Inclusion of ecologically based trait variation in plant functional types reduces the projected land carbon sink in an earth system model

• Published in: Global change biology Vol. 21; no. 8; pp. 3074 - 3086
• Main Authors: Verheijen, Lieneke M, Aerts, Rien, Brovkin, Victor, Cavender‐Bares, Jeannine, Cornelissen, Johannes H. C, Kattge, Jens, Bodegom, Peter M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Science 01.08.2015; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: assembly theory; Carbon; carbon cycle; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Sequestration; carbon sinks; carboxylation; Climate change; climate-vegetation feedbacks; DGVM; Earth; Earth (Planet); Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; electron transfer; ESM; habitats; latitude; leaf area; leaves; Models, Theoretical; NEE; plant communities; Plant Leaves - anatomy & histology; Plant Leaves - metabolism; plant traits; Plants - anatomy & histology; Plants - metabolism; projection; Rain; spatial variation; Sunlight; Temperature; temporal variation; trait variation; trait-environment relationships; tropics; uncertainty; Vegetation; Water; climate-vegetation feedbacks; trait-environment relationships; DGVM; assembly theory; carbon cycle; projection; ESM; NEE; plant traits; trait variation

Earth system models demonstrate large uncertainty in projected changes in terrestrial carbon budgets. The lack of inclusion of adaptive responses of vegetation communities to the environment has been suggested to hamper the ability of modeled vegetation to adequately respond to environmental change....