Short-Term Temperature Response of Leaf Respiration in Different Subtropical Urban Tree Species

Plant leaf respiration is one of the critical components of the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. To predict changes of carbon emissions from leaves to the atmosphere under a warming climate, it is, therefore, important to understand the thermodynamics of the temperature response of leaf respiration. In this study, we measured the short-term temperature response of leaf respiration from five different urban tree species in a subtropical region of southern China. We applied two models, including an empirical model (the Kavanau model) and a mechanistic model (Macromolecular Rate Theory, MMRT), to investigate the thermodynamic properties in different plant species. Both models are equivalent in fitting measurements of the temperature response of leaf respiration with no significant difference (p = 0.67) in model efficiency, while MMRT provides an easy way to determine the thermodynamic properties, i.e., enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy of activation, for plant respiration. We found a conserved temperature response in the five studied plant species, showing no difference in thermodynamic properties and the relative temperature sensitivity for different species at low temperatures (<42°C). However, divergent temperature response among species happened at high temperatures over 42°C, showing more than two-fold differences in relative respiration rate compared to that below 42°C, although the causes of the divergent temperature response remain unclear. Notably, the convergent temperature response at low temperatures could provide useful information for land surface models to improve predictions of climate change effects on plant respiration.

Download Full-text

The temperature response of leaf dark respiration in 15 provenances of Eucalyptus grandis grown in ambient and elevated CO2

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp17110 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (11) ◽

pp. 1075 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Michael J. Aspinwall ◽

Vinod K. Jacob ◽

Chris J. Blackman ◽

Renee A. Smith ◽

Mark G. Tjoelker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Elevated Co2 ◽

Tree Species ◽

Unit Area ◽

Dark Respiration ◽

Eucalyptus Grandis ◽

Temperature Response ◽

Respiratory Physiology ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Leaf Dark Respiration

The effects of elevated CO2 on the short-term temperature response of leaf dark respiration (R) remain uncertain for many forest tree species. Likewise, variation in leaf R among populations within tree species and potential interactive effects of elevated CO2 are poorly understood. We addressed these uncertainties by measuring the short-term temperature response of leaf R in 15 provenances of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden from contrasting thermal environments grown under ambient [CO2] (aCO2; 400 µmol mol–1) and elevated [CO2] (640 µmol mol–1; eCO2). Leaf R per unit area (Rarea) measured across a range of temperatures was higher in trees grown in eCO2 and varied up to 104% among provenances. However, eCO2 increased leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) by 21%, and when R was expressed on a mass basis (i.e. Rmass), it did not differ between CO2 treatments. Likewise, accounting for differences in LMA among provenances, Rmass did not differ among provenances. The temperature sensitivity of R (i.e. Q10) did not differ between CO2 treatments or among provenances. We conclude that eCO2 had no direct effect on the temperature response of R in E. grandis, and respiratory physiology was similar among provenances of E. grandis regardless of home-climate temperature conditions.

Download Full-text

Plant respiration in productivity models: conceptualisation, representation and issues for global terrestrial carbon-cycle research

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp02083 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 171 ◽

Cited By ~ 274

Author(s):

Roger M. Gifford

Keyword(s):

Global Change ◽

Temperature Response ◽

Co2 Concentration ◽

Carbon Accounting ◽

Short Term ◽

Complex Process ◽

C Cycle ◽

Terrestrial Carbon Cycle ◽

Global Change Research ◽

Plant Respiration

Plant respiratory regulation is too complex for a mechanistic representation in current terrestrial productivity models for carbon accounting and global change research. Accordingly, simpler approaches that attempt to capture the essence of respiration are commonly adopted. Several approaches have been used in the literature: respiration may be embedded implicitly in growth algorithms; assumed values for specific respiration rates may be adopted; respiration may be calculated in terms of growth and maintenance components; conservatism in the ratio of respiration to photosynthesis (R : P) may be assumed; or a more complex process or residual approach may be adopted. Review of this literature suggests that the assumption of conservative R : P ratio is an effective and practicable approach in the context of C-cycle modelling for global change research and documentation, requiring minimal ecosystem-specific data on respiration.Some long-standing controversies in respiration are now becoming resolved. The apparently wasteful process of cyanide-resistant respiration by the alternative oxidase may not be wasteful, as it is thought to be involved in protecting the plant from 'reactive oxygen species'. It is now clear that short-term respiratory response coefficients of plants (e.g. the Q10) do not predict their long-term temperature response. A new experimental approach suggests that leaf respiration is not suppressed by light as previously thought. Careful experiments, taking account of several proposed measurement artefacts, indicate that plant respiration is not suppressed by elevated CO2 concentration in a short-term reversible way.

Download Full-text

Macromolecular rate theory (MMRT) provides a thermodynamics rationale to underpin the convergent temperature response in plant leaf respiration

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.13936 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 1538-1547 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Liyin L. Liang ◽

Vickery L. Arcus ◽

Mary A. Heskel ◽

Odhran S. O'Sullivan ◽

Lasantha K. Weerasinghe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Temperature Response ◽

Rate Theory ◽

Leaf Respiration ◽

Plant Leaf

Download Full-text

Convergence in the temperature response of leaf respiration across biomes and plant functional types

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1520282113 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 113 (14) ◽

pp. 3832-3837 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Mary A. Heskel ◽

Odhran S. O’Sullivan ◽

Peter B. Reich ◽

Mark G. Tjoelker ◽

Lasantha K. Weerasinghe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Temperature Sensitivity ◽

Land Surface ◽

Response Curve ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Temperature Response ◽

Plant Functional Types ◽

Leaf Respiration ◽

Functional Types ◽

Carbon Release ◽

Plant Respiration

Plant respiration constitutes a massive carbon flux to the atmosphere, and a major control on the evolution of the global carbon cycle. It therefore has the potential to modulate levels of climate change due to the human burning of fossil fuels. Neither current physiological nor terrestrial biosphere models adequately describe its short-term temperature response, and even minor differences in the shape of the response curve can significantly impact estimates of ecosystem carbon release and/or storage. Given this, it is critical to establish whether there are predictable patterns in the shape of the respiration–temperature response curve, and thus in the intrinsic temperature sensitivity of respiration across the globe. Analyzing measurements in a comprehensive database for 231 species spanning 7 biomes, we demonstrate that temperature-dependent increases in leaf respiration do not follow a commonly used exponential function. Instead, we find a decelerating function as leaves warm, reflecting a declining sensitivity to higher temperatures that is remarkably uniform across all biomes and plant functional types. Such convergence in the temperature sensitivity of leaf respiration suggests that there are universally applicable controls on the temperature response of plant energy metabolism, such that a single new function can predict the temperature dependence of leaf respiration for global vegetation. This simple function enables straightforward description of plant respiration in the land-surface components of coupled earth system models. Our cross-biome analyses shows significant implications for such fluxes in cold climates, generally projecting lower values compared with previous estimates.

Download Full-text

Short-term effects of whole-tree harvesting on understory plant species diversity and cover in two Norway spruce sites in southern Norway

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1080/02827581.2016.1164889 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (8) ◽

pp. 766-776 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tonje Økland ◽

Jørn-Frode Nordbakken ◽

Holger Lange ◽

Ingvald Røsberg ◽

Nicholas Clarke

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Species Diversity ◽

Short Term ◽

Understory Plant ◽

Southern Norway ◽

Whole Tree Harvesting ◽

Whole Tree ◽

Short Term Effects

Download Full-text

Mapping the Urban Atmospheric Carbon Stock by LiDAR and WorldView-3 Data

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12060692 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 692

Author(s):

MD Abdul Mueed Choudhury ◽

Ernesto Marcheggiani ◽

Andrea Galli ◽

Giuseppe Modica ◽

Ben Somers

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Urban Area ◽

Tree Species ◽

Carbon Stock ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Data Sources ◽

Lidar Data ◽

Urban Tree ◽

Sensing Data

Currently, the worsening impacts of urbanizations have been impelled to the importance of monitoring and management of existing urban trees, securing sustainable use of the available green spaces. Urban tree species identification and evaluation of their roles in atmospheric Carbon Stock (CS) are still among the prime concerns for city planners regarding initiating a convenient and easily adaptive urban green planning and management system. A detailed methodology on the urban tree carbon stock calibration and mapping was conducted in the urban area of Brussels, Belgium. A comparative analysis of the mapping outcomes was assessed to define the convenience and efficiency of two different remote sensing data sources, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and WorldView-3 (WV-3), in a unique urban area. The mapping results were validated against field estimated carbon stocks. At the initial stage, dominant tree species were identified and classified using the high-resolution WorldView3 image, leading to the final carbon stock mapping based on the dominant species. An object-based image analysis approach was employed to attain an overall accuracy (OA) of 71% during the classification of the dominant species. The field estimations of carbon stock for each plot were done utilizing an allometric model based on the field tree dendrometric data. Later based on the correlation among the field data and the variables (i.e., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI and Crown Height Model, CHM) extracted from the available remote sensing data, the carbon stock mapping and validation had been done in a GIS environment. The calibrated NDVI and CHM had been used to compute possible carbon stock in either case of the WV-3 image and LiDAR data, respectively. A comparative discussion has been introduced to bring out the issues, especially for the developing countries, where WV-3 data could be a better solution over the hardly available LiDAR data. This study could assist city planners in understanding and deciding the applicability of remote sensing data sources based on their availability and the level of expediency, ensuring a sustainable urban green management system.

Download Full-text