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Balancing the costs of carbon gain and water transport: testing a new theoretical framework for plant functional ecology

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Title: Balancing the costs of carbon gain and water transport: testing a new theoretical framework for plant functional ecology
Authors: Prentice, IC
Dong, N
Gleason, SM
Maire, V
Wright, IJ
Item Type: Journal Article
Abstract: A novel framework is presented for the analysis of ecophysiological field measurements and modelling. The hypothesis ‘leaves minimise the summed unit costs of transpiration and carboxylation’ predicts leaf‐internal/ambient CO2 ratios (ci/ca) and slopes of maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) or leaf nitrogen (Narea) vs. stomatal conductance. Analysis of data on woody species from contrasting climates (cold‐hot, dry‐wet) yielded steeper slopes and lower mean ci/ca ratios at the dry or cold sites than at the wet or hot sites. High atmospheric vapour pressure deficit implies low ci/ca in dry climates. High water viscosity (more costly transport) and low photorespiration (less costly photosynthesis) imply low ci/ca in cold climates. Observed site‐mean ci/ca shifts are predicted quantitatively for temperature contrasts (by photorespiration plus viscosity effects) and approximately for aridity contrasts. The theory explains the dependency of ci/ca ratios on temperature and vapour pressure deficit, and observed relationships of leaf δ13C and Narea to aridity.
Issue Date: 16-Dec-2013
Date of Acceptance: 7-Oct-2013
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/68315
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.12211
ISSN: 1461-023X
Publisher: Wiley
Start Page: 82
End Page: 91
Journal / Book Title: Ecology Letters
Volume: 17
Issue: 1
Copyright Statement: ©2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.
Keywords: Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Ecology
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Aridity
nitrogen
optimality
photosynthesis
plant functional traits
stable isotopes
stomatal conductance
temperature
transpiration
viscosity
STOMATAL CONDUCTANCE
ATMOSPHERIC CO2
LEAF NITROGEN
PHOTOSYNTHETIC CAPACITY
RAINFALL GRADIENT
USE EFFICIENCY
MURRAYS LAW
MODEL
TRANSPIRATION
TEMPERATURE
Algorithms
Carbon Dioxide
Nitrogen
Plant Leaves
Plant Transpiration
Plants
0501 Ecological Applications
0602 Ecology
Publication Status: Published
Online Publication Date: 2013-11-11
Appears in Collections:Department of Life Sciences
Grantham Institute for Climate Change
Faculty of Natural Sciences