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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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:7775069 2023-05-15T15:53:35+02:00 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. 2020-12-31 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7775069/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33382711 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 en eng Public Library of Science http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7775069/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33382711 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 © 2020 Anderson et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. CC-BY PLoS One Research Article Text 2020 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 2021-01-17T01:22:00Z 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. Text Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed permafrost Alaska PubMed Central (PMC) PLOS ONE 15 12 e0232506 |
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Research Article 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 |
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Research Article |
description |
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. |
format |
Text |
author |
Anderson, Carolyn G. Bond-Lamberty, Ben Stegen, James C. |
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 |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7775069/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33382711 https://doi.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 |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7775069/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33382711 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 |
op_rights |
© 2020 Anderson et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
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CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232506 |
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PLOS ONE |
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15 |
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12 |
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e0232506 |
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