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Chamber series and space-scale analysis of CO2 gas-exchange in grassland vegetation: A novel approach

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Significant part of our work was developing a new type of CO2 and H2O gas exchange chambers fit for measuring stand patches. Ground areas of six chambers (ranged between 0.044–4.531 m2) constituted a logarithmic series with doubling diameters from 7.5 to 240.0 cm. We demonstrate one of the first results for stand net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) rates and temporal variability for two characteristic Central European grassland types: loess and sand. The measured mean NEE rates and their ranges in these grasslands were similar to values reported in other studies on temperate grasslands. We also dealt with the spatial scale dependence from ecophysiological point of view. Our chamber-series measurement was performed in a perennial ruderal weed association. The variability of CO2-assimilation of this weed vegetation showed clear spatial scale-dependence. We found the lowest variability of the vegetation photosynthesis at the small-middle scales. The results of spatial variability suggest the 0.2832 m2 patch size is the characteristic unit of the investigated weed association and there is a kind of synphysiological minimi-area with characteristic size for each vegetation type.

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Abbreviations

CON:

Convolvulo-Agropyretum

E:

transpiration rate

EC:

eddy correlation

FES:

Festucetum vaginatae danubiale

GA:

ground area

GIS:

geographic information systems

LAI:

leaf area index

n:

number of replications

NDVI:

normalised difference vegetation index

NEE:

net ecosystem CO2 exchange

PAR:

photosynthetically active radiation

RH:

relative humidity

SAL:

Salvio-Festucetum rupicolae

SD:

standard deviation of measurements performed within one-day

SWC:

soil water content

Ta :

air temperature

Ts :

soil temperature

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Dedicated to Academician Prof. Gabor Fekete on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

This work was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA-32586), Plant Ecological Research Group of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Kiskunsag National Park and CARBOMONT (EVK2-2002-00549) 5th R & D EU project. This project is also related to CARBOEUROPE-IP (GOCE-CT-2003-50-5572) and GREENGRASS 5th Framework Research Project (EVK-2-CT-2002-00105).

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Czobel, S., Foti, S., Balogh, J. et al. Chamber series and space-scale analysis of CO2 gas-exchange in grassland vegetation: A novel approach. Photosynthetica 43, 267–272 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-0043-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-0043-9

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