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The importance of slope aspect and stand age on the photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity of forest: a case study with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations on the Loess Plateau

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Abstract

The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is an important tree species not only for the vegetation rehabilitation but also for the photosynthetic carbon dynamics on the Loess Plateau. Slope aspect and stand age play important roles in the photosynthesis of the black locusts. To investigate the photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity (PCFC) of the juvenile and mature black locusts located on the sunny and shady slopes, we have analyzed the capacity and daily dynamics of photosynthesis of the whole canopy of juvenile (6-year-old) and mature (18-year-old) black locusts located on the sunny (southeast facing) and shady (northwest facing) slopes. Mature plantations on the sunny slopes have lower average daily E, VPD, CE, A n, LAI and PCFC than those on the shady slopes. Juvenile plantations have higher average daily g s, E, C i/C a, CE, A n and PCFC compared to the mature plantations. It is concluded that the lower average daily A n and PCFC of the mature black locust plantations on the sunny slopes may be due to variations in the microclimatic conditions between sunny and shady slope aspects. The higher average daily A n and PCFC of the juvenile black locust plantations are likely associated with stand age-related differences in tree sizes.

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Abbreviations

g s :

Stomatal conductance

E :

Transpiration rate

VPD:

Vapor pressure deficit

WUE:

Water use efficiency

Ci/Ca:

Ratio of intercellular to ambient CO2 concentrations

CE:

Carboxylation efficiency

A n :

Net CO2 assimilation rate

LAI:

Leaf area index

PCFC:

Photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the program of 11th Five-year Plan of National Science and Technology in China by a grant to Z.Z. (Grant No. 2006BAD03A1207) and by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences by a grant to Z.L. and Z.-B.L. (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-443). The authors are grateful to Prof. Sandra Sweeney for English corrections and Dr. Wei Zhang for help during the manuscript preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Environment and Ecology in Western China of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People’s Republic of China

    Yuan Zheng, Zhong Zhao, Jing-Jing Zhou & Hui Zhou

  2. College of Life Sciences, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People’s Republic of China

    Zong-Suo Liang & Zhi-Bin Luo

  3. Centre of Soil and Water Conservation and Eco-environmental Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, 712100, China

    Zong-Suo Liang

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  1. Yuan Zheng
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  2. Zhong Zhao
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  3. Jing-Jing Zhou
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  4. Hui Zhou
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  5. Zong-Suo Liang
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  6. Zhi-Bin Luo
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Correspondence to Zhong Zhao or Zhi-Bin Luo.

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Communicated by J. Franklin.

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Zheng, Y., Zhao, Z., Zhou, JJ. et al. The importance of slope aspect and stand age on the photosynthetic carbon fixation capacity of forest: a case study with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations on the Loess Plateau. Acta Physiol Plant 33, 419–429 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-010-0561-3

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