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Title: The impact of alternative trait-scaling hypotheses for the maximum photosynthetic carboxylation rate (V cmax) on global gross primary production [The impact of alternative Vcmax trait-scaling hypotheses on global gross primary production]

Journal Article · · New Phytologist
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14623· OSTI ID:1376330
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9]; ORCiD logo [10];  [7]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Sheffield, Western Bank (United Kingdom)
  2. Univ. of Reading, Reading (United Kingdom)
  3. Leiden Univ., Leiden (The Netherlands)
  4. Macquarie Univ., Sydney, NSW (Australia)
  5. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  6. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
  7. Univ. of Sheffield, Western Bank (United Kingdom)
  8. Univ. Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
  9. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  10. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The maximum photosynthetic carboxylation rate (Vcmax) is an influential plant trait that has multiple scaling hypotheses, which is a source of uncertainty in predictive understanding of global gross primary production (GPP). Four trait-scaling hypotheses (plant functional type, nutrient limitation, environmental filtering, and plant plasticity) with nine specific implementations were used to predict global Vcmax distributions and their impact on global GPP in the Sheffield Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (SDGVM). Global GPP varied from 108.1 to 128.2 PgC yr-1, 65% of the range of a recent model intercomparison of global GPP. The variation in GPP propagated through to a 27% coefficient of variation in net biome productivity (NBP). All hypotheses produced global GPP that was highly correlated (r = 0.85–0.91) with three proxies of global GPP. Plant functional type-based nutrient limitation, underpinned by a core SDGVM hypothesis that plant nitrogen (N) status is inversely related to increasing costs of N acquisition with increasing soil carbon, adequately reproduced global GPP distributions. Further improvement could be achieved with accurate representation of water sensitivity and agriculture in SDGVM. Mismatch between environmental filtering (the most data-driven hypothesis) and GPP suggested that greater effort is needed understand Vcmax variation in the field, particularly in northern latitudes.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1376330
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1476530
Journal Information:
New Phytologist, Vol. 215, Issue 4; ISSN 0028-646X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 82 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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