CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization of terrestrial photosynthesis inferred from site to global scales.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35238668.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.2115627119 and PMC identifier 8915860.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
SignificanceThe magnitude of the CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization effect on terrestrial photosynthesis is uncertain because it is not directly observed and is subject to confounding effects of climatic variability. We apply three well-established eco-evolutionary optimality theories of gas exchange and photosynthesis, constraining the main processes of CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization using measurable variables. Using this framework, we provide robust observationally inferred evidence that a strong CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization effect is detectable in globally distributed eddy covariance networks. Applying our method to upscale photosynthesis globally, we find that the magnitude of the CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization effect is comparable to its in situ counterpart but highlight the potential for substantial underestimation of this effect in tropical forests for many reflectance-based satellite photosynthesis products.