Table 1.
Nomenclature and explanation of terms used across different scales
| Abbreviation | Long name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [CO2] | CO2 concentration | The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or within the leaf if specified as such |
| A | Assimilation | Net carbon assimilation during photosynthesis |
| Ea | Activation energy | The input energy required to result in a chemical reaction |
| ER | Ecosystem respiration | Carbon consumed in an ecosystem by plants (autotrophic) or animals/microbes/fungi (heterotrophic) |
| ET | Evapotranspiration | Water loss through the processes of evaporation from surfaces and transpiration from leaves |
| FACE | Free air CO2 enrichment | An open-air experimental design that raises atmospheric [CO2] above ambient conditions experienced by plants at the ecosystem scale |
| FSPM | Functional and structural plant modelling | Models developed to simulate morphology and growth of single plants as they interact with their environment. |
| GPP | Gross primary productivity | Photosynthesis of all leaves and other photosynthetic plant parts represented at the ecosystem scale |
| gs | Stomatal conductance | A measure of the capacity for gaseous exchange of CO2 entering and water vapour leaving a leaf, measured as a molar flux on an area basis (mol m–2 s–1) |
| NEE | Net ecosystem exchange | A measure of the net flux of carbon between the land surface and the atmosphere |
| NSCs | Non-structural carbohydrates | Soluble sugars and starch that provide energy for plant growth and metabolism |
| PSII | Photosystem II | The first link in the electron transport chain of photosynthesis |
| QTLs | Quantitative trail loci | Sections of DNA (loci) that relate to a quantitative trait in the phenotype of an organism |
| Rca | Rubisco activase | An accessory protein that activates Rubisco |
| RA | Autotrophic respiration | Carbon consumed in an ecosystem by plants for growth and maintenance |
| RH | Heterotrophic respiration | Carbon consumed in an ecosystem by non-photosynthetic organisms |
| Rubisco | Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase | Enzyme that all plants use to fix carbon dioxide as an entry point to the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle. Rubisco also catalyses a reaction with oxygen, which is the first step in photorespiration |
| RuBP | Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate | Five-carbon molecule that is used, along with CO2, as a substrate in photosynthesis in a reaction catalysed by Rubisco. RuBP will also bind with oxygen to initiate the process of photorespiration, also catalysed by Rubisco. |
| Sc/o | Rubisco specificity | The specificity of Rubisco for binding CO2 compared with O2 |
| SD | Stomatal density | The number of stomata per unit of leaf area |
| SIF | Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence | The emission of red light by plants during the process of sunlit photosynthesis |
| T opt | Thermal optimum | Describes an optimal temperature for driving a particular process |
| VPD | Vapour pressure deficit | A measure of the difference between the amount of moisture in the air and how much moisture air can hold before it becomes saturated. |