Scaling respiration from leaf to landscape: Modelling leaf respiration in deciduous forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains

Quantifying the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO₂) between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is central to understanding the ecology of the biosphere as well as biotic influences on global biogeochemical cycles. The overall objective of my research was to model nighttime respiratory canopy CO₂ flux in deciduous forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains; specifically to scale respiration from the leaf to the canopy, and from the canopy to the landscape. The results will hopefully provide information that can be used in the parameterization and improvement of physiological process-based ecosystem models.