Season effects on leaf nitrogen partitioning and photosynthetic water use efficiency in mango

The key parameters of photosynthetic capacity (maximum carboxylation rate (V_cmax), electron transport capacity (J_max) and dark respiration rate (R_d)) and the slope (m) of the stomatal conductance model of Ball et al. [Progress in photosynthetic research, Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, 1987] were measured for a whole growing season in fully expanded leaves of 12-year-old mango trees cv. Cogshall in La Réunion island. Leaf nitrogen partitioning into carboxylation (P_c) and bioenergetic (P_b) pools were computed according to the model of Niinemets and Tenhunen [Plant Cell Environ 1997;20: 845–66]. V_cmax, J_max, R_d, P_c and P_b remained relatively stable over the whole study period, with the exception of the period of linear fruit growth when J_max, R_d and P_b were slightly lower, and leaf non-structural carbohydrate content higher. During the pre-floral and floral periods, m decreased by more than 50%, indicating an increase in photosynthetic water use efficiency and m increased again during the period of linear fruit growth. Our results show that, in tropical orchard conditions characterized by mild seasonal climatic changes and non-limiting water supply, leaf nitrogen partitioning is rather stable. Our results also advocate for more studies on the effect of phenology on m and photosynthetic water use efficiency, which is of paramount importance for building coupled biochemical models of photosynthetic carbon assimilation.     

Stomatal and photosynthetic responses to shade in sorghum, soybean and eastern gamagrass

We studied photosynthetic and stomatal responses of grain sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench cv. Pioneer 8500), soybean ( Glycine max L. cv. Flyer) and eastern gamagrass ( Tripsacum dactyloides L.) during experimental sun and shade periods simulating summer cloud cover. Leaf gas exchange measurements of field plants showed that short-term (5 min) shading of leaves to 300–400 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ photosynthetic photon flux density reduced photosynthesis, leaf temperature, stomatal conductance, transpiration and water use efficiency and increased intercellular CO₂ partial pressure. In all species, photosynthetic recovery was delayed when leaves were reilluminated, apparently by stomatal closure. The strongest stomatal response was in soybean. Photosynthetic recovery was studied further with soybeans grown indoors (maximum photosynthetic photon flux density 1 200 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). Plants grown indoors had responses to shade similar to those of field plants, except for brief nonstomatal limitation immediately after reillumination. These responses indicated the importance of the light environment during leaf development on assimilation responses to variable light, and suggested different limitations on carbon assimilation in different parts of the soybean canopy. Photosynthetic oxygen evolution recovered immediately upon reillumination, indicating that the light reactions did not limit soybean photosynthetic recovery. While shade periods caused stomatal closure and reduced carbon gain and water loss in all species, the consequences for carbon gain/water loss were greatest in soybean. The occurrence of stomatal closure in all three species may arise from their shared phenologies and herbaceous growth forms.     

A relationship between carbon dioxide, photosynthetic efficiency and shade tolerance

Net photosynthesis and transpiration of seedlings from shade tolerant, moderately tolerant and intolerant tree species were measured in ambient carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations ranging from 312 to 734 ppm. The species used, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (tolerant), Quercus alba L., Q. rubra L., Liriodendron tulipifera L. (moderately tolerant), Liquidambar styraciflua L. and Pinus taeda L. (intolerant), are found co-occurring in the mixed pine-hardwood forests of the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States. When seedlings were grown in shaded conditions, photosynthetic CO₂ efficiency was significantly different in all species with the highest efficiency in the most shade tolerant species, Fagus grandifolia , and progressively lower efficiencies in moderately tolerant and intolerant species. Photosynthetic CO₂ efficiency was defined as the rate of increase in net photosynthesis with increase in ambient CO₂ concentration. When plants which had grown in a high light environment were tested, the moderately tolerant and intolerant deciduous species had the highest photosynthetic CO₂ efficiencies but this capacity was reduced when these species grew in low light. The lowest CO₂ efficiency and apparent quantum yield occurred in Pinus taeda in all cases. Water use efficiency was higher for all species in enriched CO₂ environments but transpiration rate and leaf conductance were not affected by CO₂ concentration. High photosynthetic CO₂ efficiency may be advantageous for maintaining a positive carbon balance in the low light environment under a forest canopy.     

Effects of salinity on photosynthesis,leaf anatomy,ion accumulation and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency in five Indian mangroves

Five species of mangroves (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera fomes, Phoenix paludosa and Xylocarpus granatum) were investigated with respect to their photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll content, mesophyll conductance, specific leaf area, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency under saline (15–27 PPT) and non-saline (1.8–2 PPT) conditions. Some inorganic elements were estimated from the leaf samples to compare the concentrations with change in salinity. Elevated assimilation rate coupled with increased chlorophyll content, more mesophyll and stomatal conductance and higher specific leaf area in non-saline condition indicates that these mangroves can grow well even with minimal salinity in soil. In B. gymnorrhiza, E. agallocha and P. paludosa the optimum PAR acquisition for photosynthesis was higher under salt stress, while the maximal rate of assimilation was lower even with minimal salinity. H. fomes and X. granatum followed the opposite trend, where the peak photosynthesis rate was lower under non-saline conditions even at a higher irradiance than in the saline forest. This indicates less affinity of H. fomes and X. granatum to high substrate salinity. Accumulation of Na⁺ increased in plants in saline substrate, while in most of the species, salinity imposed reduction in Ca⁺ and Mg⁺ uptake. Increased K⁺ content can be attributed to high substrate level K⁺ in non-saline soil. Trace amount of salinity induced Cu⁺⁺ detected in leaves of H. fomes may impart some toxic effects. Photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency increased in non-saline soil that can be attributed to higher photosynthetic peak in most of the species and/or lower nitrogen accumulation in plant samples.     

Water use efficiency and carbon isotope composition of plants in a cold desert environment

Summary The effects of the availabilities of water and nitrogen on water use efficiency (WUE) of plants were investigated in a sagebrush steppe. The four species studied wereArtemisia tridentata (shrub),Ceratoides lanata (suffrutescent shrub),Elymus lanceolatus (rhizomatous grass), andElymus elymoides (tussock grass). Water and nitrogen levels were manipulated in a two-by-two factorial design resulting in four treatments: control (no additions), added water, added nitrogen, and added water and nitrogen. One instantaneous and two long-term indicators of WUE were used to testa priori predictions of the ranking of WUE among treatments. The short-term indicator was the instantaneous ratio of assimilation to transpiration (A/E). The long-term measures were 1) the slope of the relationship between conductance to water vapor and maximum assimilation and 2) the carbon isotope composition (¹³C) of plant material. Additional water decreased WUE, whereas additional nitrogen increased WUE. For both A/E and ¹³C, the mean for added nitrogen alone was significantly greater than the mean for added water alone, and means for the control and added water and nitrogen fell in between. This ranking of WUE supported the hypothesis that both water and nitrogen limit plant gas exchange in this semiarid environment. The short- and long-term indicators were in agreement, providing evidence in support of theoretical models concerning the water cost of carbon assimilation.     

The effect of atmospheric humidity on photosynthesis,transpiration and water use efficiency of leaves of several plant species

The effect of humidity on the gas exchange of leaves of the dicotyledons soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis (L.) Schneider), and saltbush (Atriplex halimus L.) and the monocotyledons wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.) was examined under conditions of adequate soil moisture in a controlled environment. Photosynthesis and stomatal and internal diffusion resistances of whole, attached, single leaves were not affected by changes in humidity as the vapour pressure deficit between the leaf and atmosphere ranged from 8 to 27 mb. Transpiration increased linearly with increasing vapour pressure deficit. Whole plants of barley exhibited a different response. As humidity was increased, photosynthesis increased, transpiration expressed per unit of vapour pressure difference increased, and diffusion resistances became smaller. Reasons for the different behaviour of single leaves and whole plants are suggested. An index for water use efficiency, expressed per millibar of vapour pressure deficit, was calculated for single leaves of each species used in the experiments. This showed that water use efficiency was highest in the C₄ xerophytes and lowest in the C₃ mesophytes. The effect of environment on water use efficiency is examined using data from the literature.     

Water relations and stomatal characteristics of Mediterranean plants with different growth forms and leaf habits: responses to water stress and recovery

The aim of this study was to extent the range of knowledge about water relations and stomatal responses to water stress to ten Mediterranean plants with different growth forms and leaf habits. Plants were subjected to different levels of water stress and a treatment of recovery. Stomatal attributes (stomatal density, StoD), stomatal conductance (g _s), stomatal responsiveness to water stress (SR), leaf water relations (pre-dawn and midday leaf water potential and relative water content), soil to leaf apparent hydraulic conductance (K _L) and bulk modulus of elasticity (ε) were determined. The observed wide range of water relations and stomatal characteristics was found to be partially depended on the growth form. Maximum g _s was related to StoD and the stomatal area index (SAI), while g _s evolution after water stress and recovery was highly correlated with K _L. Relationships between SR to water deficit and other morphological leaf traits, such as StoD, LMA or ε, provided no general correlations when including all species. It is concluded that a high variability is present among Mediterranean plants reflecting a continuum of leaf water relations and stomatal behaviour in response to water stress.     

Interrelationships between water use and growth traits in biomass-producing willows

Abstract Water use, drought response and growth were examined under controlled conditions in four interbreeding willow species from different geographical origins (two clones of Salix viminalis L., one clone of S. viminalis × S. schwerenii E. Wolf and one clone of S. purpurea L.). The levels of soil water depletion that plants could sustain without wilting varied markedly between the clones. The level of drought resistance expressed this way was positively related to resistance to xylem cavitation, negatively related to the maximum stomatal conductance, and positively related to early stomatal closure. The rate of stomatal closure, however, was negatively related to the resistance to xylem cavitation. Prior to drought, there were no significant differences between leaf-specific hydraulic conductances of the clones when whole plants were considered. However, there were differences if the roots and shoots were considered separately. Drought resistance was negatively related to maximum growth yields. This is probably because resources were diverted away from leaf production to the production of denser wood (wood density was positively related to cavitation resistance), and, for one clone, to the growth of a larger root system. In addition, because the level of drought resistance was negatively related to the maximum stomatal conductance, growth may have been adversely affected as a result of reduced photosynthesis. Given its high water extraction ability, one of the clones started to wilt sooner than expected, although only lateral shoots were affected. This appeared to indicate a strategy of sacrificing expendable shoots.     

Seasonal patterns of gas exchange,water relations and growth of it Roupala montana,an evergreen savanna species

Roupala montana is an evergreen species widespread in the seasonal savannas of the central plains of Brazil. I examined the degree of coupling of photosynthetic gas-exchange characteristics, water relations and growth responses of R. montana with regard to seasonal changes in soil water availability. Despite a rainless period of over three months soil water potential at 60 cm depth reached values of only about -1.0 MPa, while pre-dawn leaf water potential (^l) reached about -0.4 MPa by the end of the three-month drought. Thus, R. montana had access to deep soil water in the dry period, but pre-dawn ^l did not reach the high wet season values of -0.2 MPa. Most of the shoot growth was concluded in the onset of the rainy season. Although some individual branches might have shown some extension thereafter, most of them remained inactive during the rest of the rainy season and the subsequent dry season. New leaf production was also restricted to the first part of the wet period. R. montana remained evergreen in the dry season, but there was a 27% decrease in the number of leaves and herbivory removed about 16% of the leaf area still present in the plant. CO₂-exchange rates of these leaves reached only ca. 55% of the maximum rainy season values of 14 µmol m^-2 s^-1. Thus, the estimated potential daily carbon gain was about 34% of the maximum by the end of the dry period. These values will be even lower, if we considered the decrease in photosynthetic rates that occurred around midday. These reductions in photosynthetic rates as a result of partial stomatal closure were measured both in the wet and dry season and they were related to increases in the evaporative demand of the atmosphere. In conclusion, the combined effect of herbivory, leaf loss and reductions in photosynthetic rates limited plant productivity in the dry season.     

Analysis of differences in photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency of alpine and lowland Poa species

This study investigates factors determining variation in photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (φ_N) in seven slow- and fast-growing Poa species from altitudinally contrasting sites. The species and their environmental origin were (in order of increasing relative growth rate): two alpine (Poa fawcettiae and P. costiniana), one sub-alpine (P. alpina) and three temperate lowland perennials (P. pratensis, P. compressa and P. trivialis), as well as one temperate lowland annual (P. annua). Plants were grown hydroponically under identical conditions with free access to nutrients in a growth room. Photosynthesis per unit leaf area measured at growth irradiance (500 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) was slightly higher in the slow-growing alpine species. At saturating light intensities, photosynthesis was considerably higher in the alpine species than in the lowland species. Carboxylation capacity and Rubisco content per unit leaf area were also greater in the alpine species. Despite variation between the species, the in vivo specific activity of Rubisco showed little relationship to relative growth rate or photosynthetic rate. Both at light saturation and at the growth irradiance, φ_N was lowest in the slow-growing alpine species P. fawcettiae, P. costiniana and P. alpina, and highest in the fast-growing P. compressa and P. annua. The proportion of leaf nitrogen that was allocated to photosynthetic capacity and the in vivo catalytic constant of Rubisco accounted for most of the variation in φ_N at light saturation. Minor variations in intercellular CO₂ partial pressure also contributed to some extent to the variations in φ_N at light saturation. The low φ_N values at growth irradiance exhibited by the alpine species were additionally due to a lower percentage utilisation of their high photosynthetic capacity compared to the lowland species. Received: 28 May 1998 / Accepted: 28 March 1999     

长期施肥对水稻光合特性及水分利用效率的影响

在实施了27年的长期田间定位试验区,研究了长期不同施肥对红壤区水稻光合特性及水分利用效率的影响.结果表明:在不施肥(CK)、无机肥(N、NP、NPK)、有机肥(猪粪+紫云英绿肥,M)和无机肥与有机肥配施(NPKM)处理中,长期施用肥料,特别是有机肥与无机肥配施提高水稻各生育期剑叶叶绿素含量、净光合作用速率、气孔导度、蒸腾速率、水分利用效率和水稻产量,降低水稻剑叶胞间CO_2浓度;水稻剑叶叶绿素含量、净光合作用速率、气孔导度、蒸腾速率随发育阶段演进而减小,孕穗期>齐穗期>乳熟期,而胞间CO_2浓度相反;水分利用效率以齐穗期为最大;水稻发育阶段叶绿素含量、净光合速率和水稻产量之间均呈显著正相关;长期施用肥料,特别是有机肥与无机肥配施更有利于红壤区水稻的生长发育、产量和水分利用效率的提高.

Abstract：

A field experiment has being conducted for 27 years in Jinxian County, Institute of Red Soil in Jiangxi Province (116°20'24" E, 28°15'30" N) to study the effects of fertilization on the rice photosynthetic traits and water use efficiency. Four treatments were installed,i. e., no fertilization (CK), chemical fertilization (N, NP, NPK), organic fertilization (M), and chemi-cal and organic fertilization (NPKM). Long-term fertilization, especially treatment NPKM, in- creased the flag leaf chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpi-ration rate, and water use efficiency of rice at its all growth stages and the rice yield, and de-creased the flag leaf intercellular CO_2 concentration. With the growth of rice, the chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate decreased, but the intercellular CO_2 concentration increased. The water use efficiency was the greatest at full-head-ing stage. There were significant positive correlations between the chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate at various growth stages and the rice yield, Long-term fertilization, especially the combined chemical and organic fertilization, was favorable to the rice growth and develop-ment, water use efficiency, and yield production in red soil region.     

干旱、CO2和温度升高对春小麦光合、蒸发蒸腾及水分利用效率的影响

研究了干旱、CO2 浓度和温度升高对春小麦生育期、光合速率 (Pn)、蒸发蒸腾 (ET)及水分利用效率 (WUE)的影响 .结果表明 ,大气CO2 浓度升高 (5 5 0、70 0 μmol·mol-1)虽可延长抽穗 成熟期 ,但高温 (日平均温度高于正常日平均温度约 4 .8℃ )对生育期的影响远大于高CO2 影响 ,使得高CO2 、高温下抽穗 成熟期缩短 ,且种子提前萌发 ;CO2 浓度升高和高温共同作用使各水分处理的小麦光合增强、气孔阻力增加、叶片水平的水分利用效率 (WUEl)和群体水平的水分利用效率 (WUE)增大 ,但对蒸腾速率影响不显著 .对蒸发蒸腾的影响因不同的土壤水分而不同 ,在高 (田间持水量的 75 %～ 85 % )、中 (田间持水量的 5 5 %～6 5 % )水分条件下 ,高温和高CO2 使蒸发蒸腾增加 ,而在低水分条件 (田间持水量的 35 %～ 4 5 % )下 ,高温和高CO2 使蒸发蒸腾减少     

Carbon exchange and water use efficiency of a growing, irrigated olive orchard

We measured eddy covariance fluxes of CO₂ and H₂O over a flat irrigated olive orchard during growth, in different periods from Leaf Area Index (LAI) of 0.3–1.9; measurements of soil respiration were also collected. The daily net ecosystem exchange flux (F_NEE) was practically zero at LAI around 0.4 or when the orchard intercepted 11% of the incoming daily radiation; at the end of the experiment, with LAI of 1.9 (and the fraction of intercepted daily radiation close to 0.5), F_NEE was around 10 g CO₂ m⁻² day⁻¹. The night-time ecosystem respiration (R_eco), calculated from eddy fluxes in well-mixed night conditions, show a clear but non-linear dependence with LAI; it ranged from 0.05 to 0.15 mg CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ (in average), being the lower limit ideally close to the heterotrophic soil respiration at the site. The gross primary production flux (F_GPP) was linearly related to LAI within the LAI range of this experiment (with 11 g CO₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ increments per unit of LAI) and to the fraction of intercepted radiation. The maximum rates of F_GPP (0.75 mg CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹) were obtained in the summer mornings of 2002, at LAI close to 1.9. F_GPP was strongly modulated by vapour pressure deficit (VPD) through the canopy conductance, even in absence of water stress. Hence, especially in the summer, the maximum rates of carbon assimilation are reached always before noon. The daily course of F_GPP shows a two-phase pattern, first related to irradiance and then to canopy conductance. The water use efficiency (WUE) was, in average, 3.8, 6.3 and 7 g CO₂ L⁻¹ in 1999, 2001 and 2002, respectively, with maxima always in the early morning. Hourly WUE was strongly related to VPD (WUE = −10.25 + 22.52 × VPD^−0.34). Our results suggest that drip irrigated orchards in general, and olive in particular, deserve specific carbon exchange and carbon budget studies and cannot be easily included in other biomes.     

Carbon isotopes and water use efficiency: sense and sensitivity

We revisit the relationship between plant water use efficiency and carbon isotope signatures (δ¹³C) of plant material. Based on the definitions of intrinsic, instantaneous and integrated water use efficiency, we discuss the implications for interpreting δ¹³C data from leaf to landscape levels, and across diurnal to decadal timescales. Previous studies have often applied a simplified, linear relationship between δ¹³C, ratios of intercellular to ambient CO₂ mole fraction (C _i/C _a), and water use efficiency. In contrast, photosynthetic ¹³C discrimination (Δ) is sensitive to the ratio of the chloroplast to ambient CO₂ mole fraction, C _c/C _a (rather than C _i/C _a) and, consequently, to mesophyll conductance. Because mesophyll conductance may differ between species and over time, it is not possible to determine C _c/C _a from the same gas exchange measurements as C _i/C _a. On the other hand, water use efficiency at the leaf level depends on evaporative demand, which does not directly affect Δ. Water use efficiency and Δ can thus vary independently, making it difficult to obtain trends in water use efficiency from δ¹³C data. As an alternative approach, we offer a model available at to explore how water use efficiency and ¹³C discrimination are related across leaf and canopy scales. The model provides a tool to investigate whether trends in Δ indicate changes in leaf functional traits and/or environmental conditions during leaf growth, and how they are associated with trends in plant water use efficiency. The model can be used, for example, to examine whether trends in δ¹³C signatures obtained from tree rings imply changes in tree water use efficiency in response to atmospheric CO₂ increase. This is crucial for predicting how plants may respond to future climate change. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Stomatal and photosynthetic responses of olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves to water deficits

The leaf gas exchange of mature olive trees (Olea europaea L.) was characterized over a wide range of water deficits in the field during 1998, in Cordoba, Spain. Leaf photosynthesis (A) and stomatal conductance (g_l) responded diurnally and seasonally to variations in tree water status and evaporative demand. In the absence of water stress, A and g_l were generally high during autumn and low in days of high vapour pressure deficits (VPD). Leaf A varied between 0 and 2 µmol m^?2 s^?1 under severe water deficits that lowered the stem water potential (Ψ_x) to ?8·0 MPa, but recovered rapidly following rehydration. Transpiration efficiency (TE) was curvilinearly related to VPD and not influenced by water deficits except in cases of severe water stress, where low TE values were observed at Ψ_x below ?4 MPa. Three models of leaf conductance were calibrated and validated with the experimental data; two were based on the model proposed by Leuning (L) and the other was derived from the widely used Jarvis (J) model. The L models performed better than the J model in two validation tests. The scatter of the predictions and the limited accuracy of all three models suggest that, in addition to the physiological and environmental variables considered, there are additional endogenous factors influencing the g_l of olive leaves.     

科尔沁沙地黄柳气孔导度和水分状况随季节和地形的变化特征①

黄柳叶片气孔导度在上午８时后即呈下降趋势,下表皮气孔导度大于上表皮。干旱季节上下表皮气孔日间开启程度不同,下表皮气孔受环境因子的影响较大;湿润季节则相同。不同季节气孔导度值不同,下表皮气孔对季节变化反应灵敏。不同季节黄柳体内水分状况参数值不同,在５、６月份抗旱性最强;沙丘不同部位各参数值亦不相同,在沙丘中部和丘脚抗旱性最强,而在丘顶水分状况最好。湿润的７月黄柳一日内各时刻的膨压值均大于０,说明经期     

华北平原玉米田能量平衡、水分利用效率和表面阻力分析

根据华北平玉米田的观测结果,分析了地表／大气能量转化传输特征。结果表明,在作物生育期内,地表能量平衡过程受下垫面特征影响很大。潜热通量是地表／大气热量交换的主要分量;玉米生长的后期有热平流输入,日平均显热通量转为负值。表面阻力在生育期早期和后期较大,而在中期较小,显示了表面阻力对地表覆盖变化和叶片衰老的响应。农田水分利用效率在生长季呈逐渐增长的趋势。     

土壤含水量与苹果叶片水分利用效率的关系

以盆栽苹果幼树为试材研究了土壤相对含水量与叶片水分利用效率（WUE）的关系,探讨了引起WUE变化的原因,结果表明,土壤相对含水量（SWC）52.0％时WUE最高。SEC从77.2%降至52.0％时,气孔导度下降,并使蒸腾速率（Tr）的于净光合速率（Pn）的降幅而导致WUE升高;SEC从52.0％降至20.1%时,WUE降低的根本原因在于羧化效率下降使Pn大为降低 水后WUE回升,但至复水第7天仍低于对照,土壤渍水当天WUE下降,第3天回升至对照水平,之后随渍水期延长WUE逐渐降低,淹水第6天羧化效率开始下降。     

Changes in stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis during phenological development in spring wheat: implications for gas exchange modelling

Gas exchange was measured from 1 month before the onset of anthesis until the end of grain filling in field-grown spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L., cv. Vinjett, in southern Sweden. Two g _s models were parameterised using these data: one Jarvis-type multiplicative g _s model (J-model), and one combined stomatal-photosynthesis model (L-model). In addition, the multiplicative g _s model parameterisation for wheat used within the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP-model) was tested and evaluated. The J-model performed well (R ²=0.77), with no systematic pattern of the residuals plotted against the driving variables. The L-model explained a larger proportion of the variation in g _s data when observations of A _n were used as input data (R ²=0.71) compared to when A _n was modelled (R ²=0.53). In both cases there was a systematic model failure, with g _s being over- and underestimated before and after anthesis, respectively. This pattern was caused by the non-parallel changes in g _s and A _n during plant phenological development, with A _n both peaking and starting to decline earlier as compared to g _s . The EMEP-model accounted for 41% of the variation in g _s data, with g _s being underestimated after anthesis. We conclude that, under the climatic conditions prevailing in southern Scandinavia, the performance of the combined stomatal-photosynthesis approach is hampered by the non-parallel changes in g _s and A _n, and that the phenology function of the EMEP-model, having a sharp local maximum at anthesis, should be replaced by a function with a broad non-limiting period after anthesis.     

Response of photosynthesis of different plant functional types to environmental changes along Northeast China Transect

Net photosynthesis (P_n), transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (g_s), internal CO₂ concentration (C_i), and water use efficiency (WUE) were examined on 215 species from eight plant functional types (PFTs) along a precipitation gradient in northeast China (the Northeast China Transect, or NECT). Among the eight PFTs, meadow steppe grasses had the highest rates of net photosynthesis and forest grasses the lowest and the following order of P_n was noted: meadow steppe grasses >typical steppe grasses >steppe shrubs >desert grasses >forest trees >forest shrubs >desert shrubs >forest grasses (P<0.05). Transpiration tended to be the highest in the steppe grasses and lowest in forest shrubs. Transpiration also decreased rapidly with the appearance of C₃ desert species at the desert end. The forest tree PFT had lower P_n, E, g_s than the steppe PFTs, whereas WUE values were somewhat greater in the forest tree PFT than the desert shrubs and grasses. Low C_i values along the steppe section (from 400 to 1100 km, east to west) indicated the presence of C₄ species. Of all the PFTs, only shrubs and herbs were noted at all points along the transect. No clear relationship between P_n, E, g_s, WUE of herb and shrub PFTs and annual precipitation was noted – low values were found at both the high and low precipitation ends of the transect. Highest values were noted when precipitation was intermediate. Received: 28 October 1998 / Accepted: 10 May 1999