Leaf photosynthetic light response: a mechanistic model for scaling photosynthesis to leaves and canopies

The response of photosynthesis to radiation is an often‐studied but poorly understood process, represented empirically in most photosynthesis models. However, in scaling photosynthesis from leaf to canopy, predictions of canopy photosynthesis are very sensitive to parameters describing the response of leaves to Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD). 2. In this study, a mechanistic, yet still simple, approach is presented that models the degree of light saturation in leaves explicitly, assuming a heterogeneous environment of PPFD and chlorophyll. 3. Possible mechanisms determining the ratio of chlorophyll to nitrogen are considered, including a direct dependence on PPFD, a mechanism involving the red/far‐red ratio of light in the canopy, and an approach based upon maximizing photosynthesis. 4. Comparison of model predictions with two data sets of light, nitrogen and chlorophyll from canopies of Populus and Corylus suggests that the red/far‐red mechanism is the most realistic. The data also show that the trees studied do not always optimize their nitrogen partitioning to maximize photosynthetic yield. 5. We then apply the model to the data sets, to predict the shape of light response curves of leaves within canopies and assess the applicability of simple scaling schemes, in which full acclimation of photosynthesis to PPFD justifies the use of big‐leaf models. We conclude that, at least for the data used, basic assumptions of such schemes do not hold.