Role of carbon allocation efficiency in the temperature dependence of autotroph growth rates.

ABSTRACT: Relating the temperature dependence of photosynthetic biomass production to underlying metabolic rates in autotrophs is crucial for predicting the effects of climatic temperature fluctuations on the carbon balance of ecosystems. We present a mathematical model that links thermal performance curves (TPCs) of photosynthesis, respiration, and carbon allocation efficiency to the exponential growth rate of a population of photosynthetic autotroph cells. Using experiments with the green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, we apply the model to show that the temperature dependence of carbon allocation efficiency is key to understanding responses of growth rates to warming at both ecological and longer-term evolutionary timescales. Finally, we assemble a dataset of multiple terrestrial and aquatic au

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Carreras B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6077706 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature