Convergence of terrestrial plant production across global climate gradients

Sean T. Michaletz, Dongliang Cheng (), Andrew J. Kerkhoff and Brian J. Enquist ()
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Sean T. Michaletz: University of Arizona
Dongliang Cheng: Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Process, Fujian Normal University, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
Andrew J. Kerkhoff: Kenyon College
Brian J. Enquist: University of Arizona

Nature, 2014, vol. 512, issue 7512, 39-43

Abstract: Abstract Variation in terrestrial net primary production (NPP) with climate is thought to originate from a direct influence of temperature and precipitation on plant metabolism. However, variation in NPP may also result from an indirect influence of climate by means of plant age, stand biomass, growing season length and local adaptation. To identify the relative importance of direct and indirect climate effects, we extend metabolic scaling theory to link hypothesized climate influences with NPP, and assess hypothesized relationships using a global compilation of ecosystem woody plant biomass and production data. Notably, age and biomass explained most of the variation in production whereas temperature and precipitation explained almost none, suggesting that climate indirectly (not directly) influences production. Furthermore, our theory shows that variation in NPP is characterized by a common scaling relationship, suggesting that global change models can incorporate the mechanisms governing this relationship to improve predictions of future ecosystem function.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/nature13470

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