Kevin L. Griffin

Effects of low and elevated CO2 on C3 and C4 annuals

In order study C3 and C4 plant growth in atmospheric CO2 levels ranging from past through predicted future levels, Abutilon theophrasti (C3) and Amaranthus retroflexus (C4) were grown from seed in growth chambers controlled at CO2 partial pressures of 15 Pa (below Pleistocene minimum), 27 Pa (pre-industrial), 35 Pa (current) and 70 Pa (predicted future). After 35 days of growth, CO2 had no effect on the relative growth rate, total biomass or partitioning of biomass in the C4 species. However, the C3 species had greater biomass accumulation with increasing CO2 partial pressure. C3 plants grown in 15 Pa CO2 for 35 days had only 8% of the total biomass of plants grown in 35 Pa CO2, C3 plants had lower relative growth rates and lower specific leaf mass than plants grown in higher CO2 partial pressures, and aborted reproduction. C3 plants grown in 70 Pa CO2 had greater root mass and root-to-shoot ratios than plants grown in lower CO2 partial pressures. These findings, support other studies that show C3 plant growth is more responsive to CO2 partial pressure than C4 plant growth. Differences in growth responses to CO2 levels of the Pleistocene through the future suggest that competitive interactions of C3 and C4 annuals have changed through geologic time. This study also provided evidence that C3 annuals may be operating near a minimum CO2 partial pressure for growth and reproduction at 15 Pa CO2.

Effects of nitrogen supply and elevated carbon dioxide on construction cost in leaves of Pinus taeda (L.) seedlings

Seedlings of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were grown under varying conditions of soil nitrogen and atmospheric carbon dioxide availability to investigate the interactive effects of these resources on the energetic requirements for leaf growth. Increasing the ambient CO2 partial pressure from 35 to 65 Pa increased seedling growth only when soil nitrogen was high. Biomass increased by 55% and photosynthesis increased by 13% after 100 days of CO2 enrichment. Leaves from seedlings grown in high soil nitrogen were 7.0% more expensive on a g glucose g−1 dry mass basis to produce than those grown in low nitrogen, while elevated CO2 decreased leaf cost by 3.5%. Nitrogen and CO2 availability had an interactive effect on leaf construction cost expressed on an area basis, reflecting source-sink interactions. When both resources were abundant, leaf construction cost on an area basis was relatively high (81.8±3.0 g glucose m−2) compared to leaves from high nitrogen, low CO2 seedlings (56.3±3.0 g glucose m−2) and low nitrogen, low CO2 seedlings (67.1±2.7 g glucose m−2). Leaf construction cost appears to respond to alterations in the utilization of photoassimilates mediated by resource availability.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Enrichment on Leaf Respiration of Glycine max (L.) Merr

Long-term and short-term effects of CO2 enrichment on dark respiration were investigated using soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) plants grown at either 35.5 or 71.0 Pa CO2. Indirect effects, or effects of growth in elevated CO2, were examined using a functional model that partitioned respiration into growth and maintenance components. Direct effects, or immediate effects of a short-term change in CO2, were examined by measuring dark respiration, first, at the CO2 partial pressure at which plants were grown, and second, after equilibration in the reciprocal CO2 partial pressure. The functional component model indicated that the maintenance coefficient of respiration increased 34% with elevated CO2, whereas the growth coefficient was not significantly affected. Changes in maintenance respiration were correlated with a 33% increase in leaf total nonstructural carbohydrate concentration, but leaf nitrogen content of soybean leaves was not affected by CO2 enrichment. Thus, increased maintenance respiration may be a consequence of increased nonstructural carbohydrate accumulation. When whole soybean plants were switched from low CO2 to high CO2 for a brief period, leaf respiration was always reduced. However, this direct effect of CO2 partial pressure was approximately 50% less in plants grown in elevated CO2. We conclude from this study that there are potentially important effects of CO2 enrichment on plant respiration but that the effects are different for plants given a short-term increase in CO2 partial pressure versus plants grown in elevated CO2.

Interactive effects of soil nitrogen and atmospheric carbon dioxide on root/rhizosphere carbon dioxide efflux from loblolly and ponderosa pine seedlings

We measured CO2 efflux from intact root/rhizosphere systems of 155 day old loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) pine seedlings in order to study the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on the below-ground carbon balance of coniferous tree seedlings. Seedlings were grown in sterilized sand culture, watered daily with either 1, 3.5 or 7 mt M NH4+, and maintained in an atmosphere of either 35 or 70 Pa CO2. Carbon dioxide efflux (μmol CO2 plant−1 s−1) from the root/rhizosphere system of both species significantly increased when seedlings were grown in elevated CO2, primarily due to large increases in root mass. Specific CO2 efflux (μmol CO2 g root−1 s−1) responded to CO2 only under conditions of adequate soil nitrogen availability (3.5 mt M). Under these conditions, CO2 efflux rates from loblolly pine increased 70% from 0.0089 to 0.0151 μmol g−1 s−1 with elevated CO2 while ponderosa pine responded with a 59% decrease, from 0.0187 to 0.0077 μmol g−1 s−1. Although below ground CO2 efflux from seedlings grown in either sub-optimal (1 mt M) or supra-optimal (7 mt M) nitrogen availability did not respond to CO2, there was a significant nitrogen treatment effect. Seedlings grown in supra-optimal soil nitrogen had significantly increased specific CO2 efflux rates, and significantly lower total biomass compared to either of the other two nitrogen treatments. These results indicate that carbon losses from the root/rhizosphere systems are responsive to environmental resource availability, that the magnitude and direction of these responses are species dependent, and may lead to significantly different effects on whole plant carbon balance of these two forest tree species.