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Related Experiment Videos

A global trait-based approach to estimate leaf nitrogen functional allocation from observations.

Bardan Ghimire1, William J Riley1, Charles D Koven1

  • 1Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA.

Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America
|April 4, 2017
PubMed
Summary

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Plant functional types (PFTs) show distinct leaf nitrogen allocation. Crops prioritize photosynthesis, while trees have a large unexplained nitrogen pool, likely for structural and other functions.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Ecology
  • Biogeochemistry

Background:

  • Nitrogen is crucial for plant growth, protein synthesis, and regulating photosynthesis and respiration.
  • Global data on leaf nitrogen allocation across different plant functional types (PFTs) is limited.
  • Understanding nitrogen use efficiency is key to predicting ecosystem productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a comprehensive global analysis of leaf nitrogen allocation for major plant functions across diverse PFTs.
  • To identify specific allocation patterns for photosynthesis and respiration in different plant types.
  • To investigate the composition and significance of the residual nitrogen pool.

Main Methods:

  • Integrated global databases with photosynthesis and respiration models.
Keywords:
Rubiscoallocationleafnitrogenphotosynthesisplantsrespirationtraits

Related Experiment Videos

  • Determined plant-functional-type-specific allocation of leaf nitrogen.
  • Quantified nitrogen allocated to photosynthesis (Rubisco, electron transport, light absorption) and respiration (growth, maintenance).
  • Calculated a residual nitrogen pool by subtracting accounted nitrogen from total observed leaf nitrogen.

    • Main Results:

    • Crops allocate the most nitrogen to photosynthesis (57%) and respiration (5%).
    • Herbaceous plants allocate 44% to photosynthesis and 4% to respiration.
    • Tropical broadleaf evergreen trees (25% photosynthesis, 2% respiration) and needle-leaved evergreen trees (28% photosynthesis, 3% respiration) show lower allocation to these functions.
    • A significant residual nitrogen pool (70-73%) exists in trees, hypothesized to support cell wall proteins, nucleic acids, and secondary compounds.

    Conclusions:

    • Leaf nitrogen allocation varies substantially across PFTs, with significant differences in the residual nitrogen pool.
    • The large residual nitrogen pool in trees suggests investments in functions beyond primary photosynthesis and respiration.
    • Findings offer insights into cellular-scale mechanisms and can inform ecosystem models for predicting productivity at multiple scales.