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An empirical model for estimating CO2 exchange of Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag. in the shortgrass prairie

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Summary

An empirical model for predicting net photosynthesis (P N ) and dark respiration (R D ) in the field was developed and tested for Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag., the dominant C4 grass of the North American shortgrass prairie. P N is predicted as a function of soil water potential, canopy air temperature, irradiance, and plant age, while R D is expressed as a function of soil water potential and temperature. The model accounted for 85% of the variability in the data base used to estimate parameter values. Results of a validation test showed good agreement between observed and predicted P N rates, suggesting this approach would be useful as a submodel of a grassland ecosystem model.

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  1. H. W. Hunt

    Present address: Department of Biology, West Virginia University, 26506, Morgantown, WV, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    J. K. Detling, W. J. Parton & H. W. Hunt

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  1. J. K. Detling
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  2. W. J. Parton
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Detling, J.K., Parton, W.J. & Hunt, H.W. An empirical model for estimating CO2 exchange of Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag. in the shortgrass prairie. Oecologia 33, 137–147 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00344844

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