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AOBPreview published online on October 6, 2004

Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mch218
© 2004 by Annals of Botany Company
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Received May 11, 2004
Revised July 7, 2004
Accepted September 3, 2004

Article

Seasonal and Annual Stem Respiration of Scots Pine Trees under Boreal Conditions

TIANSHAN ZHA 1*, SEPPO KELLOMÄKI 1, KAI-YUN WANG 2, AIJA RYYPPÖ 1, and SINI NIINISTÖ 1

1 Faculty of Forestry, University of Joensuu, PO Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland
2 Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, P R China

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tianshan.zha{at}forest.joensuu.fi.


  Abstract

Background and Aims Stem respiration of trees is a major, but poorly assessed component of the carbon balance of forests, and important for geo-chemistry. Measurements are required under naturally changing seasonal conditions in different years. Therefore, intra- and inter-annual carbon fluxes of stems in forests were measured continuously from April to November in three consecutive years.

Methods Stem respiratory CO2 fluxes of 50-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees were continuously measured with a CO2 analyser, and, concomitantly, stem circumference, stem and air temperature and other environmental factors and photosynthesis, were also measured automatically.

Key Results There were diurnal, seasonal and inter-annual changes in stem respiration, which peaked at 1600 h during the day and was highest in July. The temperature coefficient of stem respiration (Q10) was greater during the growing season than when growth was slow or had stopped, and more sensitive to temperature in the growing season. The annual Q10 remained relatively constant at about 2 over the three years, while respiration at a reference temperature of 15 °C (R15) was higher in the growing than in the non-growing season (1·09 compared with 0·78 µmol m-2 stem surface s-1), but was similar between the years. Maintenance respiration was 76 %, 82 % and 80 % of the total respiration of 17·46, 17·26 and 19·35 mol m2 stem surface in 2001, 2002 and 2003, respectively. The annual total stem respiration of the stand per unit ground area was 75·97 gC m-2 in 2001 and 74·28 gC m-2 in 2002.

Conclusions Stem respiration is an important component in the annual carbon balance of a Scots pine stand, contributing 9 % to total carbon loss from the ecosystem and consuming about 8 % of the carbon of the ecosystem gross primary production. Stem (or air) temperature was the most important predictor of stem carbon flux. The magnitude of stem respiration is modified by photosynthesis and tree growth. Solar radiation indirectly affects stem respiration through its effect on photosynthesis.

Keywords: Stem respiration, Pinus sylvestris, intra- and inter-annual change, Q10, growth respiration, maintenance respiration, carbon balance.
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