1. Convergence of potential net ecosystem production among contrasting C3 grasslands.
- Author
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Peichl M, Sonnentag O, Wohlfahrt G, Flanagan LB, Baldocchi DD, Kiely G, Galvagno M, Gianelle D, Marcolla B, Pio C, Migliavacca M, Jones MB, and Saunders M
- Subjects
- Austria, Biomass, Canada, Carbon Dioxide metabolism, Climate, Ireland, Italy, Seasons, United States, Ecosystem, Poaceae physiology
- Abstract
Metabolic theory and body size constraints on biomass production and decomposition suggest that differences in the intrinsic potential net ecosystem production (NEPPOT ) should be small among contrasting C3 grasslands and therefore unable to explain the wide range in the annual apparent net ecosystem production (NEPAPP ) reported by previous studies. We estimated NEPPOT for nine C3 grasslands under contrasting climate and management regimes using multiyear eddy covariance data. NEPPOT converged within a narrow range, suggesting little difference in the net carbon dioxide uptake capacity among C3 grasslands. Our results indicate a unique feature of C3 grasslands compared with other terrestrial ecosystems and suggest a state of stability in NEPPOT due to tightly coupled production and respiration processes. Consequently, the annual NEPAPP of C3 grasslands is primarily a function of seasonal and short-term environmental and management constraints, and therefore especially susceptible to changes in future climate patterns and associated adaptation of management practices., (© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.)
- Published
- 2013
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