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Photosynthetic responses to vapour pressure deficit in temperate and tropical evergreen rainforest trees of Australia

Oecologia volume 142, pages 521–528 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Rainforests occur in high precipitation areas of eastern Australia, along a gradient in seasonality of precipitation, ranging from a summer dry season in the temperate south to a winter dry season in the tropical north. The response of net photosynthesis to increasing vapour pressure deficit (VPD) was measured in a range of Australian rainforest trees from different latitudes to investigate possible differences in their response to atmospheric drought. Plants were grown in glasshouses under ambient or low VPD to determine the effect of growth VPD on the photosynthetic response. Temperate species, which experience low summer precipitation, were found to maintain maximum net photosynthesis over the measurement range of VPD (0.5–1.9 kPa). In contrast, the tropical species from climates with high summer precipitation showed large reductions in net photosynthesis with increasing VPD. Temperate species showed higher intrinsic water-use efficiencies under low VPD than the tropical species, whereas their efficiencies were similar under high VPD. Growing plants under a low VPD had little effect on either the photosynthetic response to VPD or the intrinsic water-use efficiency of the species. These different responses of gas exchange to VPD shown by the tropical and temperate rainforest species may reflect different strategies to maximise productivity in their respective climates.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Jenny Read and Jacqui England for commenting on the manuscript. Permission was given to collect seedlings by State Forests of N.S.W. and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Victoria. This research was supported by a Monash Postgraduate Research Scholarship and an Australian Research Council Large Grant awarded to Jenny Read.

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  1. S. C. Cunningham

    Present address: CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, ACT, 2602, Australia

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia

    S. C. Cunningham

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Correspondence to S. C. Cunningham.

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Cunningham, S.C. Photosynthetic responses to vapour pressure deficit in temperate and tropical evergreen rainforest trees of Australia. Oecologia 142, 521–528 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1766-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1766-1

Keywords

  • Climate
  • Latitude
  • Maximum net photosynthesis
  • Precipitation seasonality
  • Water-use efficiency