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Rising CO2 and warming reduce global canopy demand for nitrogen

Journal Article · · New Phytologist
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18076· OSTI ID:2470696
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8]
  1. Imperial College, London (United Kingdom); Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW (Australia)
  2. Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW (Australia); Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW (Australia)
  3. University of Toronto, ON (Canada)
  4. National University of Singapore (Singapore)
  5. Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)
  6. University of Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  7. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (United States)
  8. Imperial College, London (United Kingdom); Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW (Australia); Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)
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Nitrogen (N) limitation has been considered as a constraint on terrestrial carbon uptake in response to rising CO2 and climate change. By extension, it has been suggested that declining carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and leaf N content in enhanced-CO2 experiments and satellite records signify increasing N limitation of primary production. We predicted Vcmax using the coordination hypothesis and estimated changes in leaf-level photosynthetic N for 1982–2016 assuming proportionality with leaf-level Vcmax at 25°C. The whole-canopy photosynthetic N was derived using satellite-based leaf area index (LAI) data and an empirical extinction coefficient for Vcmax, and converted to annual N demand using estimated leaf turnover times. The predicted spatial pattern of Vcmax shares key features with an independent reconstruction from remotely sensed leaf chlorophyll content. Predicted leaf photosynthetic N declined by 0.27% yr-1, while observed leaf (total) N declined by 0.2–0.25% yr-1. Predicted global canopy N (and N demand) declined from 1996 onwards, despite increasing LAI. Leaf-level responses to rising CO2, and to a lesser extent temperature, may have reduced the canopy requirement for N by more than rising LAI has increased it. This finding provides an alternative explanation for declining leaf N that does not depend on increasing N limitation.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Australian Research Council (ARC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
2470696
Journal Information:
New Phytologist, Journal Name: New Phytologist Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 235; ISSN 0028-646X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CO2 fertilization
Plant Sciences
acclimation
coordination hypothesis
leaf chlorophyll
nitrogen cycle
nitrogen demand
photosynthetic capacity
remote sensing