The validity of optimal leaf traits modelled on environmental conditions

Abstract

The ratio of leaf intercellular to ambient CO2 (chi) is modulated by stomatal conductance (g(s)). These quantities link carbon (C) assimilation with transpiration, and along with photosynthetic capacities (V-cmax and J(max)) are required to model terrestrial C uptake. We use optimization criteria based on the growth environment to generate predicted values of photosynthetic and water-use efficiency traits and test these against a unique dataset.