Canopy nitrogen addition enhance the photosynthetic rate of canopy species by improving leaf hydraulic conductivity in a subtropical forest.

ABSTRACT: Elucidating the effects of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on the photosynthetic capacity of plants is critical to understand forest growth and conservation under global change. However, studies on this topic generally consider only understory N addition, which ignores the effect of canopy interception. In this study, we conducted a field experiment in a subtropical forest to compare the effects of canopy vs. understory N addition on the photosynthetic rate of canopy and understory species. We found that canopy N addition enhanced the photosynthetic rate of canopy species by increasing leaf hydraulic conductivity and shortening the distance of CO₂ transportation. In contrast, understory N addition had non-significant effects on the photosynthetic rate of canopy species. More

SUBMITTER: Wu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9389171 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature