Summary
Growth and CO2 uptake in the crown of a spruce tree is described and the production processes of this evergreen conifer are compared with those of a deciduous beech. Spruce had 60% lower rates of net photosynthesis per dry weight than beech. But, beech had a 30% shorter growing season and a 84% smaller biomass than spruce. The annual CO2 gain was 40% lower in beech than it was in spruce.
An analysis shows the following conclusions for this habitat.
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(1)
The effect of a prolonged growing season is small. The annual CO2 gain of spruce would be reduced only by 9% if the growing season was the same length as for beech.
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(2)
The annual CO2 gain would increase 14% if all needles in spruce were deciduous, because the current year needles have a higher average rate of CO2 uptake than 3-year old and older needles, but a lower average rate than 1- and 2-year old ones. However, the carbon balance of the tree shows that spruce could not afford to produce the existing needle biomass (14 t ha-1) each year.
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(3)
If spruce were to produce the same deciduous foliage biomass during the same growing season as beech then total production by spruce would be reduced 67%.
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(4)
The annual CO2 uptake by evergreen spruce was higher than deciduous beech not because of a long growing season, but because of the longevity of its needles, which during their total life time (an average of 5 years) have a two to three times greater CO2 uptake than a deciduous leaf in one summer season. The relatively small investment in current year needles produces an annually low, but long lasting assimilation of CO2.
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Schulze, E.D., Fuchs, M. & Fuchs, M.I. Spacial distribution of photosynthetic capacity and performance in a mountain spruce forest of Northern Germany. Oecologia 30, 239–248 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01833630
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01833630