Model-based meta-analyses of terrestrial vegetation function

Ideally, terrestrial biogeochemical models should be based soundly on empirical data. One of the roadblocks on the path to achieving this ideal is that empirical data are often not available in forms useable in models. We address this roadblock by using common model assumptions as frameworks for meta-analysis of experimental data. This approach to meta-analysis yields estimates of model parameters and their responses to environmental change, which are directly useable in models. We present several examples of this approach, including analysis of photosynthetic responses to temperature; stomatal responses to drought and CO2; and interactive effects of CO2 and temperature on plant growth.