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Light and VPD gradients drive foliar nitrogen partitioning and photosynthesis in the canopy of European beech and silver fir

  • Physiological ecology – original research
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Abstract

While foliar photosynthetic relationships with light, nitrogen, and water availability have been well described, environmental factors driving vertical gradients of foliar traits within forest canopies are still not well understood. We, therefore, examined how light availability and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) co-determine vertical gradients (between 12 and 42 m and in the understorey) of foliar photosynthetic capacity (Amax), 13C fractionation (∆), specific leaf area (SLA), chlorophyll (Chl), and nitrogen (N) concentrations in canopies of Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba growing in a mixed forest in Switzerland in spring and summer 2017. Both species showed lower Chl/N and lower SLA with higher light availability and VPD at the top canopy. Despite these biochemical and morphological acclimations, Amax during summer remained relatively constant and the photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE) decreased with higher light availability for both species, suggesting suboptimal N allocation within the canopy. ∆ of both species were lower at the canopy top compared to the bottom, indicating high water-use efficiency (WUE). VPD gradients strongly co-determined the vertical distribution of Chl, N, and PNUE in F. sylvatica, suggesting stomatal limitation of photosynthesis in the top canopy, whereas these traits were only related to light availability in A. alba. Lower PNUE in F. sylvatica with higher WUE clearly indicated a trade-off in water vs. N use, limiting foliar acclimation to high light and VPD at the top canopy. Species-specific trade-offs in foliar acclimation to environmental canopy gradients may thus be considered for scaling photosynthesis from leaf to canopy to landscape levels.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to E. Merz, A. Marchetti, Y. Liu, and A. Ackermann for their assistance with field and laboratory work, and T. Baur for maintenance of the equipment at the research site. We also thank M. Gysin and A. Erni for providing samples and measurements from the tree canopy. This project was funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) in the frame of COST Action ES1309 (C15.0053).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Christoph Bachofen & Nina Buchmann

  2. Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, L5L1C6, Canada

    Petra D’Odorico

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  1. Christoph Bachofen
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  2. Petra D’Odorico
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  3. Nina Buchmann
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Contributions

N.B., P.D., and C.B. conceived and planned the study; field work and data analyses were carried out by C.B., supported by P.D. and N.B.; C.B., P.D., and N.B. wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Christoph Bachofen.

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Communicated by Rowan Sage.

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Bachofen, C., D’Odorico, P. & Buchmann, N. Light and VPD gradients drive foliar nitrogen partitioning and photosynthesis in the canopy of European beech and silver fir. Oecologia 192, 323–339 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04583-x

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