Environmental factors modulate the diffuse fertilization effect on gross primary productivity across Chinese ecosystems

Highlights: • The optimal environmental range of DFE was at T_a of 20–25 °C and VPD of 0–5 hPa. • PAR_dif played a direct role in the variation of GPP from half-hourly to daily scale. • The relative contribution of PAR_dif varied between multiple and single canopy ecosystems under different sky conditions. Diffuse radiation allocated by cloud cover and aerosols can promote vegetation photosynthesis, which is known as the diffuse fertilization effect (DFE). As an important uncertain factor regulating the DFE, understanding the role of environmental conditions in the response of terrestrial ecosystems to diffuse radiation is vital for quantitative and intensive studies. By using a light use efficiency model and statistical methods with satellite data and ChinaFLUX observation data, the optimal environmental range of DFE was estimated, the indirect role of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (T_a) on DFE was explored, and the relative contribution of diffuse photosynthetically active radiation (PAR_dif) on gross primary productivity (GPP) was analyzed across Chinese ecosystems under different sky conditions. The results showed that the DFE increased with leaf area index (LAI), but distributed a unimodal curve along with VPD and T_a, both of which had an optimum range that was lower in the forest (or cropland) and higher in the grass (or desert) ecosystem. When considering the co-effect of VPD and T_a, the strongest positive effect of DFE was found at 0–5 h Pa and 20–25 °C. Based on path analysis, PAR_dif promoted GPP and served as the main controlling factor in forest ecosystems predominantly through a direct pathway from half-hourly to the daily scale, while T_a and VPD occupied the dominant position at single-canopy ecosystem sites. When the aerosol optical depth (AOD) increased, the relative contribution of PAR_dif increased in multiple-canopy ecosystems and decreased in single-canopy ecosystems; when the sky conditions changed from sunny to cloudy, the relative contribution of PAR_dif was higher in the forest ecosystem and increased significantly in the grass ecosystem. These findings offer a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental effects of regulating DFE on GPP across ecosystems.