Constraining size-dependence of vegetation respiration rates

Plant autotrophic respiration is responsible for the atmospheric release of about half of all photosynthetically fixed carbon and responds to climate change in a manner different from photosynthesis. The plant mass-specific respiration rate ( r A ), a key parameter of the carbon cycle, has not been sufficiently constrained by observations at ecosystem or broader scales. In this study, a meta-analysis revealed a global relationship with...