Ralf Geyer

Leaf-level gas exchange and scaling-up of forest understory carbon fixation rates with a patch-scale canopy model

SummaryDuring the Hartheim experiment (HartX) 1992, conducted in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany, we estimated water vapor flux from the understory by several methods as reported in Wedler et al. (this issue). We also examined the photosynthetic gas exchange of the dominant understory speciesBrachypodium pinnatum, Carex alba, andCarex flacca at the leaf level with an CO2/H2O porometer. A mechanisticallybased leaf gas exchange model was parameterized for these understory species and validated via the measured diurnal courses of carbon dioxide exchange. Leaf CO2 gas exchange was scaled-up to patch- and then to stand-level utilizing the leaf gas exchange model as a component of the canopy light interception/energy balance model GAS-FLUX, and by further considering variation in vegetation “patch-type” distribution, patch-specific spatial structure, patch-type leaf area index, and microclimate beneath the tree canopy.At patch-level,C. alba exhibited the lowest net CO2 uptake of ca. 75 mmol m−2 d−1 due to a low leaf-level photosynthetic capacity, whereas net CO2 fixation ofB. pinnatum- andC. flacca-patches was approx. 178 and 184 mmol m−2 d−1, respectively. Highest CO2 uptake was estimated for mixed patches whereB. pinnatum grew together with the sedge speciesC. alba orC. flacca. Scaling-up of leaf gas exchange to stand level resulted in an estimated average rate of total CO2 fixation by the graminoid understory patches of approximately 93 mmol m−2 d−1 during the HartX period. The conservative gas exchange behavior ofC. alba at Hartheim and its apparent success in space capture seems to affect overall functioning of this pine forest ecosystem by limiting understory CO2 uptake. The CO2 uptake by the understory is approximately 20% of stand total CO2 uptake. CO2 uptake fluxes mirror the relative differences in water loss from the understory and crown layer during the HartX period. Comparative measurements indicate that understory vegetation in spruce and pine forests is not greatly different from that of other low-statured natural ecosystems such as tundra or marshes under high light conditions, although CO2 capture by the understory at Hartheim is at the low extreme of the estimates, apparently due to the success ofC. alba.

Estimation of annual spatial variations in forest production and crop yields at landscape scale in temperate climate regions

Simulating regional variations in gross primary production (GPP) and yields of major land cover types is complex due to differences in plant physiological properties, landscape topography, and climate gradients. In our study, we analyzed the inter-annual and inter-regional variation, as well as the effect of summer drought, on gross primary production and crop yields of 9 major land uses within the state-funded Bioenergy Region Bayreuth in Germany. We developed a simulation framework using a process based model which accounts for variations in both CO2 gas exchange, and in the case of crops, growth processes. The results indicated a severe impact of summer drought on GPP, particularly of forests and grasslands. Yields of winter crops, early planted summer grain crops as well as the perennial 2nd generation biofuel crop Silphium perfoliatum, on the other hand, were buffered despite drought by comparatively mild winter and spring temperatures. We estimated regional yield increases from SW to NE, suggesting a comparative advantage for these crops in the cooler and upland part of the region. In contrast, grasslands and annual summer crops such as maize and potato did not exhibit any apparent regional pattern in the simulations. The 2nd generation bioenergy crop exhibited significantly higher GPP and yields compared to the conventional bioenergy crop maize, suggesting that cultivation of S. perfoliatum should be increased for economic and environmental reasons, but additional study of the growth of S. perfoliatum is still required.