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Differentiating moss from higher plants is critical in studying the carbon cycle of the boreal biome

Author

Listed:
  • Wenping Yuan

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University
    State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Shuguang Liu

    (U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center)

  • Wenjie Dong

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University)

  • Shunlin Liang

    (State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Jointly Sponsored by Beijing Normal University and Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, Chinese Academy of Sciences, College of Global Change and Earth System Science
    University of Maryland)

  • Shuqing Zhao

    (College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University)

  • Jingming Chen

    (University of Toronto)

  • Wenfang Xu

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University)

  • Xianglan Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Jointly Sponsored by Beijing Normal University and Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, Chinese Academy of Sciences, College of Global Change and Earth System Science)

  • Alan Barr

    (Environment Canada)

  • T. Andrew Black

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Wende Yan

    (State Engineering Laboratory of Southern Forestry Applied Ecology and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology)

  • Mike L. Goulden

    (University of California)

  • Liisa Kulmala

    (Department of Forest Sciences)

  • Anders Lindroth

    (Lund University)

  • Hank A. Margolis

    (Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Faculté de foresterie, de géographie et de géomatique, Université Laval)

  • Yojiro Matsuura

    (International Forest Informatics Laboratory, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute)

  • Eddy Moors

    (Wageningen UR, Alterra, Earth System Science and Climate Change Group)

  • Michiel van der Molen

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Takeshi Ohta

    (Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho)

  • Kim Pilegaard

    (Technical University of Denmark)

  • Andrej Varlagin

    (Sukachev Laboratory of Biocenology, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS)

  • Timo Vesala

    (P.O. Box 48, FI-00014)

Abstract

The satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which is used for estimating gross primary production (GPP), often includes contributions from both mosses and vascular plants in boreal ecosystems. For the same NDVI, moss can generate only about one-third of the GPP that vascular plants can because of its much lower photosynthetic capacity. Here, based on eddy covariance measurements, we show that the difference in photosynthetic capacity between these two plant functional types has never been explicitly included when estimating regional GPP in the boreal region, resulting in a substantial overestimation. The magnitude of this overestimation could have important implications regarding a change from a current carbon sink to a carbon source in the boreal region. Moss abundance, associated with ecosystem disturbances, needs to be mapped and incorporated into GPP estimates in order to adequately assess the role of the boreal region in the global carbon cycle.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenping Yuan & Shuguang Liu & Wenjie Dong & Shunlin Liang & Shuqing Zhao & Jingming Chen & Wenfang Xu & Xianglan Li & Alan Barr & T. Andrew Black & Wende Yan & Mike L. Goulden & Liisa Kulmala & Anders, 2014. "Differentiating moss from higher plants is critical in studying the carbon cycle of the boreal biome," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms5270
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5270
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