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At least 19 records

Remote sensing of vegetation canopy photosynthetic and stomatal conductance efficiencies

The problem of remote sensing the canopy photosynthetic and stomatal conductance efficiencies is investigated with the aid of one- and three-dimensional radiative transfer methods coupled to a semi-empirical mechanistic model of leaf photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Desertlike vegetation is modeled as clumps of leaves randomly distributed on a bright dry soil with partial ground cover. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), canopy photosynthetic (Ep), and stomatal efficiencies (Es) are calculated for various geometrical, optical, and illumination conditions. The contribution of various radiative fluxes to estimates of Ep is evaluated and the magnitude of errors in bulk canopy formulation of problem parameters are quantified. The nature and sensitivity of the relationship between Ep and Es to NDVI is investigated, and an algorithm is proposed for use in operational remote sensing.

Myneni, R. B.

Effects of CO2 Concentration on Leaf Photosynthesis and Stomatal Conductance of Potatoes Grown Under Different Irradiance Levels and Photoperiods

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cvs. Russet Burbank, Denali, and Norland, were grown in environmental rooms controlled at approx 350 micro mol/mol (ambient during years 1987/1988) and 1000 micro mol/mol (enriched) CO2 concentrations. Plants and electric lamps were arranged to provide two irradiance zones, 400 and 800 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF and studies were repeated using two photoperiods (12-h light / 12-h dark and continuous light). Leaf photosynthetic rates and leaf stomatal conductance were measured using fully expanded, upper canopy leaves at weekly intervals throughout growth (21 through 84 days after transplanting). Increasing the CO2 from approx 350 to 1000 micro mol/mol under the 12-h photoperiod increased leaf photosynthetic rates by 39% at 400 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF and 27% at 800 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF. Increasing the CO2 from approx 350 to 1000 micro mol/mol under continuous light decreased leaf photosynthetic rates by 7% at 400 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF and 13% at 800 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF. Increasing the CO2 from approx 350 to 1000 micro mol/mol under the 12-h photoperiod plants decreased stomatal conductance by an average of 26% at 400 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF and 42% at 800 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF. Under continuous light, CO2 enrichment resulted in a small increase (2%) of stomatal conductance at 400 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF, and a small decrease (3%) at 800 micro mol/mol/square m/S PPF. Results indicate that CO2 enrichment under the 12-h photoperiod showed the expected increase in photosynthesis and decrease in stomatal conductance for a C3 species like potato, but the decreases in leaf photosynthetic rates and minimal effect on conductance from CO2 enrichment under continuous light were not expected. The plant leaves under continuous light showed more chlorosis and some rusty flecking versus plants under the 12-h photoperiod, suggesting the continuous light was more stressful on the plants. The increased rates of leaf photosynthesis with increased CO2 concentration paralleled trends in biomass production (published previously) but were not proportional to the biomass yields.

Wheeler, R. M.

Effects of CO2 on stomatal conductance: do stomata open at very high CO2 concentrations?

Potato and wheat plants were grown for 50 d at 400, 1000 and 10000 micromoles mol-1 carbon dioxide (CO2). and sweetpotato and soybean were grown at 1000 micromoles mol-1 CO2 in controlled environment chambers to study stomatal conductance and plant water use. Lighting was provided with fluorescent lamps as a 12 h photoperiod with 300 micromoles m-2 s-1 PAR. Mid-day stomatal conductances for potato were greatest at 400 and 10000 micromoles mol-1 and least at 1000 micromoles mol-1 CO2. Mid-day conductances for wheat were greatest at 400 micromoles mol-1 and least at 1000 and 10000 micromoles mol-1 CO2. Mid-dark period conductances for potato were significantly greater at 10000 micromoles mol-1 than at 400 or 1000 micromoles mol-1, whereas dark conductance for wheat was similar in all CO2 treatments. Temporarily changing the CO2 concentration from the native 1000 micromoles mol-1 to 400 micromoles mol-1 increased mid-day conductance for all species, while temporarily changing from 1000 to 10000 micromoles mol-1 also increased conductance for potato and sweetpotato. Temporarily changing the dark period CO2 from 1000 to 10000 micromoles mol-1 increased conductance for potato, soybean and sweetpotato. In all cases, the stomatal responses were reversible, i.e. conductances returned to original rates following temporary changes in CO2 concentration. Canopy water use for potato was greatest at 10000, intermediate at 400, and least at 1000 micromoles mol-1 CO2, whereas canopy water use for wheat was greatest at 400 and similar at 1000 and 10000 micromoles mol-1 CO2. Elevated CO2 treatments (i.e. 1000 and 10000 micromoles mol-1) resulted in increased plant biomass for both wheat and potato relative to 400 micromoles mol-1, and no injurious effects were apparent from the 10000 micromoles mol-1 treatment. Results indicate that super-elevated CO2 (i.e. 10000 micromoles mol-1) can increase stomatal conductance in some species, particularly during the dark period, resulting in increased water use and decreased water use efficiency.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems

Stomatal conductance of lettuce grown under or exposed to different light qualities

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The objective of this research was to examine the effects of differences in light spectrum on the stomatal conductance (Gs) and dry matter production of lettuce plants grown under a day/night cycle with different spectra, and also the effects on Gs of short-term exposure to different spectra. METHODS: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants were grown with 6 h dark and 18 h light under four different spectra, red-blue (RB), red-blue-green (RBG), green (GF) and white (CWF), and Gs and plant growth were measured. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Conductance of plants grown for 23 d under CWF rose rapidly on illumination to a maximum in the middle of the light period, then decreased again before the dark period when it was minimal. However, the maximum was smaller in plants grown under RB, RGB and GF. This demonstrates that spectral quality during growth affects the diurnal pattern of stomatal conductance. Although Gs was smaller in plants grown under RGB than CWF, dry mass accumulation was greater, suggesting that Gs did not limit carbon assimilation under these spectral conditions. Temporarily changing the spectral quality of the plants grown for 23 d under CWF, affected stomatal responses reversibly, confirming studies on epidermal strips. This study provides new information showing that Gs is responsive to spectral quality during growth and, in the short-term, is not directly coupled to dry matter accumulation.

Light

Photosynthesis and stomatal conductance related to reflectance on the canopy scale

Field measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes were analyzed in conjunction with reflectances obtained from a helicopter-mounted Modular Multiband Radiometer at a grassland study site during the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Field Experiment. These measurements are representative of the canopy scale and were made over a range of meteorological and soil moisture conditions during different stages in the annual life cycle of the prairie vegetation, and thus provide a good basis for investigating hpotheses/relationships potentially useful in remote sensing applications. We tested the hypothesis (Sellers, 1987) that the simple ratio vegetation index should be near-linearly related to the derivatives of the unstressed canopy stomatal conductance and the unstressed canopy photosynthesis with respect to photosynthetically active radiation. Even though there is some scatter in our data, the results seem to support this hypothesis.

Verma, S. B.

Analysis of soil and species composition

Measurements were made during May to October, 1987 and June to August, 1989 over a tallgrass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas. Soil at the experimental site is predominantly Dwight silty clay loam. The prairie was burned on 16 April 1987 and on 28 April 1989 to improve the mix of grasses and forbs. The experimental area was not grazed during 1986 - 1989. A summary of results are given for soil moisture and plant growth; momentum flux and canopy aerodynamic characteristics; evapotranspiration, components of energy balance and canopy conductance; modeling canopy stomatal conductance; canopy photosynthesis, photosynthetic efficiency and water use efficiency; modeling canopy photosynthesis; the carbon dioxide budget in a temperate grassland ecosystem; and photosynthesis and stomatal conductance related to reflectance on the canopy scale.

Verma, Shashi B.

Disentangling the Regional Climate Impacts of Competing Vegetation Responses to Elevated Atmospheric CO2

Biophysical vegetation responses to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) affect regional hydroclimate through two competing mechanisms. Higher CO2 increases leaf area (LAI), thereby increasing transpiration and water losses. Simultaneously, elevated CO2 reduces stomatal conductance and transpiration, thereby increasing rootzone soil moisture. Which mechanism dominates in the future is highly uncertain, partly because these two processes are difficult to explicitly separate within dynamic vegetation models. We address this challenge by using the GISS ModelE global climate model to conduct a novel set of idealized 2×CO2 sensitivity experiments to: evaluate the total vegetation biophysical contribution to regional climate change under high CO2; and quantify the separate contributions of enhanced LAI and reduced stomatal conductance to regional hydroclimate responses. We find that increased LAI exacerbates soil moisture deficits across the sub‐tropics and more water‐limited regions, but also attenuates warming by ∼0.5–1°C in the US Southwest, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and northern South America. Reduced stomatal conductance effects contribute ∼1°C of summertime warming. For some regions, enhanced LAI and reduced stomatal conductance produce nonlinear and either competing or mutually amplifying hydroclimate responses. In northeastern Australia, these effects combine to exacerbate radiation‐forced warming and contribute to year‐round water limitation. Conversely, at higher latitudes these combined effects result in less warming than would otherwise be predicted due to nonlinear responses. These results highlight substantial regional variation in CO2‐driven vegetation responses and the importance of improving model representations of these processes to better quantify regional hydroclimate impacts.

Regional climate impacts

Conceptual aspects of a statistical-dynamical approach to represent landscape subgrid-scale heterogeneities in atmospheric models

A parameterization of land surfaces based on a statistical-dynamical approach is presented. With this approach, the most important characteristics of the soil-plant-atmosphere system that affect the partition of energy (e.g., plant stomatal conductance, soil humidity, and surface roughness) are represented by a pdf rather than by a single 'representative' value. A primary simplified version of this parameterization is used to estimate the land-surface energy fluxes that are produced at the grid scale by various distributions of stomatal conductance under a broad range of environmental conditions. To demonstrate the approach's potential, results are compared with the same fluxes calculated with a big leaf model using the mean stomatal conductance that corresponds to the distributions. Large absolute and relative differences are obtained between the two schemes for many combinations of stomatal conductance pdfs and environmental conditions.

Avissar, Roni

Atmosphere-biosphere exchange flux of carbon dioxide in a tallgrass prairie modeled with satellite spectral data

The estimation of the rate of net CO2 uptake of vegetated land surfaces is essential for studies of global carbon cycle. The present paper demonstrates the use of spectral reflectance data from satellite remote sensing to model net CO2 flux (NCF) of a tallgrass canopy at the Konza prairie, Kansas. A bidirectional reflectance canopy model was used to estimate seasonal changes in canopy leaf area index (LAI) from surface reflectances remotely sensed by SPOT 1 and Landsat 5 satellites. The radiation model was also coupled with leaf conductance-photosynthesis models to scale up stomatal conductance and NCF from individual leaves to canopy level according to radiation distribution inside the canopy. The satellite-data-driven model was able to closely simulate the seasonal change in LAI as well as the short-term variation of canopy LAI caused by the dry period during late July and early August in the area. Modeled canopy stomatal conductance (g(sub c)) and NCF agree with measurements within 0.16 cm/s and 0.28 mg m(exp -2)/s, respectively, during the growth season from late May to late August. In October both measured and modeled NCF turned to small negative values as canopy photosynthesis diminished and predicted LAI approached zero. In addition to data scatter, some of the differences between modeled and measured g(sub c) and NCF may be attributed to uncertainties in seasonal changes of plant physiological status that were not detected by satellite data; some of the differences were caused by inadequate description of the dependence of nighttime CO2 flux of soil respiration on near-surface turbulent mixing.

Gao, W.

Biological/Horticultural Internship Final Report

A study was conducted to determine water use requirements of genetically modified (GMO) dwarf plum. GMO plum and unmodified standard plum plants were grown in a controlled environment chamber under varying CO2 concentrations (400 ppm, 1500 ppm, and 5000 ppm). Pepper plants were also grown in the chamber for additional comparison. Leaf stomatal conductance, biomass accumulation, soil moisture and pot weights were measured; Stomatal conductance of GMO plum and pepper plants decreased at sustained elevated CO2 concentrations. The stomatal conductance rates of the standard plums, however, increased at sustained elevated CO2 concentrations. Further data analysis (statistical analysis, biomass, soil moisture and pot weight measurements) is ongoing and required to gain better understanding of the data. An additional proof-of-concept study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of grafting unmodified standard plum scions onto genetically modified rootstocks as a propagation method. Bud grafts were performed on three GMO plum rootstocks: NASA-5, NASA-10, and NASA-11. All of the standard plum buds grafted onto NASA-5 and NASA-10 rootstocks began growing, indicating that this grafting method is highly successful for the formation of a graft union and initial bud growth. However, bud growth during stem elongation was curtailed on several grafts due to a combination of nutritional deficiency and physical damage/obstruction of the grafted tissues. Bud growth on the NASA-5 rootstock occurred sooner than in grafts on the NASA-10 rootstock, while only one bud graft has shown growth on the NASA-11 rootstock thus far. These marked differences in the onset of bud growth suggest genotypic differences between the rootstocks may affect bud graft vigor. Mature standard plum scions grown on the NASA-5 rootstock appeared to retain most or all of the physical characteristics of the standard plum donor plant.

GMO

Using the TIMS to estimate evapotranspiration from a forest

The main goals were: (1) to characterize the evapotranspiration (Et) of two forested watersheds using direct measurement techniques, and (2) to evaluate if remotely sensed surface temperatures could be used to estimate Et from the same watersheds. Two independent approaches for estimating the Et from watersheds were used. The first was derived using the Penman-Monteith Equation. This model requires the direct measurement of the microclimate of the site as well as biological measurements, i.e., stomatal conductance to water vapor and the leaf area of the stand. The primary limitation of this approach is that the measurement of stomatal conductance is time consuming, and in large trees, access to the foliage is difficult so the sample must be limited to the small number of trees. In the study, the sample was limited to the trees which could be measured from a single tower in each stand.

Teskey, Robert

Effects of atmospheric CO2 on photosynthetic characteristics of soybean leaves

Soybean (Glycine max. cv. McCall) plants were grown at 500, 1000, and 2000 umol mol (exp -1) CO2 for 35 days with a photosynthetic photon flux of 300 umol m (exp -2) s (-1). Individual leaves were exposed to step changes of photosynthetic photon flux to study CO2 assimilation rates (CAR), i.e., leaf net photosynthesis. In general, CAR increased when CO2 increased from 500 to 1000 umol mol (exp -1), but not from 1000 to 2000 umol mol (exp -1). Regardless of the CO2 level, all leaves showed similar CAR at similar CO2 and PPF. This observation contrasts with reports that plants tend to become 'lazy' at elevated CO2 levels over time. Although leaf stomatal conductance (to water vapor) showed diurnal rhythms entrained to the photoperiod, leaf CAR did not show these rhythms and remained constant across the light period, indicating that stomatal conductance had little effect on CAR. Such measurements suggest that short-term changes in CO2 exchange dynamics for a controlled ecological life support system can be closely predicted for an actively growing soybean crop.

Wheeler, R. M.

Elevated carbon dioxide influences yield and photosynthetic responses of hydroponically-grown sweetpotato

The response of 'TI-155' and 'Georgia Jet' sweetpotato cultivars to elevated CO2 concentrations of 400 (ambient), 750 and 1000 micromoles mol-1 were evaluated under controlled environment conditions using the nutrient film technique (NFT). Growth chamber conditions included photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) of 600 micromoles m-2 s-1, 14/10 light/dark period, and 70% +/- 5% RH. Plants were grown using a modified half-Hoagland nutrient solution with a pH range of 5.5-6.0 and an electrical conductivity of 0.12 S m-1. Gas exchange measurements were made using infrared gas analysis, an open-flow gas exchange system, and a controlled-climate cuvette. Photosynthetic (Pn) measurements were made at CO2 ranges of 50 to 1000 micromoles mol-1. Storage root yield/plant increased with CO2 up to 750 but declined at 1000 micromoles mol-1. Storage root dry matter (DM) and foliage dry weight increased with increasing CO2. Harvest index (HI) for both cultivars was highest at 750 micromoles mol-1. The PPF vs Pn curves were typical for C3 plants with saturation occurring at approximately 600 micromoles m-2 s-1. CO2 concentration did not significantly influence net Pn, transpiration, water-use-efficiency (WUE), and stomatal conductance. As measurement CO2 concentration increased, net Pn and WUE increased while transpiration and stomatal conductance decreased.

Solanaceae/drug effects/growth & development

Effects of Elevated CO2 Concentration on Photosynthesis and Respiration of Populus Deltodies

To determine how increased atmospheric CO2 will affect the physiology of cottonwood trees, cuttings of the cloned Populus deltodies [cottonwood] were grown in open-top chambers containing ambient or elevated CO2 concentration. The control treatment was maintained at ambient Biosphere 2 atmospheric CO2 (c. 450 +/- 50 micro l/l), and elevated CO2 treatment was maintained at approximately double ambient Biosphere 2 atmospheric CO2 (c. 1000 +/- 50 micro l/l). The effects of elevated CO2 on leaf photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance were measured. The cottonwoods exposed to CO2 enrichment showed no significant indication of photosynthetic down-regulation. There was no significant difference in the maximum assimilation rate between the treatment and the control (P less than 0.24). The CO2 enriched treatment showed a decreased stomatal conductance of 15% (P less than 0.03). The elevated CO2 concentrated atmosphere had an effect on the respiration rates of the plants; the compensation point of the treatment was on average 13% higher than the control (P less than 0.01).

Anderson, Angela M.

Supraoptimal carbon dioxide effects on growth of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]

In tightly closed environments used for human life support in space, carbon dioxide (CO2) partial pressures can reach 500 to 1000 Pa, which may be supraoptimal or toxic to plants used for life support. To study this, soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cvs. McCall and Pixie] were grown for 90 days at 50, 100, 200, and 500 Pa partial pressure CO2 (500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 ppm). Plants were grown using recirculating nutrient film technique with a 12-h photoperiod, a 26 degrees C/20 degrees C thermoperiod, and approximately 300 micromoles m-2 s-1 photosynthetic photon flux (PPF). Seed yield and total biomass were greatest at 100 Pa for cv. McCall, suggesting that higher CO2 levels were supraoptimal. Seed yield and total biomass for cv. Pixie showed little difference between CO2 treatments. Average stomatal conductance of upper canopy leaves at 50 Pa CO2 approximately 500 Pa > 200 Pa > 100 Pa. Total water use over 90 d for both cultivars (combined on one recirculating system) equalled 822 kg water for 100 Pa CO2, 845 kg for 50 Pa, 879 kg for 200 Pa, and 1194 kg for 500 Pa. Water use efficiences for both cultivars combined equalled 3.03 (g biomass kg-1 water) for 100 Pa CO2, 2.54 g kg-1 for 200 Pa, 2.42 g kg-1 for 50 Pa, and 1.91 g kg-1 for 500 Pa. The increased stomatal conductance and stand water use at the highest CO2 level (500 Pa) were unexpected and pose interesting considerations for managing plants in a tightly closed system where CO2 concentrations may reach high levels.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems

Leaf gas exchange of Andropogon gerardii Vitman, Panicum virgatum L., and Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash in a tallgrass prairie

Net CO2 assimilation as a function of internal CO2 and stomatal conductance to water vapor were measured on blades of the C4 grasses Andropogon gerardii Vitman, Panicum virgatrum L., and Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash in northeast Kansas over two growing seasons to determine the comparative physiological responses of these dominant grasses of the tallgrass prairie to environmental variables. The response of dark respiration to temperature and of net assimilation to CO2 concentration and absorbed quantum flux differed little among species. A. gerardii had lower potential photosynthetic rates at internal CO2 concentrations below saturation than P. virgatum and S. nutans, but net assimilation under ambient conditions was similar in the three species. Net assimilation and both the initial slope of assimilation versus internal CO2 curves and the maximum potential assimilation rate decreased as leaf water potential declined in blades of A. gerardii and S. nutans. Changes in assimilation capacity were paralleled by changes in stomatal conductance that were similar in all three species. The strong correlations among processes regulating leaf CO2 assimilation and transpiration in A. gerardii, P. virgatum, and S. nutans suggest that the processes are tightly and similarly coupled in these grasses over a wide range of environmental conditions encountered in the tallgrass prairie.

Polley, H. W.

Emerging satellite observations for diurnal cycling of ecosystem processes

Diurnal cycling of plant carbon uptake and water use, and their responses to water and heat stresses, provide direct insight into assessing ecosystem productivity, agricultural production and management practices, carbon and water cycles, and feedbacks to the climate. Temperature, light, atmospheric water demand, soil moisture and leaf water potential vary over the course of the day, leading to diurnal variations in stomatal conductance, photosynthesis and transpiration. Earth observations from polar-orbiting satellites are incapable of studying these diurnal variations. Here, we review the emerging satellite observations that have the potential for studying how plant functioning and ecosystem processes vary over the course of the diurnal cycle. The recently launched ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) provide land surface temperature, evapotranspiration (ET), gross primary production (GPP) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence data at different times of day. New generation operational geostationary satellites such as Himawari-8 and the GOES-R series can provide continuous, high-frequency data of land surface temperature, solar radiation, GPP and ET. Future satellite missions such as GeoCarb, TEMPO and Sentinel-4 are also planned to have diurnal sampling capability of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence. We explore the unprecedented opportunities for characterizing and understanding how GPP, ET and water use efficiency vary over the course of the day in response to temperature and water stresses, and management practices. We also envision that these emerging observations will revolutionize studies of plant functioning and ecosystem processes in the context of climate change and that these observations and findings can inform agricultural and forest management and lead to improvements in Earth system models and climate projections.

Plant functioning

BOREAS TE-4 Gas Exchange Data from Boreal Tree Species

The BOREAS TE-4 team collected steady-state gas exchange and reflectance data from several species in the BOREAS SSA during 1994 and in the NSA during 1996. Measurements of light, CO2, temperature, and humidity response curves were made by the BOREAS TE-4 team during the summers of 1994 and 1996 using intact attached leaves of boreal forest species located in the BOREAS SSA and NSA. These measurements were conducted to calibrate models used to predict photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and leaf respiration. The 1994 and 1996 data can be used to construct plots of response functions or for parameterizing models. Parameter values are suitable for application in SiB2 (Sellers et al., 1996) or the leaf model of Collatz et al. (1991), and programs can be obtained from the investigators. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

Hall, Forrest G.