Journal
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
Volume 31, Issue 6, Pages 1336-1344Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12832
Keywords
Bayesian modelling; ecosystem function; global change; intraspecific variation; measurement error
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Funding
- UK Natural Environment Research Council Macronutrients Program [NE/J011991/1]
- NERC [ceh020005, ceh020002, NE/J011991/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Natural Environment Research Council [NE/J011991/1, ceh020002, ceh020005] Funding Source: researchfish
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Reliable modelling of above-ground net primary production (aNPP) at fine resolution is a significant challenge. A promising avenue for improving process models is to include response and effect trait relationships. However, uncertainties remain over which leaf traits are correlated most strongly with aNPP. We compared abundance-weighted values of two of the most widely used traits from the leaf economics spectrum (specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content) with measured aNPP across a temperate ecosystem gradient. We found that leaf dry matter content (LDMC) as opposed to specific leaf area (SLA) was the superior predictor of aNPP (R-2=055). Directly measured insitu trait values for the dominant species improved estimation of aNPP significantly. Introducing intraspecific trait variation by including the effect of replicated trait values from published databases did not improve the estimation of aNPP. Our results support the prospect of greater scientific understanding for less cost because LDMC is much easier to measure than SLA. A is available for this article.
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