Trait-based scaling of temperature-dependent foliar respiration in a species-rich tropical forest canopy

• Published in: Functional ecology Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 1074 - 1086
• Main Authors: Slot, Martijn, Rey-Sánchez, Camilo, Winter, Klaus, Kitajima, Kaoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford John Wiley & Sons Ltd 01.10.2014; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; carbon flux; Cell respiration; climate change; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; Earth, ocean, space; Ecological modeling; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Forest canopy; Forest ecology; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas exchange; General aspects; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; Human ecology; leaf functional traits; Meteorology; NPP; Panama; Plant physiological ecology; Q10; Respiration; temperature response of respiration; Trees; Tropical forests; Woody vines; Central America; Panama; America; Temperature; Functional trait; Tropical zone; temperature response of respiration; Environmental factor; leaf functional traits; Plant leaf; Tropical forest; Carbon; NPP; Dynamical climatology; Climate change; Q; carbon flux; Panama; Gas exchange; Respiration; Canopy(vegetation)
• ISSN: 0269-8463; 1365-2435
• DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12263

1. The scarcity of empirical data on leaf respiration (R) and its temperature sensitivity (e.g. Q10, defined as the proportional increase in R per 10 °C warming) causes uncertainty in current estimates of net primary productivity of tropical forests. 2. We measured temperature response curves of R on 123 upper-canopy leaves of 28 species of trees and lianas from a tropical forest in Panama and analysed variations in R and Q 10 in relation to other leaf functional traits. 3. Respiration rates per leaf area at 25 °C (R A ) varied widely among species and were significantly higher in trees than in lianas. R A was best predicted by a multiple regression model containing leaf phosphorus concentration, photosynthetic capacity and leaf mass per area (r 2 = 0·64). The mean Q 10 value (2·4) was significantly higher than the commonly assumed value of 2·0 Q 10 was best predicted by the combination of leaf carbohydrate concentration and growth form (trees vs lianas) (r 2 = 0·26). 4. The night-time leaf respiratory carbon flux from this tropical forest was calculated from these multiple regression models to be 4·5 Mg C ha -1 year -1 , with an estimated additional 2·9 Mg C ha -1 year -1 being released by respiration during the day. 5. Trait-based modelling has potential for estimating R, thus facilitating carbon flux estimation in species-rich tropical forests. However, in contrast to global analyses, leaf phosphorus content was the most important correlate of R and not leaf nitrogen, so calibration of trait models to the tropics will be important. Leaf traits are poor predictors of Q 10 values, and more empirical data on the temperature sensitivity of respiration are critically needed to further improve our ability to scale temperature-dependent respiration in species-rich tropical forests.