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Annals of Botany 78: 125-136, 1996
© 1996 Annals of Botany Company

The Correlation between Plant Growth and Intercepted Radiation: An Interpretation in Terms of Optimal Plant Nitrogen Content

RODERICK C. DEWAR

School of Biological Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

June 1, 1995 ; March 15, 1996

Photosynthesis of leaves is commonly observed to have a saturating response to increases in their nitrogen (N) content, while the response of plant maintenance respiration is more nearly linear over the normal range of tissue N contents. Hence, for a given amount of foliage, net primary productivity (NPP) may have a maximum value with respect to variations in plant N content. Using a simple analytically-solvable model ofNPP, this idea is formulated and its broad implications for plant growth are explored at the scale of a closed stand of vegetation. The maximum-NPP hypothesis implies thatNPP is proportional to intercepted radiation, as commonly observed. The light utilization coefficient ({epsilon}), defined as the slope of this relationship, is predicted to be

{epsilon}={alpha}Y g(1-{lambda})2,

where {alpha} is the quantum yield,Y gis the biosynthetic efficiency, and {lambda} is a dimensionless combination of physiological and environmental parameters of the model. The maximum-NPP hypothesis is also consistent with observations that whole-plant respiration (R) is an approximately constant proportion of gross canopy photosynthesis (A c), and predicts their ratio to be

R:A c=1-Y g(1-{lambda}).

Using realistic parameter values, predicted values for {epsilon} andR :A care typical of C3plants. {epsilon} is predicted to be independent of plant N supply, consistent with observations that long-term growth responses to N fertilization are dominated by increased light interception associated with increased growth allocation to leaf area. Observed acclimated responses of plants to atmospheric [CO2], light and temperature are interpreted in terms of the model.

Allocation; acclimation; carbon-use efficiency; growth; light-use efficiency; model; nitrogen; optimization; photosynthesis; radiation; respiration


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