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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Predawn leaf conductance depends on previous day irradiance but is not related to growth in aspen saplings grown under artificially manipulated air humidity

Priit Kupper https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1243-3511 A B , Ants Kaasik A , Mai Kukumägi A , Gristin Rohula-Okunev A , Linda Rusalepp A and Anu Sõber A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 51005 Tartu, Estonia.

B Corresponding author. Email: priit.kupper@ut.ee

Functional Plant Biology - https://doi.org/10.1071/FP20254
Submitted: 18 August 2020  Accepted: 17 November 2020   Published online: 8 December 2020

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that predawn stomatal opening may enhance early-morning photosynthesis (A) and improve the relative growth rate of trees. However, the causality between night-time stomatal conductance, A, and tree growth is disputable because stomatal opening in darkness can be mediated by previous day photosynthate loads and might be a consequence of growth-related processes like dark respiration (R). To identify linkages between night-time leaf conductance (gl_night), A, R, and tree growth, we conducted an experiment in hybrid aspen saplings grown under different air relative humidity (RH) conditions and previous day irradiance level (IR_pday). Predawn leaf conductance (gl_predawn) depended on RH, IR_pday and R (P < 0.05), whereas early-morning gross A (Agross_PAR500) depended on IR_pday and gl_predawn (P < 0.001). Daytime net A was positively related to Agross_PAR500 and leaf [N] (P < 0.05). Tree diameter and height increment correlated positively with gl at the beginning and middle of the night (P < 0.05) but not before dawn. Although our results demonstrate that gl_night was related to tree growth, the relationship was not determined by R. The linkage between gl_predawn and Agross_PAR500 was modified by IR_pday, indicating that daily CO2 assimilation probably provides feedback for stomatal opening before dawn.

Keywords: CO2 assimilation, dark respiration, light intensity, predawn, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, tree growth characteristics.


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