Phenology as a strategy for carbon optimality: a global model
Phenology is essential to our understanding of biogeochemical cycles and the climate system. We develop a global mechanistic model of leaf phenology based on the hypothesis that phenology is a strategy for optimal carbon gain at the canopy level so that trees adjust leaf gains and losses in response...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2014-02-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/11/763/2014/bg-11-763-2014.pdf |
| Summary: | Phenology is essential to our understanding of biogeochemical cycles and the
climate system. We develop a global mechanistic model of leaf phenology based
on the hypothesis that phenology is a strategy for optimal carbon gain at the
canopy level so that trees adjust leaf gains and losses in response to
environmental factors such as light, temperature and soil moisture, to
achieve maximum carbon assimilation. We fit this model to five years of
satellite observations of leaf area index (LAI) using a Bayesian fitting
algorithm. We show that our model is able to reproduce phenological patterns
for all vegetation types and use it to explore variations in growing season
length and the climate factors that limit leaf growth for different biomes.
Phenology in wet tropical areas is limited by leaf age physiological
constraints while at higher latitude leaf seasonality is limited by low
temperature and light availability. Leaf growth in grassland regions is
limited by water availability but often in combination with other factors.
This model will advance the current understanding of phenology for ecosystem
carbon models and our ability to predict future phenological behaviour. |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |