthesis
Plant Leaves
Trees
Plant Leaves
Trees
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon
Biomass
Cell Respiration
Photosynthesis
Forests
05 Environmental Sciences
06 Biological Sciences
Ecology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-10-03