Stand density and local climate drive allocation of GPP to aboveground woody biomass

Steven A. Kannenberg; Flurin Babst; Mallory L. Barnes; Antoine Cabon; Matthew P. Dannenberg; Miriam R. Johnston; William R. L. Anderegg

doi:10.1111/nph.20414

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Stand density and local climate drive allocation of GPP to aboveground woody biomass

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Peer reviewed

Stand density and local climate drive allocation of GPP to aboveground woody biomass

Steven A. Kannenberg, Flurin Babst, Mallory L. Barnes, Antoine Cabon, Matthew P. Dannenberg, Miriam R. Johnston and William R. L. Anderegg

The New phytologist, Vol.246(2), pp.543-553

04/2025

DOI: 10.1111/nph.20414

PMID: 39854029

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Abstract

The partitioning of photosynthate among various forest carbon pools is a key process regulating long‐term carbon sequestration, with allocation to aboveground woody biomass carbon (AGBC) in particular playing an outsized role in the global carbon cycle due to its slow residence time. However, directly estimating the fraction of gross primary productivity (GPP) that goes to AGBC has historically been difficult and time‐consuming, leaving us with persistent uncertainties. We used an extensive dataset of tree‐ring chronologies co‐located at flux towers to assess the coupling between AGBC and GPP, calculate the fraction of fixed carbon that is allocated to AGBC, and understand the drivers of variability in this fraction. We found that annual AGBC and GPP were rarely correlated, and that annual AGBC represented only a small fraction ( c . 9%) of fixed carbon. This fraction varied considerably across sites and was driven by differences in stand density and site climate. Annual AGBC was suppressed by c . 30% during drought and remained below average for years afterward. These results imply that assumptions of relatively stationary allocation of GPP to woody biomass and other plant tissues could lead to systematic biases in modeled carbon accumulation in different plant pools and thus in carbon residence time.

allocation

carbon storage

dendrochronology

eddy covariance

forest

gross primary productivity

tree growth

Details

Title: Subtitle: Stand density and local climate drive allocation of GPP to aboveground woody biomass
Creators: Steven A. Kannenberg - West Virginia University
Flurin Babst - University of Arizona
Mallory L. Barnes - Indiana University Bloomington
Antoine Cabon - Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
Matthew P. Dannenberg - University of Iowa
Miriam R. Johnston - University of Iowa
William R. L. Anderegg - University of Utah
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The New phytologist, Vol.246(2), pp.543-553
Publisher: WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/nph.20414
PMID: 39854029
ISSN: 0028-646X
eISSN: 1469-8137
Grant note: Division of Environmental Biology: 2331162, 2408954 US National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology award: 2131853 US National Science Foundation EPSCoR awardUniversity of Iowa's James Van Allen Fellowship
We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to those who contributed tree-ring data to the Cabon et al. (2022) dataset, as well at the AmeriFlux and FLUXNET PIs who constructed and maintained the flux tower sites used in this study. SAK was supported by the US National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology award #2331162 and US National Science Foundation Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental systems award #2408954. MPD and MRJ were supported by the US National Science Foundation EPSCoR award #2131853. MPD was also supported by the University of Iowa's James Van Allen Fellowship.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 01/23/2025
Date published: 04/2025
Academic Unit: Geographical and Sustainability Sciences
Record Identifier: 9984780353002771

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