Carboxylation capacity is the main limitation of carbon assimilation in High Arctic shrubs

• Published in: Plant, Cell & Environment
• Main Authors: Paillassa, Jennifer, Pepin, Steeve, Ethier, Gilbert, Lamarque, Laurent J., Maire, Vincent
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2024
• Subjects: Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pce.15097; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pce.15097

Abstract Increases in shrub height, biomass and canopy cover are key whole‐plant features of warming‐induced vegetation change in tundra. We investigated leaf functional traits underlying photosynthetic capacity of Arctic shrub species, particularly its main limiting processes such as mesophyll conductance. In this nutrient‐limited ecosystem, we expect leaf nitrogen concentration to be the main limiting factor for photosynthesis. We measured the net photosynthetic rate at saturated light (A sat ) in three Salix species throughout a glacial valley in High‐Arctic tundra and used a causal approach to test relationships between leaf stomatal and mesophyll conductances (g sc , g m ), carboxylation capacity (Vc max ), nitrogen and phosphorus concentration (N area , P area ) and leaf mass ratio (LMA). Arctic Salix species showed no difference in A sat compared to a global data set, while being characterized by higher N area , P area and LMA. Vc max , g sc and g m independently increased A sat , with Vc max as its main limitation. We highlighted a nitrogen‐influenced pathway for increasing photosynthesis in the two prostrate mesic habitat species. In contrast, the erect wetland habitat Salix richardsonii mainly increased A sat with increasing g sc . Overall, our study revealed high photosynthetic capacities of Arctic Salix species but contrasting regulatory pathways that may influence shrub ability to respond to environmental changes in High Arctic tundra.