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- Smith, N. G., et al.
(författare)
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Global photosynthetic capacity is optimized to the environment
- 2019
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 22:3, s. 506-517
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Earth system models (ESMs) use photosynthetic capacity, indexed by the maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate (V-cmax), to simulate carbon assimilation and typically rely on empirical estimates, including an assumed dependence on leaf nitrogen determined from soil fertility. In contrast, new theory, based on biochemical coordination and co-optimization of carboxylation and water costs for photosynthesis, suggests that optimal V-cmax can be predicted from climate alone, irrespective of soil fertility. Here, we develop this theory and find it captures 64% of observed variability in a global, field-measured V-cmax dataset for C-3 plants. Soil fertility indices explained substantially less variation (32%). These results indicate that environmentally regulated biophysical constraints and light availability are the first-order drivers of global photosynthetic capacity. Through acclimation and adaptation, plants efficiently utilize resources at the leaf level, thus maximizing potential resource use for growth and reproduction. Our theory offers a robust strategy for dynamically predicting photosynthetic capacity in ESMs.
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