Maintenance respiration and stand development in a subalpine lodgepole pine forest

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Ecology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1941458· OSTI ID:6776964

Ryan, M G ^[1]; Waring, R H ^[2]

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1. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Stateion, Fort Collins, CO (United States)
2. Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (United States)

We examined a chronosequence of subalpine lodgepole pine stands to test the hypothesis that low net primary production in older forest stands is caused by higher maintenance respiration costs of woody tissues. We predicted that respiration of woody tissues (particularly stem sapwood) would be greater in older stands and that the higher maintenance costs would account for observed low wood production. For a unit of ground surface, the carbon flux involved in wood production and associated construction respiration was 210 g[center dot]m[sup [minus]2][center dot]yr[sup [minus]1] in a 40-yr-old stand, but declined to 46 g[center dot]m[sup [minus]2][center dot]yr[sup [minus]1] in a 245-yr-old stand. However, maintenance respiration of woody tissues in stems and branches consumed only 61 g[center dot]m[sup [minus]2][center dot]yr[sup [minus]1] in the 40-yr-old stand and 79 g[center dot]m[sup [minus]2][center dot]yr[sup [minus]1] in the 245-yr-old stand. The slight, nonsignificant increase in maintenance respiration of woody tissues could not explain the dramatic decline in aboveground wood production in the old-growth stand. 72 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6776964
• Journal Information: Ecology; (United States), Journal Name: Ecology; (United States) Vol. 73:6; ISSN 0012-9658; ISSN ECOLAR
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090800* -- Biomass Fuels-- Production-- (1990-)
AGE DEPENDENCE
CONIFERS
CROPS
CULTIVATION
GROWTH
PINES
PINOPHYTA
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTIVITY
RESPIRATION
TREES
WOOD