Growth and physiological responses of Sitanion hystrix, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, and Stipa thurberiana to elevated CO₂ : interactions with soil temperature and water stress

Since plants utilize CO₂ as the substrate for photosynthesis, terrestrial plants may be directly affected by increasing levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Plants native to the sagebrush steppe are predicted to increase in growth in response to elevated CO₂ through increased water use efficiency and higher photosynthetic rates. This study examined the interactions between edaphic factors and CO₂ in order to determine how species native to the sagebrush steppe may respond to elevated CO₂. The objectives of these experiments were to: 1. determine if Sitanion hystrix, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, and Stipa thurberiana alter their growth and physiology in response to CO₂ and soil temperature. 2. determine if Sitanion hystrix and Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis alter their growth and physiology in response to CO₂ and water stress. Two experiments were conducted using environmentally controlled chambers. In the first experiment, Sitanion hystrix, Artemisia tridentata and Stipa thurberiana were exposed to ambient (374 ppm) or high (567 ppm) CO₂ conditions and low (13°C) or high (18°C) soil temperature. After four months in the chambers, plants were harvested and plant material was divided into shoots, roots, and leaves. Results from the first experiment demonstrated that carbon dioxide and soil temperature modified the growth of these species. Sitanion hystrix increased its shoot and root weights at elevated CO₂ when grown under low soil temperatures. Artemisia tridentata had lower plant weights under elevated CO₂ and 18 °C soil temperature than plants grown at ambient CO₂ and 13°C. Shoots of Stipa thurberiana were responsive to soil temperature and roots were responsive to CO₂ at 18°C. In the second experiment, Sitanion hystrix and Artemisia tridentata were exposed to ambient (371 ppm) or high (569 ppm) CO₂ and well-watered or water stressed conditions. Results indicated that there were no interactive effects betweeen CO₂ and water stress with respect to plant growth or physiology. CO₂ increased water use efficiency in S. hystrix and increased water use efficiency of A. tridentata at the beginning of the experiment but had no interactive effects with water stress on growth or photosynthesis. Results suggested that the effect of CO₂ on plant growth and productivity of the sagebrush steppe is dependent upon the soil temperature to which the plants are exposed. Differences between species in their response to CO₂, soil temperature, and water stress were also apparent in this experiment. These controlled environment studies should pave the way for field studies in the sagebrush steppe in order to determine if differences in carbon allocation, resulting from changes in CO₂ and soil temperature, are realized in the field. Alterations in carbon allocation may potentially alter the competitive relationships between species and influence successional processes in the sagebrush steppe

Wildland Fire Reburning Trends Across the US West Suggest Only Short-Term Negative Feedback and Differing Climatic Effects

Wildfires are a significant agent of disturbance in forests and highly sensitive to climate change. Short-interval fires and high severity (mortality-causing) fires in particular, may catalyze rapid and substantial ecosystem shifts by eliminating woody species and triggering conversions from forest to shrub or grassland ecosystems. Modeling and fine-scale observations suggest negative feedbacks between fire and fuels should limit reburn prevalence as overall fire frequency rises. However, while we have good information on reburning patterns for individual fires or small regions, the validity of scaling these conclusions to broad regions like the US West remains unknown. Both the prevalence of reburning and the strength of feedbacks on likelihood of reburning over differing timescales have not been documented at the regional scale. Here we show that while there is a strong negative feedback for very short reburning intervals throughout wildland forests of the Western US, that feedback weakens after 10–20 years. The relationship between reburning intervals and drought diverges depending on location, with coastal systems reburning quicker (e.g. shorter interval between fires) in wetter conditions and interior forests in drier. This supports the idea that vegetation productivity—primarily fine fuels that accumulate rapidly (years)—is of primary importance in determining reburn intervals. Our results demonstrate that while over short time intervals increasing fires inhibits reburning at broad scales, that breaks down after a decade. This provides important insights about patterns at very broad scales and agrees with finer scale work, suggesting that lessons from those scales apply across the entire western US

Temporal Variation in Nutrient Uptake Capacity by Intact Roots of Mature Loblolly Pine

Nutrient uptake is generally thought to exhibit a simple seasonal pattern, but few studies have measured temporal variation of nutrient uptake capacity in mature trees. We measured net uptake capacity of K, NH+ 4, NO 3 −, Mg and Ca across a range of solution concentrations by roots of mature loblolly pine at Calhoun Experimental Forest in October 2001, July 2001, and April 2002. Uptake capacity was generally lowest in July; rates in October were similar to those in April. Across a range of concentrations, antecedent nutrient solution concentrations affected the temporal patterns in uptake in July but not in October or April. In July, uptake of NH+ 4, Mg and Ca was positively correlated with concentration when roots were exposed to successively lower concentrations, but negatively correlated with concentration when exposed to successively higher concentrations. In contrast, uptake in October was constant across the range of concentrations, while uptake increased with concentration in April. As in studies of other species, we found greater uptake of NH+ 4 than NO 3 −. Temporal patterns of uptake capacity are difficult to predict, and our results indicate that experimental conditions, such as experiment duration, antecedent root conditions and nutrient solution concentration, affect measured rates of nutrient uptake

Book Review of, Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology.

Reviews the book Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology by Francis Stuart Chapin III, Pamela A. Matson, and Harold A. Mooney

Response of Sagebrush Steppe Species to Elevated CO2 and Soil Temperature

Elevated atmospheric CO2 may cause long-term changes in the productivity and species composition of the sagebrush steppe. Few studies, however, have evaluated the effects of increased CO2 on growth and physiology of species important to this ecosystem. Since the response of plants to elevated CO2 may be limited by environmental factors, soil temperature was also examined to determine if low soil temperatures limit CO2 response. To determine how CO2 and soil temperature affect the growth of species native to the sagebrush steppe, bottlebrush squirreltail [Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey], Thurber needlegrass (Stipa thurberiana Piper), and Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle) were grown in ambient (374 mL L–1) or high (567 mL L–1) CO2 and low (13°C) or high (18°C) soil temperature for approximately 4 months. Although soil temperature affected the growth of squirreltail and needlegrass, temperature did not modify their response to elevated CO2. Total biomass of sagebrush was consistent across soil temperature and CO2 treatments, reflecting its slow-growing strategy. All 3 species had higher leaf water-use efficiency at elevated CO2 due to higher net photosynthesis and lower transpiration rates. We conclude that elevated CO2 and soil warming may increase the growth of grasses more than shrubs. Field studies in the sagebrush steppe are necessary to determine if differences in biomass, resulting from changes in CO2 and soil temperature, are exhibited in the field

Nutrient Uptake by Intact and Disturbed Roots of Loblolly Pine Seedlings

Most measurements of nutrient uptake use either hydroponic systems or soil-grown roots that have been disturbed by excavation. The first objective of this study was to test how root excavation affects nitrate uptake. Rates of NO3− uptake by mycorrhizal loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings were measured in intact sand-filled columns, hydroponics, and disturbed sand-filled columns. Total nitrate uptake in intact sand-filled columns was higher than in disturbed columns, indicating that disturbance lowers uptake. Transferring plants from the sand-filled columns to hydroponics had little effect on NO3− uptake beyond delaying uptake for an hour. The second objective of this study was to determine whether NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ uptake could be studied using sand-filled columns, since previous studies had tested this method only for nitrate uptake. Uptake rates of NH4+ and K+ were positive, while Ca2+ and Mg2+ uptake rates were negative in intact sand-filled columns, indicating that net efflux may occur even without physical disturbance to the root system. The sand-filled column approach has some limitations, but holds promise for conducting nutrient uptake studies with minimal disturbance to the root system

Spatial Resilience of Forested Landscapes Under Climate Change and Management

Context: Resilience, the ability to recover from disturbance, has risen to the forefront of scientific policy, but is difficult to quantify, particularly in large, forested landscapes subject to disturbances, management, and climate change. Objectives: Our objective was to determine which spatial drivers will control landscape resilience over the next century, given a range of plausible climate projections across north-central Minnesota. Methods: Using a simulation modelling approach, we simulated wind disturbance in a 4.3 million ha forested landscape in north-central Minnesota for 100 years under historic climate and five climate change scenarios, combined with four management scenarios: business as usual (BAU), maximizing economic returns (‘EcoGoods’), maximizing carbon storage (‘EcoServices’), and climate change adaption (‘CCAdapt’). To estimate resilience, we examined sites where simulated windstorms removed \u3e70% of the biomass and measured the difference in biomass and species composition after 50 years. Results: Climate change lowered resilience, though there was wide variation among climate change scenarios. Resilience was explained more by spatial variation in soils than climate. We found that BAU, EcoGoods and EcoServices harvest scenarios were very similar; CCAdapt was the only scenario that demonstrated consistently higher resilience under climate change. Although we expected spatial patterns of resilience to follow ownership patterns, it was contingent upon whether lands were actively managed. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that resilience may be lower under climate change and that the effects of climate change could overwhelm current management practices. Only a substantial shift in simulated forest practices was successful in promoting resilience

Improving the Representation of Roots in Terrestrial Models

Root biomass, root production and lifespan, and root-mycorrhizal interactions govern soil carbon fluxes and resource uptake and are critical components of terrestrial models. However, limitations in data and confusions over terminology, together with a strong dependence on a small set of conceptual frameworks, have limited the exploration of root function in terrestrial models. We review the key root processes of interest to both field ecologists and modelers including root classification, production, turnover, biomass, resource uptake, and depth distribution to ask (1) what are contemporary approaches for modeling roots in terrestrial models? and (2) can these approaches be improved via recent advancements in field research methods? We isolate several emerging themes that are ready for collaboration among field scientists and modelers: (1) alternatives to size-class based root classifications based on function and the inclusion of fungal symbioses, (2) dynamic root allocation and phenology as a function of root environment, rather than leaf demand alone, (3) improved understanding of the treatment of root turnover in models, including the role of root tissue chemistry on root lifespan, (4) better estimates of root stocks across sites and species to parameterize or validate models, and (5) dynamic interplay among rooting depth, resource availability and resource uptake. Greater attention to model parameterization and structural representation of roots will lead to greater appreciation for belowground processes in terrestrial models and improve estimates of ecosystem resilience to global change drivers

Morphogenesis of Douglas Fir Buds is Altered at Elevated Temperature but not at Elevated CO2

Global climatic change as expressed by increased CO2 and temperature has the potential for dramatic effects on trees. To determine what its effects may be on Pacific Northwest forests, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ) seedlings were grown in sun-lit controlled environment chambers at ambient or elevated (+4°C above ambient) temperature, and at ambient or elevated (+200 ppm above ambient) CO2. In 1995–1996 and 1996–1997, elevated CO2 had no effect on vegetative bud morphology, while the following unusual morphological characteristics were found with greater frequency at elevated temperature than at ambient: rosetted buds with reflexed and loosened outer scales, convoluted inner scales, clusters of small buds, needles elongating between scales, needle primordia with white, hyaline apical extensions, and buds with hardened scales inside of unbroken buds. Buds became rosetted in elevated temperature chambers after temperatures exceeded 40°C in July, 1996. Rosettes were induced within 48-h in buds placed in a 40°C oven; fewer rosettes formed at 20°C. Induction was reversible in buds transferred from 40 to 20°C, implying that rosetting is a physical rather than a growth phenomenon. It appears that rosettes form after long-term exposure to elevated temperature and after shorter periods of exposure to intense heat. Elevated temperature influences bud morphology and may therefore influence the overall branching structure of Douglas-fir seedlings

Stomatal Responses of Douglas-Fir Seedlings to Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Temperature During the Third and Fourth Years of Exposure

Two major components of climate change, increasing atmospheric [CO2] and increasing temperature, may substantially alter the effects of water availability to plants through effects on the rate of water loss from leaves. We examined the interactive effects of elevated [CO2] and temperature on seasonal patterns of stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E) and instantaneous transpiration efficiency (ITE) in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings. Seedlings were grown in sunlit chambers at either ambient CO2 (AC) or ambient + 180 µmol mol-1 CO2 (EC), and at ambient temperature (AT) or ambient + 3.5° C (ET) in a full-factorial design. Needle gas exchange at the target growth conditions was measured approximately monthly over 21 months. Across the study period and across temperature treatments, growth in elevated [CO2] decreased E by an average of 12% and increased ITE by an average of 46%. The absolute reduction of E associated with elevated [CO2] significantly increased with seasonal increases in the needle-to-air vapour pressure deficit (D). Across CO2 treatments, growth in elevated temperature increased E an average of 37%, and did not affect ITE. Combined, growth in elevated [CO2] and elevated temperature increased E an average of 19% compared with the ACAT treatment. The CO2 supply and growth temperature did not significantly affect stomatal sensitivity to D or the relationship between gs and net photosynthetic rates. This study suggests that elevated [CO2] may not completely ameliorate the effect of elevated temperature on E, and that climate change may substantially alter needle-level water loss and water use efficiency of Douglas-fir seedlings