Leaf spectroscopy as a tool for predicting the presence of isoprene emissions and terpene storage in central Amazon forest trees

Abstract Background Volatile isoprenoids (VIs), such as isoprene, monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes, participate in various forest-atmosphere processes ranging from plant cell regulation to atmospheric particle formation. The Amazon Forest is the greatest and most diverse source of VI emissions, but the lack of leaf-level studies and the logistical challenges of measuring in such remote and highly biodiverse sites bring high levels of uncertainty to modeled emission estimates. Studies indicate that leaf spectroscopy is an effective tool for estimating leaf morphological, physiological, and chemical traits, being a promising tool for more easily assessing VI emissions from vegetation. In this study, we tested the ability of leaf reflectance spectroscopy to predict the presence of VI emissions and storage in central Amazon Forest trees. We measured leaf-level isoprene emission capacity (E c; emission measured at standard conditions: light of 1000 µmol m− 2 s− 1 photosynthetically active radiation and leaf temperature of 30 ˚C), stored monoterpene and sesquiterpene contents, and hyperspectral visible to short-wave infrared (VSWIR) reflectance from dry and fresh leaves of 175 trees from 124 species of angiosperms. Results We found that dry leaf hyperspectral reflectance data, and fresh leaf reflectance measured at selected wavelengths (616, 694, and 1155 nm), predicted the presence of isoprene emissions with accuracies of 0.67 and 0.72, respectively. Meanwhile, fresh leaf hyperspectral reflectance data predicted monoterpene and sesquiterpene storage with accuracies of 0.65 and 0.67, respectively. Conclusions Our results indicate the possibility of using spectral readings from botanical collections or field inventories to orient sampling efforts toward potential isoprene-emitting or terpene-storing trees, or to identify key spectral features (most informative selected wavelengths) for potential future incorporation into remote sensing models. The use of spectral tools for detecting potential isoprene-emitting and terpene-storing species can help to improve current VI emission datasets, reduce modeling emission uncertainties, and contribute to a better understanding of the roles of VIs within forest-atmosphere interactions, atmospheric chemistry, and the carbon cycle.