Long-term trend in vegetation gross primary production, phenology and their relationships inferred from the FLUXNET data

Xiaojun Xu; Huaqiang Du; Weiliang Fan; Junguo Hu; Fangjie Mao; Hao Dong

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.023

Long-term trend in vegetation gross primary production, phenology and their relationships inferred from the FLUXNET data

J Environ Manage. 2019 Sep 15:246:605-616. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.023. Epub 2019 Jun 14.

Authors

Xiaojun Xu¹, Huaqiang Du², Weiliang Fan², Junguo Hu³, Fangjie Mao², Hao Dong²

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China; School of Environmental and Resources Science, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: 20140004@zafu.edu.cn.
² State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China; School of Environmental and Resources Science, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: hujunguo@zafu.edu.cn.

PMID: 31202828
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.023

Abstract

Climate-induced changes in plant phenology and physiology plays an important role in control of carbon exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Based on dataset during 1997-2014 from 41 flux tower sites (440 site-years) across the northern hemisphere, relationships between long-term trends in start of growing season (SOS), end of growing season (EOS), length of growing season (LOS), maximal gross primary production (GPP_max), and seasonal and annual gross primary production (GPP) were analyzed. Statistical Models of Integrated Phenology and Physiology (SMIPP) were built for predicting the long-term trends in annual GPP. Results showed that SOS advanced and EOS delayed for forest sites, while both SOS and EOS for grassland (GRA) sites delayed. Long-term trends in SOS and EOS of evergreen needle-leaf forests (ENF) sites were greater than those of deciduous broadleaf forests (DBF) sites. Seasonal and annual GPP for forest sites increased, among which long-term trend in annual GPP of ENF sites was the largest. Spring GPP of GRA sites decreased, but annual GPP increased. Strong relationships between long-term trends in phenological and physiological indicators and seasonal GPP were found. Long-term trend in GPP_max had the highest relationship with long-term trend in annual GPP for forest sites, but long-term trend in SOS was the most related to long-term trend in annual GPP for GRA sites. Increases in spring and autumn GPP due to a one-day advance in SOS and delay in EOS for DBF sites were greater than ENF sites. Delay in EOS resulted in more carbon sequestration than advance in SOS for forest sites, while advance in SOS significantly increased spring GPP for GRA sites. The SMIPP model driven by long-term trends in LOS and GPP_max had stronger explanatory power for predicting long-term trend in annual GPP than the SMIPP model driven by long-term trends in SOS, EOS, and GPP_max. Long-term trend in annual GPP was accurately predicted by using the SMIPP model, while long-term trend in annual GPP for GRA sites was more difficult to be captured than the forest sites. Drought and disturbance effects on phenology and physiology were major factors for model uncertainty. This study is helpful to understand changes in phenology and carbon uptake and their differences among different vegetation types and provides a potential way for predicting annual rate of change in carbon uptake through vegetation photosynthesis at a global scale.

Keywords: Gross primary production; Long-term trend; Phenology; Physiology; Prediction.

MeSH terms

Climate Change
Ecosystem*
Forests*
Plants
Seasons