A 300-million-year record of atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil plant cuticles

Oldhamite: a new link in upper mantle for C-O-S-Ca cycles and an indicator for planetary habitability

In the solar system, oldhamite (CaS) is generally considered to be formed by the condensation of solar nebula gas. Enstatite chondrites, one of the most important repositories of oldhamite, are believed to be representative of the material that formed Earth. Thus, the formation mechanism and the evolution process of oldhamite are of great significance to the deep understanding of the solar nebula, meteorites, the origin of Earth, and the C-O-S-Ca cycles of Earth. Until now, oldhamite has not been reported to occur in mantle rock. However, here we show the formation of oldhamite through the reaction between sulfide-bearing orthopyroxenite and molten CaCO3 at 1.5 GPa/1510 K, 0.5 GPa/1320 K, and 0.3 GPa/1273 K. Importantly, this reaction occurs at oxygen fugacities within the range of upper-mantle conditions, six orders of magnitude higher than that of the solar nebula mechanism. Oldhamite is easily oxidized to CaSO4 or hydrolysed to produce calcium hydroxide. Low oxygen fugacity of magma, extremely low oxygen content of the atmosphere, and the lack of a large amount of liquid water on the celestial body's surface are necessary for the widespread existence of oldhamite on the surface of a celestial body otherwise, anhydrite or gypsum will exist in large quantities. Oldhamites may exist in the upper mantle beneath mid-ocean ridges. Additionally, oldhamites may have been a contributing factor to the early Earth's atmospheric hypoxia environment, and the transient existence of oldhamites during the interaction between reducing sulfur-bearing magma and carbonate could have had an impact on the changes in atmospheric composition during the Permian-Triassic Boundary.

Comparative transcriptomics of tropical woody plants supports fast and furious strategy along the leaf economics spectrum in lianas

Lianas, climbing woody plants, influence the structure and function of tropical forests. Climbing traits have evolved multiple times, including ancestral groups such as gymnosperms and pteridophytes, but the genetic basis of the liana strategy is largely unknown. Here, we use a comparative transcriptomic approach for 47 tropical plant species, including ten lianas of diverse taxonomic origins, to identify genes that are consistently expressed or downregulated only in lianas. Our comparative analysis of full-length transcripts enabled the identification of a core interactomic network common to lianas. Sets of transcripts identified from our analysis reveal features related to functional traits pertinent to leaf economics spectrum in lianas, include upregulation of genes controlling epidermal cuticular properties, cell wall remodeling, carbon concentrating mechanism, cell cycle progression, DNA repair and a large suit of downregulated transcription factors and enzymes involved in ABA-mediated stress response as well as lignin and suberin synthesis. All together, these genes are known to be significant in shaping plant morphologies through responses such as gravitropism, phyllotaxy and shade avoidance.

Summary: The full-length fraction of liana transcriptomes mapped on a protein–protein interactome revealed the nature of their convergence through distinct sets of expressed and downregulated genes not observed in free-standing plants.

Rapid response to anthropogenic climate change by Thuja occidentalis: implications for past climate reconstructions and future climate predictions

Carbon isotope values of leaves (δ13Cleaf) from meta-analyses and growth chamber studies of C3 plants have been used to propose generalized relationships between δ13Cleaf and climate variables such as mean annual precipitation (MAP), atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide ([CO2]), and other climate variables. These generalized relationships are frequently applied to the fossil record to create paleoclimate reconstructions. Although plant evolution influences biochemistry and response to environmental stress, few studies have assessed species-specific carbon assimilation as it relates to climate outside of a laboratory. We measured δ13Cleaf values and C:N ratios of a wide-ranging evergreen conifer with a long fossil record, Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae) collected 1804-2017, in order to maximize potential paleo-applications of our focal species. This high-resolution record represents a natural experiment from pre-Industrial to Industrial times, which spans a range of geologically meaningful [CO2] and δ13Catm values. Δleaf values (carbon isotope discrimination between δ13Catm and δ13Cleaf) remain constant across climate conditions, indicating limited response to environmental stress. Only δ13Cleaf and δ13Catm values showed a strong relationship (linear), thus, δ13Cleaf is an excellent record of carbon isotopic changes in the atmosphere during Industrialization. In contrast with previous free-air concentration enrichment experiments, no relationship was found between C:N ratios and increasing [CO2]. Simultaneously static C:N ratios and Δleaf in light of increasing CO2 highlights plants' inability to match rapid climate change with increased carbon assimilation as previously expected; Δleaf values are not reliable tools to reconstruct MAP and [CO2], and δ13Cleaf values only decrease with [CO2] in line with atmospheric carbon isotope changes.

Stomatal frequency of Quercus glauca from three material sources shows the same inverse response to atmospheric pCO2

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The inverse correlation between atmospheric CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) and stomatal frequency in many plants has been widely used to estimate palaeo-CO2 levels. However, apparent discrepancies exist among the obtained estimates. This study attempts to find a potential proxy for palaeo-CO2 concentrations by analysing the stomatal frequency of Quercus glauca (section Cyclobalanopsis, Fagaceae), a dominant species in East Asian sub-tropical forests with abundant fossil relatives.

METHODS

Stomatal frequencies of Q. glauca from three material sources were analysed: seedlings grown in four climatic chambers with elevated CO2 ranging from 400 to 1300 ppm; extant samples collected from 14 field sites at altitudes ranging from 142 to 1555 m; and 18 herbarium specimens collected between 1930 and 2011. Stomatal frequency-pCO2 correlations were determined using samples from these three sources.

KEY RESULTS

An inverse correlation between stomatal frequency and pCO2 was found for Q. glauca through cross-validation of the three material sources. The combined calibration curves integrating data of extant altitudinal samples and historical herbarium specimens improved the reliability and accuracy of the curves. However, materials in the climatic chambers exhibited a weak response and relatively high stomatal frequency possibly due to insufficient treatment time.

CONCLUSIONS

A new inverse stomatal frequency-pCO2 correlation for Q. glauca was determined using samples from three sources. These three material types show the same response, indicating that Q. glauca is sensitive to atmospheric pCO2 and is an ideal proxy for palaeo-CO2 levels. Quercus glauca is a nearest living relative (NLR) of section Cyclobalanopsis fossils, which are widely distributed in the strata of East Asia ranging from the Eocene to Pliocene, thereby providing excellent materials to reconstruct the atmospheric CO2 concentration history of the Cenozoic. Quercus glauca will add to the variety of proxies that can be widely used in addition to Ginkgo and Metasequoia.

Paleobotany and Global Change: Important Lessons for Species to Biomes from Vegetation Responses to Past Global Change

Human carbon use during the next century will lead to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO₂) that have been unprecedented for the past 50-100+ million years according to fossil plant-based CO₂ estimates. The paleobotanical record of plants offers key insights into vegetation responses to past global change, including suitable analogs for Earth's climatic future. Past global warming events have resulted in transient poleward migration at rates that are equivalent to the lowest climate velocities required for current taxa to keep pace with climate change. Paleobiome reconstructions suggest that the current tundra biome is the biome most threatened by global warming. The common occurrence of paleoforests at high polar latitudes when pCO₂ was above 500 ppm suggests that the advance of woody shrub and tree taxa into tundra environments may be inevitable. Fossil pollen studies demonstrate the resilience of wet tropical forests to global change up to 700 ppm CO₂, contrary to modeled predictions of the future. The paleobotanical record also demonstrates a high capacity for functional trait evolution as an additional strategy to migration and maintenance of a species' climate envelope in response to global change.

Aridification driven diversification of fan-throated lizards from the Indian subcontinent

The establishment of monsoon climate and the consequent aridification has been one of the most important climate change episodes in the Indian subcontinent. However, little is known about how these events might have shaped the diversification patterns among the widely distributed taxa. Fan-throated lizards (FTL) (Genus: Sitana, Sarada) are widespread, diurnal and restricted to the semi-arid zones of the Indian subcontinent. We sampled FTL in 107 localities across its range. We used molecular species delimitation method and delineated 15 species including six putative species. Thirteen of them were distinguishable based on morphology but two sister species were indistinguishable and have minor overlaps in distribution. Five fossils were used to calibrate and date the phylogeny. Diversification of fan-throated lizards lineage started ~18 mya and higher lineage diversification was observed after 11 my. The initial diversification corresponds to the time when monsoon climate was established and the latter was a period of intensification of monsoon and initiation of aridification. Thirteen out of the fifteen FTL species delimited are from Peninsular India; this is probably due to the landscape heterogeneity in this region. The species poor sister genus Otocryptis is paraphyletic and probably represents relict lineages which are now confined to forested areas. Thus, the seasonality led changes in habitat, from forests to open habitats appear to have driven diversification of fan-throated lizards.

Contrasting responses of leaf stomatal characteristics to climate change: a considerable challenge to predict carbon and water cycles

Stomata control the cycling of water and carbon between plants and the atmosphere; however, no consistent conclusions have been drawn regarding the response of stomatal frequency to climate change. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 1854 globally obtained data series to determine the response of stomatal frequency to climate change, which including four plant life forms (over 900 species), at altitudes ranging from 0 to 4500 m and over a time span of more than one hundred thousand years. Stomatal frequency decreased with increasing CO₂ concentration and increased with elevated temperature and drought stress; it was also dependent on the species and experimental conditions. The response of stomatal frequency to climate change showed a trade-off between stomatal control strategies and environmental factors, such as the CO₂ concentration, temperature, and soil water availability. Moreover, threshold effects of elevated CO₂ and temperature on stomatal frequency were detected, indicating that the response of stomatal density to increasing CO₂ concentration will decrease over the next few years. The results also suggested that the stomatal index may be more reliable than stomatal density for determination of the historic CO₂ concentration. Our findings indicate that the contrasting responses of stomata to climate change bring a considerable challenge in predicting future water and carbon cycles.

Cuticle and subsurface ornamentation of intact plant leaf epidermis under confocal and superresolution microscopy

Plant cuticle micromorphology is an invaluable tool in modern ecology and paleoecology. It has expanded our knowledge of systematic relationships among diverse plant groups and can be used to identify fossil plants. Furthermore, fossil plant leaf micromorphology is used for reconstructing past environments, most notably for estimating atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Here we outline a new protocol for imaging plant cuticle for archival and paleoecological applications. Traditionally, both modern reference and fossil samples undergo maceration with subsequent imaging via environmental SEM, widefield fluorescence, or light microscopy. In this paper, we demonstrate the capabilities of alternative preparation and imaging methods using confocal and superresolution microscopy with intact leaf samples. This method produces detailed three-dimensional images of surficial and subsurface structures of the intact leaf. Multiple layers are captured simultaneously, which previously required independent maceration and microtome steps. We compared clearing agents (chloral hydrate, KOH, and Visikol); mounting media (Eukitt and Hoyer's); fluorescent stains (periodic acid Schiff, propidium iodide); and confocal vs. superresolution microscopes. We conclude that Eukitt is the best medium for long-term preservation and imaging. Because of nontoxicity and ease of procurement, Visikol made for the best clearing agent. Staining improves contrast and under most circumstances PAS provided the clearest images. Supperresolution produced higher clarity images than traditional confocal, but the information gained was minimal. This new protocol provides the botanical and paleobotanical community an alternative to traditional techniques. Our proposed workflow has the net benefit of being more efficient than traditional methods, which only capture the surface of the plant epidermis. Microsc. Res. Tech. 81:129-140, 2018. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of High Dissolved Inorganic and Organic Carbon Availability on the Physiology of the Hard Coral Acropora millepora from the Great Barrier Reef

Coral reefs are facing major global and local threats due to climate change-induced increases in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and because of land-derived increases in organic and inorganic nutrients. Recent research revealed that high availability of labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) negatively affects scleractinian corals. Studies on the interplay of these factors, however, are lacking, but urgently needed to understand coral reef functioning under present and near future conditions. This experimental study investigated the individual and combined effects of ambient and high DIC (pCO2 403 μatm/ pHTotal 8.2 and 996 μatm/pHTotal 7.8) and DOC (added as Glucose 0 and 294 μmol L-1, background DOC concentration of 83 μmol L-1) availability on the physiology (net and gross photosynthesis, respiration, dark and light calcification, and growth) of the scleractinian coral Acropora millepora (Ehrenberg, 1834) from the Great Barrier Reef over a 16 day interval. High DIC availability did not affect photosynthesis, respiration and light calcification, but significantly reduced dark calcification and growth by 50 and 23%, respectively. High DOC availability reduced net and gross photosynthesis by 51% and 39%, respectively, but did not affect respiration. DOC addition did not influence calcification, but significantly increased growth by 42%. Combination of high DIC and high DOC availability did not affect photosynthesis, light calcification, respiration or growth, but significantly decreased dark calcification when compared to both controls and DIC treatments. On the ecosystem level, high DIC concentrations may lead to reduced accretion and growth of reefs dominated by Acropora that under elevated DOC concentrations will likely exhibit reduced primary production rates, ultimately leading to loss of hard substrate and reef erosion. It is therefore important to consider the potential impacts of elevated DOC and DIC simultaneously to assess real world scenarios, as multiple rather than single factors influence key physiological processes in coral reefs.

A new positive relationship between pCO2 and stomatal frequency in Quercus guyavifolia (Fagaceae): a potential proxy for palaeo-CO2 levels

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The inverse relationship between atmospheric CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) and stomatal frequency in many species of plants has been widely used to estimate palaeoatmospheric CO2 (palaeo-CO2) levels; however, the results obtained have been quite variable. This study attempts to find a potential new proxy for palaeo-CO2 levels by analysing stomatal frequency in Quercus guyavifolia (Q. guajavifolia, Fagaceae), an extant dominant species of sclerophyllous forests in the Himalayas with abundant fossil relatives.

METHODS

Stomatal frequency was analysed for extant samples of Q. guyavifolia collected from17 field sites at altitudes ranging between 2493 and 4497 m. Herbarium specimens collected between 1926 and 2011 were also examined. Correlations of pCO2-stomatal frequency were determined using samples from both sources, and these were then applied to Q. preguyavaefolia fossils in order to estimate palaeo-CO2 concentrations for two late-Pliocene floras in south-western China.

KEY RESULTS

In contrast to the negative correlations detected for most other species that have been studied, a positive correlation between pCO2 and stomatal frequency was determined in Q. guyavifolia sampled from both extant field collections and historical herbarium specimens. Palaeo-CO2 concentrations were estimated to be approx. 180-240 ppm in the late Pliocene, which is consistent with most other previous estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

A new positive relationship between pCO2 and stomatal frequency in Q. guyavifolia is presented, which can be applied to the fossils closely related to this species that are widely distributed in the late-Cenozoic strata in order to estimate palaeo-CO2 concentrations. The results show that it is valid to use a positive relationship to estimate palaeo-CO2 concentrations, and the study adds to the variety of stomatal density/index relationships that available for estimating pCO2. The physiological mechanisms underlying this positive response are unclear, however, and require further research.

Stomatal and pavement cell density linked to leaf internal CO2 concentration

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Stomatal density (SD) generally decreases with rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, Ca. However, SD is also affected by light, air humidity and drought, all under systemic signalling from older leaves. This makes our understanding of how Ca controls SD incomplete. This study tested the hypotheses that SD is affected by the internal CO2 concentration of the leaf, Ci, rather than Ca, and that cotyledons, as the first plant assimilation organs, lack the systemic signal.

METHODS

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), beech (Fagus sylvatica), arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and garden cress (Lepidium sativum) were grown under contrasting environmental conditions that affected Ci while Ca was kept constant. The SD, pavement cell density (PCD) and stomatal index (SI) responses to Ci in cotyledons and the first leaves of garden cress were compared. (13)C abundance (δ(13)C) in leaf dry matter was used to estimate the effective Ci during leaf development. The SD was estimated from leaf imprints.

KEY RESULTS

SD correlated negatively with Ci in leaves of all four species and under three different treatments (irradiance, abscisic acid and osmotic stress). PCD in arabidopsis and garden cress responded similarly, so that SI was largely unaffected. However, SD and PCD of cotyledons were insensitive to Ci, indicating an essential role for systemic signalling.

CONCLUSIONS

It is proposed that Ci or a Ci-linked factor plays an important role in modulating SD and PCD during epidermis development and leaf expansion. The absence of a Ci-SD relationship in the cotyledons of garden cress indicates the key role of lower-insertion CO2 assimilation organs in signal perception and its long-distance transport.

Theoretical mechanism studies on the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate by water-stable iridium dihydride pincer complex

The reaction mechanism for electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate by water-stable iridium dihydride pincer complex is studied using density functional theory (DFT). The reaction pathways are investigated in detail. The results suggest that the reaction proceeds in three steps: insertion of carbon dioxide into the Ir(III) pincer dihydride, elimination of formate ligand from the hydridoformatoiridium complex, and catalyst regeneration. The reduction potential of the electrode reaction is calculated and accords well with the experimental value. The solvent effect of MeCN and water on the reaction is explored. The results indicate that water has an important effect on CO2 transforming to HCOO(-). In addition, it also plays a critical role for regeneration of the catalyst via non-classical intermolecular hydrogen bonding.

Mechanisms for CO production from CO2 using reduced rhenium tricarbonyl catalysts

The chemical conversion of CO(2) has been studied by numerous experimental groups. Particularly the use of rhenium tricarbonyl-based molecular catalysts has attracted interest owing to their ability to absorb light, store redox equivalents, and convert CO(2) into higher-energy products. The mechanism by which these catalysts mediate reduction, particularly to CO and HCOO(-), is poorly understood, and studies aimed at elucidating the reaction pathway have likely been hindered by the large number of species present in solution. Herein the mechanism for carbon monoxide production using rhenium tricarbonyl catalysts has been investigated using density functional theory. The investigation presented proceeds from the experimental work of Meyer's group (J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun.1985, 1414-1416) in DMSO and Fujita's group (J. Am. Chem. Soc.2003, 125, 11976-11987) in dry DMF. The latter work with a simplified reaction mixture, one that removes the photo-induced reduction step with a sacrificial donor, is used for validation of the proposed mechanism, which involves formation of a rhenium carboxylate dimer, [Re(dmb)(CO)(3)](2)(OCO), where dmb = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine. CO(2) insertion into this species, and subsequent rearrangement, is proposed to yield CO and the carbonate-bridged [Re(dmb)(CO)(3)](2)(OCO(2)). Structures and energies for the proposed reaction path are presented and compared to previously published experimental observations.

A critical framework for the assessment of biological palaeoproxies: predicting past climate and levels of atmospheric CO(2) from fossil leaves

This review uses proxies of past temperature and atmospheric CO(2) composition based on fossil leaves to illustrate the uncertainties in biologically based proxies of past environments. Most leaf-based proxies are geographically local or genetically restricted and therefore can be confounded by evolution, extinction, changes in local environment or immigration of species. Stomatal frequency proxies illustrate how genetically restricted proxies can be particularly vulnerable to evolutionary change. High predictive power in the modern world resulting from the use of a very narrow calibration cannot be confidently extrapolated into the past (the Ginkgo paradox). Many foliar physiognomic proxies of climate are geographically local and use traits that are more or less fixed for individual species. Such proxies can therefore be confounded by floristic turnover and biome shifts in the region of calibration. Uncertainty in proxies tends to be greater for more ancient fossils. I present a set of questions that should be considered before using a proxy. Good proxies should be relatively protected from environmental and genetic change, particularly through having high information content and being founded on biomechanical or biochemical principles. Some current and potential developments are discussed, including those that involve more mechanistically sound proxies and better use of multivariate approaches.

Atmospheric PCO₂ perturbations associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

The effects of a large igneous province on the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (PCO₂) are mostly unknown. In this study, we estimate PCO₂ from stable isotopic values of pedogenic carbonates interbedded with volcanics of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) in the Newark Basin, eastern North America. We find pre-CAMP PCO₂ values of ~2000 parts per million (ppm), increasing to ~4400 ppm immediately after the first volcanic unit, followed by a steady decrease toward pre-eruptive levels over the subsequent 300 thousand years, a pattern that is repeated after the second and third flow units. We interpret each PCO₂ increase as a direct response to magmatic activity (primary outgassing or contact metamorphism). The systematic decreases in PCO₂ after each magmatic episode probably reflect consumption of atmospheric CO₂ by weathering of silicates, stimulated by fresh CAMP volcanics.

Ancient atmospheres and the evolution of oxygen sensing via the hypoxia-inducible factor in metazoans

Metazoan diversification occurred during a time when atmospheric oxygen levels fluctuated between 15 and 30%. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a primary regulator of the adaptive transcriptional response to hypoxia. Although the HIF pathway is highly conserved, its complexity increased during periods when atmospheric oxygen concentrations were increasing. Thus atmospheric oxygen levels may have provided a selection force on the development of cellular oxygen-sensing pathways.

The evolution of water transport in plants: an integrated approach

This review examines the evolution of the plant vascular system from its beginnings in the green algae to modern arborescent plants, highlighting the recent advances in developmental, organismal, geochemical and climatological research that have contributed to our understanding of the evolution of xylem. Hydraulic trade-offs in vascular structure-function are discussed in the context of canopy support and drought and freeze-thaw stress resistance. This qualitative and quantitative neontological approach to palaeobotany may be useful for interpreting the water-transport efficiencies and hydraulic limits in fossil plants. Large variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are recorded in leaf stomatal densities, and may have had profound impacts on the water conservation strategies of ancient plants. A hypothesis that links vascular function with stomatal density is presented and examined in the context of the evolution of wood and/or vessels. A discussion of the broader impacts of plant transport on hydrology and climate concludes this review.

Differences in the response sensitivity of stomatal index to atmospheric CO2 among four genera of Cupressaceae conifers

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The inverse relationship between stomatal density (SD: number of stomata per mm(2) leaf area) and atmospheric concentration of CO2 ([CO2]) permits the use of plants as proxies of palaeo-atmospheric CO2. Many stomatal reconstructions of palaeo-[CO2] are based upon multiple fossil species. However, it is unclear how plants respond to [CO2] across genus, family or ecotype in terms of SD or stomatal index (SI: ratio of stomata to epidermal cells). This study analysed the stomatal numbers of conifers from the ancient family Cupressaceae, in order to examine the nature of the SI-[CO2] relationship, and potential implications for stomatal reconstructions of palaeo-[CO2]. Methods Stomatal frequency measurements were taken from historical herbarium specimens of Athrotaxis cupressoides, Tetraclinis articulata and four Callitris species, and live A. cupressoides grown under CO2-enrichment (370, 470, 570 and 670 p.p.m. CO2).

KEY RESULTS

T. articulata, C. columnaris and C. rhomboidea displayed significant reductions in SI with rising [CO2]; by contrast, A. cupressoides, C. preissii and C. oblonga show no response in SI. However, A. cupressoides does reduce SI to increases in [CO2] above current ambient (approx. 380 p.p.m. CO2). This dataset suggests that a shared consistent SI-[CO2] relationship is not apparent across the genus Callitris. Conclusions The present findings suggest that it is not possible to generalize how conifer species respond to fluctuations in [CO2] based upon taxonomic relatedness or habitat. This apparent lack of a consistent response, in conjunction with high variability in SI, indicates that reconstructions of absolute palaeo-[CO2] based at the genus level, or upon multiple species for discrete intervals of time are not as reliable as those based on a single or multiple temporally overlapping species.

Equatorial convergence of India and early Cenozoic climate trends

India's northward flight and collision with Asia was a major driver of global tectonics in the Cenozoic and, we argue, of atmospheric CO(2) concentration (pCO(2)) and thus global climate. Subduction of Tethyan oceanic crust with a carpet of carbonate-rich pelagic sediments deposited during transit beneath the high-productivity equatorial belt resulted in a component flux of CO(2) delivery to the atmosphere capable to maintain high pCO(2) levels and warm climate conditions until the decarbonation factory shut down with the collision of Greater India with Asia at the Early Eocene climatic optimum at approximately 50 Ma. At about this time, the India continent and the highly weatherable Deccan Traps drifted into the equatorial humid belt where uptake of CO(2) by efficient silicate weathering further perturbed the delicate equilibrium between CO(2) input to and removal from the atmosphere toward progressively lower pCO(2) levels, thus marking the onset of a cooling trend over the Middle and Late Eocene that some suggest triggered the rapid expansion of Antarctic ice sheets at around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary.

The changing Amazon forest

Long-term monitoring of distributed, multiple plots is the key to quantify macroecological patterns and changes. Here we examine the evidence for concerted changes in the structure, dynamics and composition of old-growth Amazonian forests in the late twentieth century. In the 1980s and 1990s, mature forests gained biomass and underwent accelerated growth and dynamics, all consistent with a widespread, long-acting stimulation of growth. Because growth on average exceeded mortality, intact Amazonian forests have been a carbon sink. In the late twentieth century, biomass of trees of more than 10cm diameter increased by 0.62+/-0.23tCha-1yr-1 averaged across the basin. This implies a carbon sink in Neotropical old-growth forest of at least 0.49+/-0.18PgCyr-1. If other biomass and necromass components are also increased proportionally, then the old-growth forest sink here has been 0.79+/-0.29PgCyr-1, even before allowing for any gains in soil carbon stocks. This is approximately equal to the carbon emissions to the atmosphere by Amazon deforestation. There is also evidence for recent changes in Amazon biodiversity. In the future, the growth response of remaining old-growth mature Amazon forests will saturate, and these ecosystems may switch from sink to source driven by higher respiration (temperature), higher mortality (as outputs equilibrate to the growth inputs and periodic drought) or compositional change (disturbances). Any switch from carbon sink to source would have profound implications for global climate, biodiversity and human welfare, while the documented acceleration of tree growth and mortality may already be affecting the interactions among millions of species.

Drawing the future: Stomatal response to CO(2) levels

Gas exchange between the plant and the atmosphere is regulated by controlling both the stomatal density and the aperture of the stomatal pore. Environmental factors such as light, the level of atmospheric CO(2) and hormones regulate stomatal development and/or function. Because atmospheric CO(2) levels have been rising since the Industrial Revolution, and it is predicted that they will continue doing so in the future, an understanding of the CO(2) signalling mechanisms in the stomatal responses will help to know how plants were in the past and will allow predicting how they will respond to climate change in the near future. This article covers the recent knowledge of the CO(2) signalling mechanisms that regulate both stomatal function and development.

Stomatal observations in dicotyledons

Since 1998, research into more than 470 plant species from some 65 families, found growing in a unique protected area of Irano-Torany, has examined diverse aspects of their anatomical and structural features and has studied the ecological implications of these finding for each species. The present paper, as a part of this research, focuses on the stomatal characters of 326 species from 36 families of dicotyledons, the majority of which are herbaceous species. The stomatal density, guard cell lengths on the adaxial and abaxial leaf epidermis and the stomatal type in each family is described and the relationship between stomatal density and guard cell size is reviewed. The stomatal characteristics presented here are a valuable research resource, allowing; I) the identification of basic stomatal types in these plants, II) the facilitation of their taxonomic classification and III) constitution of a baseline data set against which to monitor and evaluate environmental changes at these sites of international conservation interest.

Land plants equilibrate O2 and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere

The role of land plants in establishing our present day atmosphere is analysed. Before the evolution of land plants, photosynthesis by marine and fresh water organisms was not intensive enough to deplete CO(2) from the atmosphere, the concentration of which was more than the order of magnitude higher than present. With the appearance of land plants, the exudation of organic acids by roots, following respiratory and photorespiratory metabolism, led to phosphate weathering from rocks thus increasing aquatic productivity. Weathering also replaced silicates by carbonates, thus decreasing the atmospheric CO(2) concentration. As a result of both intensive photosynthesis and weathering, CO(2 )was depleted from the atmosphere down to low values approaching the compensation point of land plants. During the same time period, the atmospheric O(2) concentration increased to maximum levels about 300 million years ago (Permo-Carboniferous boundary), establishing an O(2)/CO(2) ratio above 1000. At this point, land plant productivity and weathering strongly decreased, exerting negative feedback on aquatic productivity. Increased CO(2) concentrations were triggered by asteroid impacts and volcanic activity and in the Mesozoic era could be related to the gymnosperm flora with lower metabolic and weathering rates. A high O(2)/CO(2) ratio is metabolically linked to the formation of citrate and oxalate, the main factors causing weathering, and to the production of reactive oxygen species, which triggered mutations and stimulated the evolution of land plants. The development of angiosperms resulted in a decrease in CO(2) concentration during the Cenozoic era, which finally led to the glacial-interglacial oscillations in the Pleistocene epoch. Photorespiration, the rate of which is directly related to the O(2)/CO(2) ratio, due to the dual function of Rubisco, may be an important mechanism in maintaining the limits of O(2) and CO(2) concentrations by restricting land plant productivity and weathering.

Pattern and process in Amazon tree turnover, 1976-2001

Previous work has shown that tree turnover, tree biomass and large liana densities have increased in mature tropical forest plots in the late twentieth century. These results point to a concerted shift in forest ecological processes that may already be having significant impacts on terrestrial carbon stocks, fluxes and biodiversity. However, the findings have proved controversial, partly because a rather limited number of permanent plots have been monitored for rather short periods. The aim of this paper is to characterize regional-scale patterns of 'tree turnover' (the rate with which trees die and recruit into a population) by using improved datasets now available for Amazonia that span the past 25 years. Specifically, we assess whether concerted changes in turnover are occurring, and if so whether they are general throughout the Amazon or restricted to one region or environmental zone. In addition, we ask whether they are driven by changes in recruitment, mortality or both. We find that: (i) trees 10 cm or more in diameter recruit and die twice as fast on the richer soils of southern and western Amazonia than on the poorer soils of eastern and central Amazonia; (ii) turnover rates have increased throughout Amazonia over the past two decades; (iii) mortality and recruitment rates have both increased significantly in every region and environmental zone, with the exception of mortality in eastern Amazonia; (iv) recruitment rates have consistently exceeded mortality rates; (v) absolute increases in recruitment and mortality rates are greatest in western Amazonian sites; and (vi) mortality appears to be lagging recruitment at regional scales. These spatial patterns and temporal trends are not caused by obvious artefacts in the data or the analyses. The trends cannot be directly driven by a mortality driver (such as increased drought or fragmentation-related death) because the biomass in these forests has simultaneously increased. Our findings therefore indicate that long-acting and widespread environmental changes are stimulating the growth and productivity of Amazon forests.

Variation in Ginkgo biloba L. leaf characters across a climatic gradient in China

Fossil leaves assigned to the genus Ginkgo are increasingly being used to reconstruct Mesozoic and Tertiary environments based on their stomatal and carbon isotopic characteristics. We sought to provide a more secure basis for understanding variations seen in the plant fossil record by determining the natural variability of these properties of sun and shade leaf morphotypes of Ginkgo biloba trees under the present atmospheric CO2 concentration and a range of contemporary climates in three Chinese locations (Lanzhou, Beijing, and Nanjing). Climate had no major effects on leaf stomatal index (proportion of leaf surface cells that are stomata) but did result in more variable stomatal densities. The effects of climate and leaf morphotype on stomatal index were rather conserved (<1%) and much less than the response of trees to recent CO2 increases. Leaf carbon isotope discrimination (delta) was highest for trees in Nanjing, which experience a warm, moist climate, whereas trees in the most arid site (Lanzhou) had the lowest delta values. Interestingly, the variation in delta shown by leaf populations of trees from China and the United Kingdom was very similar to that of fossil Ginkgo cuticles dating to the Mesozoic and Tertiary, which suggests to us that the physiology of leaf carbon uptake and regulation of water loss in Ginkgo has remained highly conserved despite the potential for evolutionary change over millions of years.

Signals from the cuticle affect epidermal cell differentiation

Studies of Arabidopsis wax biosynthesis mutants indicate that the control of cell fate in the aerial epidermis is dependant upon the synthesis of the waxy cuticle that overlies the epidermal layer. Several cer mutants, originally isolated as wax deficient, not only affect cuticular wax composition but also exhibit large increases in stomatal numbers. Stomatal numbers are also affected in hic mutant plants, but despite HIC encoding a putative wax biosynthetic enzyme the hic phenotype of increased stomatal numbers is more subtle, and only seen at elevated CO₂ concentrations. This suggests that environmental effects on stomatal number may be mediated through cuticular wax composition. Other putative wax biosynthetic genes, FDH and LCR, have effects on the number of trichomes that develop in the epidermis, indicating that trichome development may also be affected by cuticle composition. Thus signals from the cuticle may influence how trichome and stomatal numbers in the epidermis are determined. Wax components could be the developmental signalling molecules, or could be the mediating medium for such signals, stimulated by environmental cues, which affect epidermal cell fate. Contents Summary 9 I. Introduction 10 II. Cuticle structure 10 III. Cuticular waxes 10 IV. Cell patterning in the epidermis 11 V. Stomatal development 12 VI. Stomatal development in dicotyledonous plants 12 VII. Mutants in stomatal development 14 VIII. Control of Stomatal Development 14 IX. Cuticle composition affects stomatal development 14 X. The HIC - HI gh Carbon dioxide gene 15 XI. Fatty acid elongases 17 XII. The cuticle: an alternative signalling medium? 17 XIII. Trichome development 18 XIV. Cuticle composition affects trichome development 19 XV. Cuticle composition affects pollen germination 20 XVI. Conclusions 20 Acknowledgements 21 References 21.

Chicxulub and climate: radiative perturbations of impact-produced S-bearing gases

We use one-dimensional (1D) atmospheric models coupled to a sulfate aerosol model to investigate climate forcing and short-term response to stratospheric sulfate aerosols produced by the reaction of S-bearing gases and water vapor released in the Chicxulub impact event. A 1D radiation model is used to assess the climate forcing due to the impact-related loading of S-bearing gases. The model suggests that a climate forcing 100 times larger than that from the Pinatubo volcanic eruption is associated with the Chicxulub impact event for at least 2 years after the impact. In particular, we find a saturation effect in the forcing, that is, there is no significant difference in the maximum forcing between the highest (approximately 300 Gt) and lowest (approximately 30 Gt) estimated stratospheric S-loading from the Chicxulub impact. However, higher S-loads increase the overall duration of the forcing by several months. We use a single column model for a preliminary investigation of the short-term climate response to the impact-related production of sulfate aerosols (the lack of horizontal feedbacks limits the usefulness of the single column model to the first few days after the impact). Compared with the present steady-state climate, the introduction of large amounts of sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere results in a significant cooling of the Earth's surface. A long-term climate response can only be investigated with the use of a three-dimensional atmospheric model, which allows for the atmospheric circulation to adjust to the perturbation. Overall, although the climate perturbation to the forcing appears to be relatively large, the geologic record shows no sign of a significant long-term climatic shift across the K/T boundary, which is indicative of a fast post-impact climatic recovery.

Low atmospheric CO(2) levels during the Permo- Carboniferous glaciation inferred from fossil lycopsids

Earth history was punctuated during the Permo-Carboniferous [300-250 million years (Myr) ago] by the longest and most severe glaciation of the entire Phanerozoic Eon. But significant uncertainty surrounds the concentration of CO(2) in the atmosphere through this time interval and therefore its role in the evolution of this major prePleistocene glaciation. Here, I derive 24 Late Paleozoic CO(2) estimates from the fossil cuticle record of arborsecent lycopsids of the equatorial Carboniferous and Permian swamp communities. Quantitative calibration of Late Carboniferous (330-300 Myr ago) and Permian (270-260 Myr ago) lycopsid stomatal indices yield average atmospheric CO(2) concentrations of 344 ppm and 313 ppm, respectively. The reconstructions show a high degree of self-consistency and a degree of precision an order of magnitude greater than other approaches. Low CO(2) levels during the Permo-Carboniferous glaciation are in agreement with glaciological evidence for the presence of continental ice and coupled models of climate and ice-sheet growth on Pangea. Moreover, the Permian data indicate atmospheric CO(2) levels were low 260 Myr ago, by which time continental deglaciation was already underway. Positive biotic feedbacks on climate, and geotectonic events, therefore are implicated as mechanisms underlying deglaciation.

Rapid atmospheric CO2 changes associated with the 8,200-years-B.P. cooling event

By applying the inverse relation between numbers of leaf stomata and atmospheric CO2 concentration, stomatal frequency analysis of fossil birch leaves from lake deposits in Denmark reveals a century-scale CO2 change during the prominent Holocene cooling event that occurred in the North Atlantic region between 8,400 and 8,100 years B.P. In contrast to conventional CO2 reconstructions based on ice cores from Antarctica, quantification of the stomatal frequency signal corroborates a distinctive temperature-CO2 correlation. Results indicate a global CO2 decline of approximately 25 ppm by volume over approximately 300 years. This reduction is in harmony with observed and modeled lowering of North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures associated with a short-term weakening of thermohaline circulation.

Increasing dominance of large lianas in Amazonian forests

Ecological orthodoxy suggests that old-growth forests should be close to dynamic equilibrium, but this view has been challenged by recent findings that neotropical forests are accumulating carbon and biomass, possibly in response to the increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. However, it is unclear whether the recent increase in tree biomass has been accompanied by a shift in community composition. Such changes could reduce or enhance the carbon storage potential of old-growth forests in the long term. Here we show that non-fragmented Amazon forests are experiencing a concerted increase in the density, basal area and mean size of woody climbing plants (lianas). Over the last two decades of the twentieth century the dominance of large lianas relative to trees has increased by 1.7-4.6% a year. Lianas enhance tree mortality and suppress tree growth, so their rapid increase implies that the tropical terrestrial carbon sink may shut down sooner than current models suggest. Predictions of future tropical carbon fluxes will need to account for the changing composition and dynamics of supposedly undisturbed forests.

Paleosols and paleoenvironments of the middle Miocene, Maboko Formation, Kenya

The middle Miocene (15 Ma) Maboko Formation of Maboko Island and Majiwa Bluffs, southwestern Kenya, has yielded abundant fossils of the earliest known cercopithecoid monkey (Victoriapithecus macinnesi), and of a kenyapithecine hominoid (Kenyapithecus africanus), as well as rare proconsuline (Simiolus leakeyorum, cf. Limnopithecus evansi) and oreopithecine apes (Mabokopithecus clarki, M. pickfordi), and galagids (Komba winamensis). Specific habitat preferences can be interpreted from large collections of primate fossils in different kinds of paleosols (pedotypes). Fossiliferous drab-colored paleosols with iron-manganese nodules (Yom pedotype) are like modern soils of seasonally waterlogged depressions (dambo). Their crumb structure and abundant fine root-traces, as well as scattered large calcareous rhizoconcretions indicate former vegetation of seasonally wet, wooded grassland. Other fossiliferous paleosols are evidence of nyika bushland (Ratong), and early-successional riparian woodland (Dhero). No fossils were found in Mogo paleosols interpreted as saline scrub soils. Very shallow calcic horizons (in Yom, Ratong, and Mogo paleosols) and Na-montmorillonite (in Mogo) are evidence of dry paleoclimate (300-500 mm MAP=mean annual precipitation). This is the driest paleoclimate and most open vegetation yet inferred as a habitat for any Kenyan Miocene apes or monkeys. Victoriapithecus was abundant in dambo wooded grassland (Yom) and riparian woodland (Dhero), a distribution like that of modern vervet monkeys. Kenyapithecus ranged through all these paleosols, but was the most common primate in nyika bushland paleosols (Ratong), comparable to baboons and macaques today. Mabokopithecus was virtually restricted to riparian woodland paleosols (Dhero), and Simiolus had a similar, but marginally wider, distribution. Habitat preferences of Mabokopithecus and Simiolus were like those of modern colobus monkeys and mangabeys. A single specimen of Komba was found in dambo wooded grassland paleosol (Yom), a habitat more like that of the living Senegal bushbaby than of rainforest galagids. A shift to non-forest habitats may explain the terrestrial adaptations of Victoriapithecus, basal to the cercopithecid radiation, and of Kenyapithecus, basal to the hominoid radiation. Both taxa are distinct from earlier Miocene arboreal proconsulines, oreopithecines and galagids.

Carbon dioxide and climate over the past 300 Myr

The link between atmospheric CO(2) levels and global warming is an axiom of current public policy, and is well supported by physicochemical experiments, by comparative planetary climatology and by geochemical modelling. Geological tests of this idea seek to compare proxies of past atmospheric CO(2) with other proxies of palaeotemperature. For at least the past 300 Myr, there is a remarkably high temporal correlation between peaks of atmospheric CO(2), revealed by study of stomatal indices of fossil leaves of Ginkgo, Lepidopteris, Tatarina and Rhachiphyllum, and palaeotemperature maxima, revealed by oxygen isotopic (delta(18)O) composition of marine biogenic carbonate. Large and growing databases on these proxy indicators support the idea that atmospheric CO(2) and temperature are coupled. In contrast, CO(2)-temperature uncoupling has been proposed from geological time-series of carbon isotopic composition of palaeosols and of marine phytoplankton compared with foraminifera, which fail to indicate high CO(2) at known times of high palaeotemperature. Failure of carbon isotopic palaeobarometers may be due to episodic release of CH(4), which has an unusually light isotopic value (down to -110 per thousand, and typically -60 per thousand delta(13)C) and which oxidizes rapidly (within 7-24 yr) to isotopically light CO(2). Past CO(2) highs (above 2000 ppmv) were not only times of catastrophic release of CH(4) from clathrates, but of asteroid and comet impacts, flood basalt eruptions and mass extinctions. The primary reason for iterative return to low CO(2) was carbon consumption by hydrolytic weathering and photosynthesis, perhaps stimulated by mountain uplift and changing patterns of oceanic thermohaline circulation. Sequestration of carbon was promoted in the long term by such evolutionary innovations as the lignin of forests and the sod of grasslands, which accelerated physicochemical weathering and delivery of nutrients to fuel oceanic productivity and carbon burial.

Reading a CO2 signal from fossil stomata

The inverse relationship between atmospheric CO₂ and the stomatal index (proportion of epidermal cells that are stomata) of vascular land plant leaves has led to the use of fossil plant cuticles for determining ancient levels of CO₂ . In contemporary plants the stomatal index repeatedly shows a lower sensitivity atmospheric CO₂ levels above 340 ppm in the short term. These observations demonstrate that the phenotypic response is nonlinear and may place constraints on estimating higher-than-present palaeo-CO₂ levels in this way. We review a range of evidence to investigate the nature of this nonlinearity. Our new data, from fossil Ginkgo cuticles, suggest that the genotypic response of fossil Ginkgo closely tracks the phenotypic response seen in CO₂ enrichment experiments. Reconstructed atmospheric CO₂ values from fossil Ginkgo cuticles compare well with the stomatal ratio method of obtaining a quantitative CO₂ signal from extinct fossil plants, and independent geochemical modelling studies of the long-term carbon cycle. Although there is self-consistency between palaeobiological and geochemical CO₂ estimates, it should be recognized that the nonlinear response is a limitation of the stomatal approach to estimating high palaeo-CO₂ levels.

A role for the cuticular waxes in the environmental control of stomatal development

The mechanism of guard cell development is currently attracting much interest. The recent use of Arabidopsis mutant plants has shed new light on the pathways that regulate the development and patterning of specialized cells such as guard cells, trichomes and roots hairs within the plant epidermis. Here, we review this literature focusing on the insights provided into guard cell development. We also discuss our current knowledge of how environmental variables may impact on guard cell development and, in particular, consider whether the composition of the epidermal waxes may be involved in this process.

Triassic-Jurassic atmospheric CO2 spike

I question the claim by Tanner et al. that atmospheric CO2 levels remained constant across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary on the grounds of problems with stratigraphic completeness and contamination with atmospheric methane. Because methanogenic CH4 has a light isotope composition and oxidizes readily to CO2, methane-clathrate dissociation and oxidation events cannot be detected by palaeobarometers that use the carbon-isotope composition of palaeosol carbonate.

Atmospheric CO2 from fossil plant cuticles

Plants respond to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by regulating the number of stomata in their leaves. In his reconstruction of a continuous, 300-million-year record of atmospheric CO2, Retallack bases his curve on stomatal counts of fossil plant cuticles taken from published micrographs. However, the preservation of cuticles from Permian times is generally too fragmentary for the stomatal index to be reliably determined, the micrographs used could have biased the results, and there are important errors in the supplementary data - all of which cast doubt on the Permian part of Retallack's record.

Warm tropical sea surface temperatures in the Late Cretaceous and Eocene epochs

Climate models with increased levels of carbon dioxide predict that global warming causes heating in the tropics, but investigations of ancient climates based on palaeodata have generally indicated cool tropical temperatures during supposed greenhouse episodes. For example, in the Late Cretaceous and Eocene epochs there is abundant geological evidence for warm, mostly ice-free poles, but tropical sea surface temperatures are generally estimated to be only 15-23 degrees C, based on oxygen isotope palaeothermometry of surface-dwelling planktonic foraminifer shells. Here we question the validity of most such data on the grounds of poor preservation and diagenetic alteration. We present new data from exceptionally well preserved foraminifer shells extracted from impermeable clay-rich sediments, which indicate that for the intervals studied, tropical sea surface temperatures were at least 28-32 degrees C. These warm temperatures are more in line with our understanding of the geographical distributions of temperature-sensitive fossil organisms and the results of climate models with increased CO2 levels.

Paleobotanical evidence for near present-day levels of atmospheric Co2 during part of the tertiary

Understanding the link between the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and Earth's temperature underpins much of paleoclimatology and our predictions of future global warming. Here, we use the inverse relationship between leaf stomatal indices and the partial pressure of CO(2) in modern Ginkgo biloba and Metasequoia glyptostroboides to develop a CO(2) reconstruction based on fossil Ginkgo and Metasequoia cuticles for the middle Paleocene to early Eocene and middle Miocene. Our reconstruction indicates that CO(2) remained between 300 and 450 parts per million by volume for these intervals with the exception of a single high estimate near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. These results suggest that factors in addition to CO(2) are required to explain these past intervals of global warmth.