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Title: Causes of reduced leaf‐level photosynthesis during strong El Niño drought in a Central Amazon forest

Abstract

Abstract Sustained drought and concomitant high temperature may reduce photosynthesis and cause tree mortality. Possible causes of reduced photosynthesis include stomatal closure and biochemical inhibition, but their relative roles are unknown in Amazon trees during strong drought events. We assessed the effects of the recent (2015) strong El Niño drought on leaf‐level photosynthesis of Central Amazon trees via these two mechanisms. Through four seasons of 2015, we measured leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll concentration, and nutrient content in leaves of 57 upper canopy and understory trees of a lowland terra firme forest on well‐drained infertile oxisol. Photosynthesis decreased 28% in the upper canopy and 17% in understory trees during the extreme dry season of 2015, relative to other 2015 seasons and was also lower than the climatically normal dry season of the following non‐El Niño year. Photosynthesis reduction under extreme drought and high temperature in the 2015 dry season was related only to stomatal closure in both upper canopy and understory trees, and not to chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll, or leaf nutrient concentration. The distinction is important because stomatal closure is a transient regulatory response that can reverse when water becomes available, whereas the other responsesmore » reflect more permanent changes or damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Photosynthesis decrease due to stomatal closure during the 2015 extreme dry season was followed 2 months later by an increase in photosynthesis as rains returned, indicating a margin of resilience to one‐off extreme climatic events in Amazonian forests.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [4]
  1. Environmental Dynamics Department Brazil′s National Institute for Amazon Research Manaus Brazil
  2. Department of Forest Sciences Federal University of Amazonas Manaus Brazil
  3. Center for Distance Education Federal University of Amazonas Manaus Brazil
  4. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Arizona Tucson Arizona
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1439744
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0008383
Resource Type:
Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Global Change Biology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Global Change Biology Journal Volume: 24 Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 1354-1013
Publisher:
Wiley-Blackwell
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Santos, Victor Alexandre Hardt Ferreira dos, Ferreira, Marciel José, Rodrigues, João Victor Figueiredo Cardoso, Garcia, Maquelle Neves, Ceron, João Vitor Barbosa, Nelson, Bruce Walker, and Saleska, Scott Reid. Causes of reduced leaf‐level photosynthesis during strong El Niño drought in a Central Amazon forest. United Kingdom: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1111/gcb.14293.
Santos, Victor Alexandre Hardt Ferreira dos, Ferreira, Marciel José, Rodrigues, João Victor Figueiredo Cardoso, Garcia, Maquelle Neves, Ceron, João Vitor Barbosa, Nelson, Bruce Walker, & Saleska, Scott Reid. Causes of reduced leaf‐level photosynthesis during strong El Niño drought in a Central Amazon forest. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14293
Santos, Victor Alexandre Hardt Ferreira dos, Ferreira, Marciel José, Rodrigues, João Victor Figueiredo Cardoso, Garcia, Maquelle Neves, Ceron, João Vitor Barbosa, Nelson, Bruce Walker, and Saleska, Scott Reid. Wed . "Causes of reduced leaf‐level photosynthesis during strong El Niño drought in a Central Amazon forest". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14293.
@article{osti_1439744,
title = {Causes of reduced leaf‐level photosynthesis during strong El Niño drought in a Central Amazon forest},
author = {Santos, Victor Alexandre Hardt Ferreira dos and Ferreira, Marciel José and Rodrigues, João Victor Figueiredo Cardoso and Garcia, Maquelle Neves and Ceron, João Vitor Barbosa and Nelson, Bruce Walker and Saleska, Scott Reid},
abstractNote = {Abstract Sustained drought and concomitant high temperature may reduce photosynthesis and cause tree mortality. Possible causes of reduced photosynthesis include stomatal closure and biochemical inhibition, but their relative roles are unknown in Amazon trees during strong drought events. We assessed the effects of the recent (2015) strong El Niño drought on leaf‐level photosynthesis of Central Amazon trees via these two mechanisms. Through four seasons of 2015, we measured leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll concentration, and nutrient content in leaves of 57 upper canopy and understory trees of a lowland terra firme forest on well‐drained infertile oxisol. Photosynthesis decreased 28% in the upper canopy and 17% in understory trees during the extreme dry season of 2015, relative to other 2015 seasons and was also lower than the climatically normal dry season of the following non‐El Niño year. Photosynthesis reduction under extreme drought and high temperature in the 2015 dry season was related only to stomatal closure in both upper canopy and understory trees, and not to chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll, or leaf nutrient concentration. The distinction is important because stomatal closure is a transient regulatory response that can reverse when water becomes available, whereas the other responses reflect more permanent changes or damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Photosynthesis decrease due to stomatal closure during the 2015 extreme dry season was followed 2 months later by an increase in photosynthesis as rains returned, indicating a margin of resilience to one‐off extreme climatic events in Amazonian forests.},
doi = {10.1111/gcb.14293},
journal = {Global Change Biology},
number = 9,
volume = 24,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Wed May 30 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed May 30 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14293

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Cited by: 48 works
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