An optimality‐based model explains seasonal variation in C3 plant photosynthetic capacity

Abstract The maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) is an essential leaf trait determining the photosynthetic capacity of plants. Existing approaches for estimating Vcmax at large scale mainly rely on empirical relationships with proxies such as leaf nitrogen/chlorophyll content or hyperspectral reflectance, or on complicated inverse models from gross primary production or solar‐induced fluorescence. A novel mechanistic approach based on the assumption that plants optimize resource investment coordinating with environment and growth has been shown to accurately predict C3 plant Vcmax based on mean growing season environmental conditions. However, the ability of optimality theory to explain seasonal variation in Vcmax has not been fully investigated. Here, we adapt an optimality‐based model to simulate daily Vcmax,25C (Vcmax at a standardized temperature of 25°C) by incorporating the effec…