Long-term leaf C:N ratio change under elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition in China: Evidence from observations and process-based modeling

Abstract Leaves are exposed to different light conditions according to their canopy position, resulting in structural and anatomical differences with consequences for carbon uptake. While these structure–function relationships have been thoroughly explored in dense forest canopies, such gradients may be diminished in open canopies, and they are often ignored in ecosystem models. We tested within-canopy differences in photosynthetic properties and structural traits in leaves in a mature Eucalyptus tereticornis canopy exposed to long-term elevated CO2 for up to three years. We explored these traits in relation to anatomical variation and diffusive processes for CO2 (i.e., stomatal conductance, gs and mesophyll conductance, gm) in both upper and lower portions of the canopy receiving ambient and elevated CO2. While shade resulted in 13% lower leaf mass per area ratio (MA) in lower versus upper canopy leaves, there was no relationship between leaf Nmass and canopy gap fraction. Both maximum carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport (Jmax) were ~ 18% lower in shaded leaves and were also reduced by ~ 22% with leaf aging. In mature leaves, we found no canopy differences for gm or gs, despite anatomical differences in MA, leaf thickness and mean mesophyll thickness between canopy positions. There was a positive relationship between net photosynthesis and gm or gs in mature leaves. Mesophyll conductance was negatively correlated with mean parenchyma length, suggesting that long palisade cells may contribute to a longer CO2 diffusional pathway and more resistance to CO2 transfer to chloroplasts. Few other relationships between gm and anatomical variables were found in mature leaves, which may be due to the open crown of Eucalyptus. Consideration of shade effects and leaf-age dependent responses to photosynthetic capacity and mesophyll conductance are critical to improve canopy photosynthesis models and will improve understanding of long-term responses to elevated CO2 in tree canopies.

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Simultaneous Increase in CO2 and Temperature Alters Wheat Growth and Aphid Performance Differently Depending on Virus Infection

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11080459 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 459 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ana Moreno-Delafuente ◽

Elisa Viñuela ◽

Alberto Fereres ◽

Pilar Medina ◽

Piotr Trębicki

Keyword(s):

Virus Infection ◽

Elevated Co2 ◽

Development Time ◽

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus ◽

C:N Ratio ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Simultaneous Increase ◽

Virus Species ◽

Wheat Growth ◽

Elevated Co2 And Temperature

Climate change impacts crop production, pest and disease pressure, yield stability, and, therefore, food security. In order to understand how climate and atmospheric change factors affect trophic interactions in agriculture, we evaluated the combined effect of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature on the interactions among wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Barley yellow dwarf virus species PAV (BYDV-PAV) and its vector, the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.). Plant traits and aphid biological parameters were examined under two climate and atmospheric scenarios, current (ambient CO2 and temperature = 400 ppm and 20 °C), and future predicted (elevated CO2 and temperature = 800 ppm and 22 °C), on non-infected and BYDV-PAV-infected plants. Our results show that combined elevated CO2 and temperature increased plant growth, biomass, and carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio, which in turn significantly decreased aphid fecundity and development time. However, virus infection reduced chlorophyll content, biomass, wheat growth and C:N ratio, significantly increased R. padi fecundity and development time. Regardless of virus infection, aphid growth rates remained unchanged under simulated future conditions. Therefore, as R. padi is currently a principal pest in temperate cereal crops worldwide, mainly due to its role as a plant virus vector, it will likely continue to have significant economic importance. Furthermore, an earlier and more distinct virus symptomatology was highlighted under the future predicted scenario, with consequences on virus transmission, disease epidemiology and, thus, wheat yield and quality. These research findings emphasize the complexity of plant–vector–virus interactions expected under future climate and their implications for plant disease and pest incidence in food crops.

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Foliar Spectra and Traits of Bog Plants across Nitrogen Deposition Gradients

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12152448 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (15) ◽

pp. 2448

Author(s):

Alizée Girard ◽

Anna K. Schweiger ◽

Alexis Carteron ◽

Margaret Kalacska ◽

Etienne Laliberté

Keyword(s):

Least Squares ◽

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Partial Least Squares ◽

Plant Species ◽

Spectral Properties ◽

N Deposition ◽

Morphological Properties ◽

Dry Matter Content ◽

Foliar Traits

Bogs, as nutrient-poor ecosystems, are particularly sensitive to atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Nitrogen deposition alters bog plant community composition and can limit their ability to sequester carbon (C). Spectroscopy is a promising approach for studying how N deposition affects bogs because of its ability to remotely determine changes in plant species composition in the long term as well as shorter-term changes in foliar chemistry. However, there is limited knowledge on the extent to which bog plants differ in their foliar spectral properties, how N deposition might affect those properties, and whether subtle inter- or intraspecific changes in foliar traits can be spectrally detected. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of N deposition on foliar traits and spectra. Using an integrating sphere fitted to a field spectrometer, we measured spectral properties of leaves from the four most common vascular plant species (Chamaedaphne calyculata, Kalmia angustifolia, Rhododendron groenlandicum and Eriophorum vaginatum) in three bogs in southern Québec and Ontario, Canada, exposed to different atmospheric N deposition levels, including one subjected to a 18-year N fertilization experiment. We also measured chemical and morphological properties of those leaves. We found detectable intraspecific changes in leaf structural traits and chemistry (namely chlorophyll b and N concentrations) with increasing N deposition and identified spectral regions that helped distinguish the site-specific populations within each species. Most of the variation in leaf spectral, chemical, and morphological properties was among species. As such, species had distinct spectral foliar signatures, allowing us to identify them with high accuracy with partial least squares discriminant analyses (PLSDA). Predictions of foliar traits from spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) were generally accurate, particularly for the concentrations of N and C, soluble C, leaf water, and dry matter content (<10% RMSEP). However, these multi-species PLSR models were not accurate within species, where the range of values was narrow. To improve the detection of short-term intraspecific changes in functional traits, models should be trained with more species-specific data. Our field study showing clear differences in foliar spectra and traits among species, and some within-species differences due to N deposition, suggest that spectroscopy is a promising approach for assessing long-term vegetation changes in bogs subject to atmospheric pollution.

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Simulating Long-Term Development of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Plant Biomass, and Soil Moisture of a Temperate Grassland Ecosystem under Elevated Atmospheric CO2

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10010050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 50

Author(s):

Ralf Liebermann ◽

Lutz Breuer ◽

Tobias Houska ◽

David Kraus ◽

Gerald Moser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Elevated Co2 ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Atmospheric Co2 ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Co2 Concentrations

The rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations have effects on the worldwide ecosystems such as an increase in biomass production as well as changing soil processes and conditions. Since this affects the ecosystem’s net balance of greenhouse gas emissions, reliable projections about the CO2 impact are required. Deterministic models can capture the interrelated biological, hydrological, and biogeochemical processes under changing CO2 concentrations if long-term observations for model testing are provided. We used 13 years of data on above-ground biomass production, soil moisture, and emissions of CO2 and N2O from the Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) grassland experiment in Giessen, Germany. Then, the LandscapeDNDC ecosystem model was calibrated with data measured under current CO2 concentrations and validated under elevated CO2. Depending on the hydrological conditions, different CO2 effects were observed and captured well for all ecosystem variables but N2O emissions. Confidence intervals of ensemble simulations covered up to 96% of measured biomass and CO2 emission values, while soil water content was well simulated in terms of annual cycle and location-specific CO2 effects. N2O emissions under elevated CO2 could not be reproduced, presumably due to a rarely considered mineralization process of organic nitrogen, which is not yet included in LandscapeDNDC.

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