Variation in the calorific values of different plants organs in China

The calorific value (CAL, KJ g(–1)) of different plant organs are important plant traits. Variation in CAL among different plant organs reflects the energy utilization and distribution strategy of plant. Here, we explored how the CAL of different plant organs varies at the species and regional level in relation to vegetation type (3697 forests samples, 430 grasslands samples, and 146 deserts samples). The results showed that, in the forests and grasslands, CAL significantly differed among the different organs and functional types of plants. The CAL of different organs in forests was ordered as: leaf (19.71 ± 1.82 KJ g(–1)) > branch (19.33 ± 1.32 KJ g(–1)) > trunk (19.09 ± 1.44 KJ g(–1)) > root (19.02 ± 1.11 KJ g(–1)). For forests, the CAL of plant organs, except for the leaves of trees and shrubs, increased with increasing latitude (P < 0.01). In comparison, the CAL in the roots of shrubs and herbs decreased with increasing longitude (P < 0.01). Through delineating systematic references of CAL among different plant organs, our findings provide key parameters to improve estimates of biomass energy at regional and global scales.