Journal article
Predicting ecosystem carbon balance in a warming Arctic: the importance of long-term thermal acclimation potential and inhibitory effects of light on respiration
Global Change Biology, Vol.20(6), pp.1901-1912
2014
Abstract
The carbon balance of Arctic ecosystems is particularly sensitive to global environmental change. Leaf respiration (R), a temperature-dependent key process in determining the carbon balance, is not well understood in Arctic plants. The potential for plants to acclimate to warmer conditions could strongly impact future global carbon balance. Two key unanswered questions are (1) whether short-term temperature responses can predict long-term respiratory responses to growth in elevated temperatures and (2) to what extent the constant daylight conditions of the Arctic growing season inhibit leaf respiration. In two dominant Arctic species Eriophorum vaginatum (tussock grass) and Betula nana (woody shrub), we assessed the extent of respiratory inhibition in the light (RL/RD), respiratory response to short-term temperature change, and respiratory acclimation to long-term warming treatments. We found that R of both species is strongly inhibited by light (averaging 35% across all measurement temperatures). In E. vaginatum both RL and RD acclimated to the long-term warming treatment, reducing the magnitude of respiratory response relative to the short-term response to temperature increase. In B. nana, both RL and RD responded to short-term temperature increase but showed no acclimation to the long-term warming. The ability to predict plant respiratory response to global warming with short-term temperature responses will depend on species-specific acclimation potential and the differential response of RL and RD to temperature. With projected woody shrub encroachment in Arctic tundra and continued warming, changing species dominance between these two functional groups, may impact ecosystem respiratory response and carbon balance.
Details
- Title
- Predicting ecosystem carbon balance in a warming Arctic: the importance of long-term thermal acclimation potential and inhibitory effects of light on respiration
- Authors
- B C McLaughlin (Author) - University of California, United StatesCheng Yuan Xu (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringEdward B Rastetter (Author) - Marine Biological Laboratory, United StatesK L Griffin (Author) - Columbia University, United States
- Publication details
- Global Change Biology, Vol.20(6), pp.1901-1912
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Date published
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.1111/gcb.12549
- ISSN
- 1354-1013
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2014 Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: McLaughlin, B. C., Xu, C.-Y., Rastetter, E. B. and Griffin, K. L. (2014), Predicting ecosystem carbon balance in a warming Arctic: the importance of long-term thermal acclimation potential and inhibitory effects of light on respiration. Glob Change Biol, 20: 1901-1912, which has been published in final form at doi:10.1111/gcb.12549. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448813202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
74 File views/ downloads
815 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Ecology
- Environmental Sciences
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites