scholarly journals Elevated CO<sub>2</sub>, increased leaf-level productivity and water-use efficiency during the early Miocene

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammo Reichgelt ◽  
William J. D'Andrea ◽  
Ailín del C. Valdivia-McCarthy ◽  
Bethany R.S. Fox ◽  
Jennifer M. Bannister ◽  
...  

Abstract. Rising atmospheric CO2 is expected to increase global temperatures, plant water-use efficiency, and carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere. A CO2 fertilization effect on terrestrial vegetation is predicted to cause global greening as the potential ecospace for forests expands. However, leaf-level fertilization effects, such as increased productivity and water-use efficiency, have not been documented from fossil leaves in periods of heightened atmospheric CO2. Leaf gas-exchange rates reconstructed from early Miocene fossils which grew at southern temperate and tropical latitudes, when global average temperatures were 5–6 °C higher than today reveal that atmospheric CO2 was ~ 450–550 ppm. Early Miocene CO2 is similar to projected values for 2040AD, and consistent with Earth System Sensitivity of 3–7 °C to a doubling of CO2. While early Miocene leaves had photosynthetic rates similar to modern plants, southern temperate leaves were more productive than modern due to a longer growing season. This higher productivity was likely mirrored at northern temperate latitudes as well, where a greater availability of landmass would have led to increased carbon storage in forest biomass relative to today. Intrinsic water-use efficiency of both temperate and tropical forest trees was high, toward the upper limit of the range for modern trees, which likely expanded the habitable range in regions that could not support forests with high moisture demands under lower atmospheric CO2. Overall, early Miocene elevated atmospheric CO2 sustained globally higher temperatures and our results reveal the first empirical evidence of concomitant enhanced intrinsic water-use efficiency, indicating a forest fertilization effect.

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1509-1521
Author(s):  
Tammo Reichgelt ◽  
William J. D'Andrea ◽  
Ailín del C. Valdivia-McCarthy ◽  
Bethany R. S. Fox ◽  
Jennifer M. Bannister ◽  
...  

Abstract. Rising atmospheric CO2 is expected to increase global temperatures, plant water-use efficiency, and carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere. A CO2 fertilization effect on terrestrial vegetation is predicted to cause global greening as the potential ecospace for forests expands. However, leaf-level fertilization effects, such as increased productivity and water-use efficiency, have not been documented from fossil leaves in periods of heightened atmospheric CO2. Here, we use leaf gas-exchange modeling on a well-preserved fossil flora from early Miocene New Zealand, as well as two previously published tropical floras from the same time period, to reconstruct atmospheric CO2, leaf-level productivity, and intrinsic water-use efficiency. Leaf gas-exchange rates reconstructed from early Miocene fossils, which grew at southern temperate and tropical latitudes when global average temperatures were 5–6 ∘C higher than today, reveal that atmospheric CO2 was ∼450–550 ppm. Early Miocene CO2 was similar to projected values for 2040 CE and is consistent with an Earth system sensitivity of 3–7 ∘C to a doubling of CO2. The Southern Hemisphere temperate leaves had higher reconstructed productivity than modern analogs, likely due to a longer growing season. This higher productivity was presumably mirrored at northern temperate latitudes as well, where a greater availability of landmass would have led to increased carbon storage in forest biomass relative to today. Intrinsic water-use efficiency of both temperate and tropical forest trees was high, toward the upper limit of the range for modern trees, which likely expanded the habitable range in regions that could not support forests with high moisture demands under lower atmospheric CO2. Overall, early Miocene elevated atmospheric CO2 sustained globally higher temperatures, and our results provide the first empirical evidence of concomitant enhanced intrinsic water-use efficiency, indicating a forest fertilization effect.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Li ◽  
Dagang Guo ◽  
Xiaodong Gao ◽  
Xining Zhao

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([eCO2]) and soil water deficits significantly influence gas exchange in plant leaves, affecting the carbon-water cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how the soil water deficit modulates the plant CO2 fertilization effect, especially for gas exchange and leaf-level water use efficiency (WUE). Here, we synthesized a comprehensive dataset including 554 observations from 54 individual studies and quantified the responses for leaf gas exchange induced by e[CO2] under water deficit. Moreover, we investigated the contribution of plant net photosynthesis rate (Pn) and transpiration rates (Tr) toward WUE in water deficit conditions and e[CO2] using graphical vector analysis (GVA). In summary, e[CO2] significantly increased Pn and WUE by 11.9 and 29.3% under well-watered conditions, respectively, whereas the interaction of water deficit and e[CO2] slightly decreased Pn by 8.3%. Plants grown under light in an open environment were stimulated to a greater degree compared with plants grown under a lamp in a closed environment. Meanwhile, water deficit reduced Pn by 40.5 and 37.8%, while increasing WUE by 24.5 and 21.5% under ambient CO2 concentration (a[CO2]) and e[CO2], respectively. The e[CO2]-induced stimulation of WUE was attributed to the common effect of Pn and Tr, whereas a water deficit induced increase in WUE was linked to the decrease in Tr. These results suggested that water deficit lowered the stimulation of e[CO2] induced in plants. Therefore, fumigation conditions that closely mimic field conditions and multi-factorial experiments such as water availability are needed to predict the response of plants to future climate change.


Chemosphere ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.W. Leavitt ◽  
S.B. Idso ◽  
B.A. Kimball ◽  
J.M. Burns ◽  
A. Sinha ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammo Reichgelt ◽  
William J. D'Andrea ◽  
Ailín del C. Valdivia-McCarthy ◽  
Bethany R.S. Fox ◽  
Jennifer M. Bannister ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Wanderson J. de Oliveira ◽  
Edivan R. de Souza ◽  
Jailson C. Cunha ◽  
Ênio F. de F. e Silva ◽  
Venâncio de L. Veloso

ABSTRACT Leaf gas exchanges in plants and soil respiration are important tools for assessing the effects of salinity on the soil-plant system. An experiment was conducted with cowpea irrigated with saline water (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 dS m-1) prepared with two sources: NaCl and a mixture of Ca, Mg, Na, K and Cl ions in a randomized block design and a 6 x 2 factorial scheme, with four replicates, totaling 48 experimental plots. At 20 days after planting (DAP), plants were evaluated for net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration (E) using the Infra-Red Gas Analyzer (Model XT6400- LICOR), and water use efficiency, intrinsic water use efficiency and instantaneous efficiency of carboxylation were calculated. At 60 DAP, the soil CO2 efflux (soil respiration) was determined with a camera (Model 6400-09- LICOR). Salinity caused reductions in A, gs and E. However, the salt source did not have significant effect on these variables. Soil CO2 efflux was reduced with the increase in the electrical conductivity, especially in the mixture of ions.


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