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Although vast areas in tropical regions have weathered soils with low potassium (K) levels, little is known about the effects of K supply on the photosynthetic physiology of trees. This study assessed the effects of K and sodium (Na) supply on the diffusional and biochemical limitations to photosynthesis in Eucalyptus grandis leaves. A field experiment comparing treatments receiving K (+K) or Na (+Na) with a control treatment (C) was set up in a K-deficient soil. The net CO2 assimilation rates were twice as high in +K and 1.6 times higher in +Na than in the C as a result of lower stomatal and mesophyll resistance to CO2 diffusion and higher photosynthetic capacity. The starch content was higher and soluble sugar was lower in +K than in C and +Na, suggesting that K starvation disturbed carbon storage and transport. The specific leaf area, leaf thickness, parenchyma thickness, stomatal size and intercellular air spaces increased in +K and +Na compared to C. Nitrogen and chlorophyll concentrations were also higher in +K and +Na than in C. These results suggest a strong relationship between the K and Na supply to E. grandis trees and the functional and structural limitations to CO2 assimilation rates.

Background and Aims Recent studies showed a positive tree response to Na addition in K-depleted tropical soils. Our study aimed to gain insight into the effects of K and Na fertilizations on leaf area components for a widely planted tree species. Methods Leaf expansion rates, as well as nutrient, polyol and soluble sugar concentrations, were measured from emergence to abscission of tagged leaves in 1-year-old Eucalyptus grandis plantations. Leaf cell size and water status parameters were compared 1 and 2 months after leaf emergence in plots with KCl application (+K), NaCl application (+Na) and control plots (C). Results K and Na applications enhanced tree leaf area by increasing both leaf longevity and the mean area of individual leaves. Higher cell turgor in treatments +K and +Na than in the C treatment resulting from higher concentrations of osmotica contributed to increasing both palisade cell diameters and the size of fully expanded leaves. Conclusions Intermediate total tree leaf area in treatment +Na compared to treatments C and +K might result from the capacity of Na to substitute K in osmoregulatory functions, whereas it seemed unable to accomplish other important K functions that contribute to delaying leaf senescence. (Résumé d'auteur

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Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) simulate surface processes such as the transfer of energy, water, CO2, and momentum between the terrestrial surface and the atmosphere, biogeochemical cycles, carbon assimilation by vegetation, phenology, and land use change in scenarios of varying atmospheric CO2 concentrations. DGVMs increase the complexity and the Earth system representation when they are coupled with atmospheric global circulation models (AGCMs) or climate models. However, plant physiological processes are still a major source of uncertainty in DGVMs. The maximum velocity of carboxylation (Vcmax), for example, has a direct impact over productivity in the models. This parameter is often underestimated or imprecisely defined for the various plant functional types (PFTs) and ecosystems. Vcmax is directly related to photosynthesis acclimation (loss of response to elevated CO2), a widely known phenomenon that usually occurs when plants are subjected to elevated atmospheric CO2 and might affect productivity estimation in DGVMs. Despite this, current models have improved substantially, compared to earlier models which had a rudimentary and very simple representation of vegetation-atmosphere interactions. In this paper, we describe this evolution through generations of models and the main events that contributed to their improvements until the current state-of-the-art class of models. Also, we describe some main challenges for further improvements to DGVMs.

Vc max is the rate of maximum velocity of carboxylation of plants and is considered one of the most critical parameters for changes in vegetation in face of global changes and it has a direct impact on gross primary productivity. Physiological processes are considered the main sources of uncertainties in dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). The Caatinga biome, in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil, is extremely important due to its biodiversity and endemism. In a field work realized in an area of preserved Caatinga forest, measurements of carbon assimilation (in response to light and CO 2 ) were performed on 11 individuals of a native species. These results of Vc max measurements in Caatinga were compared with parameterization of models, revealing that Vc max is not well adjusted in several DGVMs. Also, the values obtained in the Caatinga field experiments were very close to empirical values obtained in the Northern hemisphere (Austria). These ecophysiological measurements can contribute in understanding of this biome.

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Plants of floodplains tend to show many morphological and physiological strategies to get higher survival rates in this places. One of them but with received less attention is the plasticity showed by carbohydrate metabolism that is directly linked to high energy demand at this sites. Senna reticulata (Leguminosae) is a pioneer tree which is common in floodplains sites submitted to an annual pulse of flooding at Central Amazonian and one of the most efficient colonizers at this sites besides extremely flooding tolerant. In this work by the first time was made the characterization about reserves and mobilizations patterns of sugars on the time range that corresponding to the establishment at the initial first terrestrial phase. Additionally, the effect of high CO 2 was checked by growing plants in Open-Top-Chambers (OTC´s) with ambient (~380 mol) and elevated (~760 mol) CO 2 concentrations. It was made systematic harvests along periods of 24 hours and 90 days to determinate the carbohydrate non-structural content. It was founded that S. reticulata had higher levels of starch in leaves showing evidences that this reserve is directly linked with constantly production of new leaves strategy. The ratio sucrose:monosaccharides was high in all organs but specially in roots showing evidences that this specie has metabolic strategies also related with drought periods because besides sucrose could be used as the aim substrate to adventitious root formation at flooding conditions and can be useful too on the osmotic regulation of roots in sites with low moisture content soil. The high levels of carbon dioxide promote significative increase of starch in leaves and stem besides decrease the degradation rate of transitory starch in leaves in the dark period. The levels of soluble sugars (glucose, frutose and sucrose) showed tendency of decrease under high CO 2 conditions probably due to higher use in root growth. This set of answers evidence that this tree has positively response to high CO 2 useful by possible mechanisms that decrease the signaling through sugars like for example the big abiliity of increase capacity of preexistents sinks to promoting the surplus carbohydrates mobilization to reserves and growth.