Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest
Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate...
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crplos:10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 2024-09-30T14:33:42+00:00 Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest Anderson, Carolyn G. Bond-Lamberty, Ben Stegen, James C. Hui, Dafeng 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 en eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PLOS ONE volume 15, issue 12, page e0232506 ISSN 1932-6203 journal-article 2020 crplos https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 2024-09-17T04:33:25Z Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate-sensitive permafrost regions. We measured SLA and soil and topographic properties across a boreal forest permafrost transition, in which dominant tree species changed as permafrost deepened from 54 to >150 cm over 75 m hillslope transects in Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska. We characterized both linear and threshold relationships between topographic and edaphic variables and SLA and developed a conceptual model of these relationships. We found that the depth of the soil active layer above permafrost was significantly and positively correlated with SLA for both coniferous and deciduous boreal tree species. Intraspecific SLA variation was associated with a fivefold increase in net primary production, suggesting that changes in active layer depth due to permafrost thaw could strongly influence ecosystem productivity. While this is an exploratory study to begin understanding SLA variation in a non-contiguous permafrost system, our results indicate the need for more extensive evaluation across larger spatial domains. These empirical relationships and associated uncertainty can be incorporated into ecosystem models that use dynamic traits, improving our ability to predict ecosystem-level carbon cycling responses to ongoing climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed permafrost Alaska PLOS PLOS ONE 15 12 e0232506 |
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English |
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Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate-sensitive permafrost regions. We measured SLA and soil and topographic properties across a boreal forest permafrost transition, in which dominant tree species changed as permafrost deepened from 54 to >150 cm over 75 m hillslope transects in Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska. We characterized both linear and threshold relationships between topographic and edaphic variables and SLA and developed a conceptual model of these relationships. We found that the depth of the soil active layer above permafrost was significantly and positively correlated with SLA for both coniferous and deciduous boreal tree species. Intraspecific SLA variation was associated with a fivefold increase in net primary production, suggesting that changes in active layer depth due to permafrost thaw could strongly influence ecosystem productivity. While this is an exploratory study to begin understanding SLA variation in a non-contiguous permafrost system, our results indicate the need for more extensive evaluation across larger spatial domains. These empirical relationships and associated uncertainty can be incorporated into ecosystem models that use dynamic traits, improving our ability to predict ecosystem-level carbon cycling responses to ongoing climate change. |
author2 |
Hui, Dafeng |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Anderson, Carolyn G. Bond-Lamberty, Ben Stegen, James C. |
spellingShingle |
Anderson, Carolyn G. Bond-Lamberty, Ben Stegen, James C. Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
author_facet |
Anderson, Carolyn G. Bond-Lamberty, Ben Stegen, James C. |
author_sort |
Anderson, Carolyn G. |
title |
Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
title_short |
Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
title_full |
Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
title_fullStr |
Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
title_full_unstemmed |
Active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
title_sort |
active layer depth and soil properties impact specific leaf area variation and ecosystem productivity in a boreal forest |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 |
genre |
Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed permafrost Alaska |
genre_facet |
Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed permafrost Alaska |
op_source |
PLOS ONE volume 15, issue 12, page e0232506 ISSN 1932-6203 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 |
container_title |
PLOS ONE |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
e0232506 |
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1811637502505648128 |