Screen-aided CO2 control (SACC): a middle ground between FACE and open-top chambers

Warming offsets the benefits of elevated CO2 in water relations while amplifies elevated CO2-induced reduction in forage nutritional value in the C4 grass Megathyrsus maximus

Tropical grasslands are very important to global carbon and water cycles. C₄ plants have increased heat tolerance and a CO₂ concentrating mechanism that often reduces responses to elevated concentrations of CO₂ ([CO₂]). Despite the importance of tropical grasslands, there is a scarcity of studies that elucidate how managed tropical grasslands will be affected by elevated [CO₂] and warming. In our study, we used a combination of a temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) and a free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) systems to increase canopy temperature and [CO₂] under field conditions, respectively. We warmed a field-grown pasture dominated by the C₄ tropical forage grass Megathyrsus maximus by 2°C above ambient under two levels of [CO₂] (ambient (aC) and elevated (eC - 600 ppm) to investigate how these two factors isolated or combined regulate water relations through stomatal regulation, and how this combination affects PSII functioning, biochemistry, forage nutritive value, and digestibility. We demonstrated that the effects of warming negated the effects of eC in plant transpiration, water potential, proline content, and soil moisture conservation, resulting in warming canceling the eCO₂-induced improvement in these parameters. Furthermore, there were additive effects between eC and warming for chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and aboveground nutritive value. Warming sharply intensified the eCO₂-induced decrease in crude protein content and increases in forage fibrous fraction and lignin, resulting in a smaller forage digestibility under a warmer CO₂-enriched atmosphere. Our results highlight the importance of multifactorial studies when investigating global change impacts on managed ecosystems and the potential consequences for the global carbon cycle like amplification in methane emissions by ruminants and feeding a positive climate feedback system.

Delineating the mechanisms of elevated CO2 mediated growth, stress tolerance and phytohormonal regulation in plants

Global climate change has drastically affected natural ecosystems and crop productivity. Among several factors of global climate change, CO₂ is considered to be the dynamic parameter that will regulate the responses of all biological system on earth in the coming decade. A number of experimental studies in the past have demonstrated the positive effects of elevated CO₂ on photosynthesis, growth and biomass, biochemical and physiological processes such as increased C:N ratio, secondary metabolite production, as well as phytohormone concentrations. On the other hand, elevated CO₂ imparts an adverse effect on the nutritional quality of crop plants and seed quality. Investigations have also revealed effects of elevated CO₂ both at cellular and molecular level altering expression of various genes involved in various metabolic processes and stress signaling pathways. Elevated CO₂ is known to have mitigating effect on plants in presence of abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, temperature etc., while contrasting effects in the presence of different biotic agents i.e. phytopathogens, insects and herbivores. However, a well-defined crosstalk is incited by elevated CO₂ both under abiotic and biotic stresses in terms of phytohormones concentration and secondary metabolites production. With this background, the present review attempts to shed light on the major effects of elevated CO₂ on plant growth, physiological and molecular responses and will highlight the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ with other abiotic and biotic factors. The article will also provide deep insights into the phytohormones modulation under elevated CO₂.

Loss of plant biodiversity eliminates stimulatory effect of elevated CO2 on earthworm activity in grasslands

Earthworms are among the world's most important ecosystem engineers because of their effects on soil fertility and plant productivity. Their dependence on plants for carbon, however, means that any changes in plant community structure or function caused by rising atmospheric CO2 or loss of plant species diversity could affect earthworm activity, which may feed back on plant communities. Production of surface casts measured during three consecutive years in field experimental plots (n = 24, 1.2 m(2)) planted with local calcareous grassland species that varied in plant species richness (diversity levels: high, 31 species; medium, 12; low, 5) and were exposed to ambient (356 μl CO2 l(-1)) or elevated (600 μl CO2 l(-1)) CO2 was only consistently stimulated in high diversity plots exposed to elevated CO2 (+120 %, 31 spp: 603 ± 52 under ambient CO2 vs. 1,325 ± 204 g cast dwt. m(-2) year(-1) under elevated CO2 in 1996; +77 %, 940 ± 44 vs. 1,663 ± 204 g cast dwt. m(-2) year(-1) in 1998). Reductions in plant diversity had little effect on cast production in ecosystems maintained at ambient CO2, but the stimulatory effect of elevated CO2 on cast production disappeared when plant species diversity was decreased to 12 and 5 species. High diversity plots were also the only communities that included plant species that an earlier field study showed to be among the most responsive to elevated CO2 and to be most preferred by earthworms to deposit casts near. Further, the +87 % CO2-induced increase in cast production measured over the 3 years corresponded to a parallel increase in cumulative total nitrogen of 5.7 g N m(-2) and would help explain the large stimulation of aboveground plant biomass production observed in high-diversity communities under elevated CO2. The results of this study demonstrate how the loss of plant species from communities can alter responses of major soil heterotrophs and consequently ecosystem biogeochemistry.

A meta-analysis of plant physiological and growth responses to temperature and elevated CO(2)

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and global mean temperature are expected to be significantly higher by the end of the 21st century. Elevated CO(2) (eCO(2)) and higher temperature each affect plant physiology and growth, but their interactive effects have not been reviewed statistically with respect to higher chronic mean temperatures and abrupt heat stress. In this meta-analysis, we examined the effect of CO(2) on the physiology and growth of plants subjected to different temperature treatments. The CO(2) treatments were categorized into ambient (<400 ppm) or elevated (>560 ppm) levels, while temperature treatments were categorized into ambient temperature (AT), elevated temperature (ET; AT + 1.4-6°C), or heat stress (HS; AT + >8°C). Plant species were grouped according to photosynthetic pathways (C(3), C(4)), functional types (legumes, non-legumes), growth forms (herbaceous, woody), and economic purposes (crop, non-crop). eCO(2) enhanced net photosynthesis at AT, ET, and HS in C(3) species (especially at the HS level), but in C(4) species, it had no effect at AT, a positive effect at ET, and a negative effect at HS. The positive effect of eCO(2) on net photosynthesis was greater for legumes than for non-legumes at HS, for non-crops than crops at ET, and for woody than herbaceous species at ET and HS. Total (W (T)) and above- (W (AG)) and below-ground (W (BG)) biomass were increased by eCO(2) for most species groups at all temperatures, except for C(4) species and W (BG) of legumes at HS. Hence, eCO(2) × heat effects on growth were often not explained by effects on net photosynthesis. Overall, the results show that eCO(2) effects on plant physiology and growth vary under different temperature regimes, among functional groups and photosynthetic pathways, and among response variables. These findings have important implications for biomass accumulation and ecosystem functioning in the future when the CO(2) level is higher and climate extremes, such as heat waves, become more frequent.

Using elevated carbon dioxide to enhance copper accumulation in Pteridium revolutum, a copper-tolerant plant, under experimental conditions

In our survey in the copper (Cu) mining area of China, a sun fern (Pteridium revolutum) was found to accumulate 30-567 mg Cu kg(-1) DW (33 samples) in its fronds with a large frond biomass. Cu translocation factors in the plants varied from 0.09 to 3.88. In a greenhouse pot experiment, the effect of an elevated CO2 concentration (700 microL L(-1)) on Cu accumulation in plants was studied using three fern species (P. revolutum, Pteridium aquilinum, and Pteris vittata) grown in the Cu-contaminated soil. P. revolutum showed a higher Cu tolerance but its Cu translocation factor was lower than 1. At the elevated CO2 concentration, frond biomass of all species was significantly increased, as was the total Cu content in the fronds of P. revolutum and P. aquilinum. Our study suggests that P. revolutum could serve as a good candidate for phytoextraction of Cu-contaminated soils and that doubling the ambient CO2 concentration will facilitate its use in phytoextraction.

Influence of plant diversity and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on belowground bacterial diversity

Background

Changes in aboveground plant species diversity as well as variations of environmental conditions such as exposure of ecosystems to elevated concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide may lead to changes in metabolic activity, composition and diversity of belowground microbial communities, both bacterial and fungal.

Results

We examined soil samples taken from a biodiversity × CO₂ grassland experiment where replicate plots harboring 5, 12, or 31 different plant species had been exposed to ambient or elevated (600 ppm) levels of carbon dioxide for 5 years. Analysis of soil bacterial communities in these plots by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) showed that dominant soil bacterial populations varied only very little between different experimental treatments. These populations seem to be ubiquitous. Likewise, screening of samples on a high-resolution level by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) showed that increased levels of carbon dioxide had no significant influence on both soil bacterial community composition (appearance and frequency of operational taxonomic units, OTUs) and on bacterial richness (total number of different OTUs). In contrast, differences in plant diversity levels had a significant effect on bacterial composition but no influence on bacterial richness. Regarding species level, several bacterial species were found only in specific plots and were related to elevated carbon dioxide or varying plant diversity levels. For example, analysis of T-RFLP showed that the occurrence of Salmonella typhimurium was significantly increased in plots exposed to elevated CO₂ (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Plant diversity levels are affecting bacterial composition (bacterial types and their frequency of occurrence). Elevated carbon dioxide does not lead to quantitative alteration (bacterial richness), whereas plant diversity is responsible for qualitative changes (bacterial diversity).

A chamberless field exposure system for ozone enrichment of short vegetation

Only few studies have been conducted as yet which focus on the effects of rising tropospheric ozone levels on semi-natural vegetation under free-air conditions. A new technical approach was used to examine the response of calcareous grassland to ozone employing a chamberless fumigation system. Four different ozone regimes were applied (1-, 1.33-, 1.66- and 2-fold ambient air levels) with five replicates each. Ozone enrichment was carried out on circular plots of 2 m in diameter by a computer controlled exposure system. Transparent windscreens encircling each plot accelerated the mixing of ambient air and ozone released. Thus, the use of blowers could be avoided. The exposure system presented here is regarded as an appropriate technique for free-air trace gas enrichment on short vegetation avoiding microclimatic alterations known to affect plant growth and pollutant uptake. Furthermore, the chosen technical set-up was rather cost-effective. Hence, it enabled the establishment of a larger number of replications providing the basis for results of higher statistical power.