Full phenology cycle carbon flux dynamics and driving mechanism of Moso bamboo forest

Cenheng Xu; Fangjie Mao; Huaqiang Du; Xuejian Li; Jiaqian Sun; Fengfeng Ye; Zhaodong Zheng; Xianfeng Teng; Ningxin Yang

doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1359265

Full phenology cycle carbon flux dynamics and driving mechanism of Moso bamboo forest

Front Plant Sci. 2024 Feb 26:15:1359265. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1359265. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Cenheng Xu^{1

2

3}, Fangjie Mao^{1

2

3}, Huaqiang Du^{1

2

3}, Xuejian Li^{1

2

3}, Jiaqian Sun^{1

2

3}, Fengfeng Ye^{1

2

3}, Zhaodong Zheng^{1

2

3}, Xianfeng Teng^{1

2

3}, Ningxin Yang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin'an, Zhejiang, China.
² Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin'an, Zhejiang, China.
³ School of Environmental and Resources Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin'an, Zhejiang, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Moso bamboo forests, widely distributed in subtropical regions, are increasingly valued for their strong carbon sequestration capacity. However, the carbon flux variations and the driving mechanisms of Moso bamboo forest ecosystems of each phenology period have not been adequately explained.

Methods: Hence, this study utilizes comprehensive observational data from a Moso bamboo forest eddy covariance observation for the full phenological cycle (2011-2015), fitting a light response equation to elucidate the evolving dynamics of carbon fluxes and photosynthetic characteristics throughout the entire phenological cycle, and employing correlation and path analysis to reveal the response mechanisms of carbon fluxes to both biotic and abiotic factors.

Results: The results showed that, First, the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of Moso bamboo forest exhibits significant variations across six phenological periods, with LS_OFF demonstrating the highest NEE at -23.85 ± 12.61 gC·m^-2·5day^-1, followed by LS_ON at -19.04 ± 11.77 gC·m^-2·5day^-1 and FG_ON at -17.30 ± 9.58 gC·m^-2·5day^-1, while NF_OFF have the lowest value with 3.37 ± 8.24 gC·m^-2·5day^-1. Second, the maximum net photosynthetic rate (P_max) and apparent quantum efficiency (α) fluctuated from 0.42 ± 0.20 (FG_ON) to 0.75 ± 0.24 mg·m^-2·s^-1 (NF_OFF) and from 2.3 ± 1.3 (NF_OFF) to 3.3 ± 1.8 μg·μmol^-1 (LS_OFF), respectively. Third, based on the path analysis, soil temperature was the most important driving factor of photosynthetic rate and NEE variation, with path coefficient 0.81 and 0.55, respectively, followed by leaf area index (LAI), air temperature, and vapor pressure difference, and precipitation. Finally, interannually, increased LAI demonstrated the potential to enhance the carbon sequestration capability of Moso bamboo forests, particularly in off-years, with the highest correlation coefficient with NEE (-0.59) among the six factors.

Discussion: The results provide a scientific basis for carbon sink assessment of Moso bamboo forests and provide a reference for developing Moso bamboo forest management strategies.

Keywords: Moso bamboo forest; carbon flux; driving force analysis; full phenology cycle; photosynthetic parameters.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Leading Goose Project of Science Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (No. 2023C02035), Scientific Research Project of Baishanzu National Park (No. 2022JBGS02), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32171785, 32201553, 31901310).