Global convergence in the temperature sensitivity of respiration at ecosystem level.
The respiratory release of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from the land surface is a major flux in the global carbon cycle, antipodal to photosynthetic CO(2) uptake. Understanding the sensitivity of respiratory processes to temperature is central for quantifying the climate-carbon cycle feedback. We approximated the sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystem respiration to air temperature (Q(10)) across 60 FLUXNET sites with the use of a methodology that circumvents confounding effects. Contrary to previous findings, our results suggest that Q(10) is independent of mean annual temperature, does not differ among biomes, and is confined to values around 1.4 +/- 0.1. The strong relation between photosynthesis and respiration, by contrast, is highly variable among sites. The results may partly explain a less pronounced climate-carbon cycle feedback than suggested by current carbon cycle climate models.
Mahecha
Miguel D
MD
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, 07745 Jena, Germany. mmahecha@bgc-jena.mpg.de
Reichstein
Markus
M
Carvalhais
Nuno
N
Lasslop
Gitta
G
Lange
Holger
H
Seneviratne
Sonia I
SI
Vargas
Rodrigo
R
Ammann
Christof
C
Arain
M Altaf
MA
Cescatti
Alessandro
A
Janssens
Ivan A
IA
Migliavacca
Mirco
M
Montagnani
Leonardo
L
Richardson
Andrew D
AD
D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019069:Cell Respiration; D002980:Climate; D055669:Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; D017753:Ecosystem; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013696:Temperature
D012987:Soil; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon