Paul C. D. Newton

Water relations in grassland and desert ecosystems exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2

Atmospheric CO2 enrichment may stimulate plant growth directly through (1) enhanced photosynthesis or indirectly, through (2) reduced plant water consumption and hence slower soil moisture depletion, or the combination of both. Herein we describe gas exchange, plant biomass and species responses of five native or semi-native temperate and Mediterranean grasslands and three semi-arid systems to CO2 enrichment, with an emphasis on water relations. Increasing CO2 led to decreased leaf conductance for water vapor, improved plant water status, altered seasonal evapotranspiration dynamics, and in most cases, periodic increases in soil water content. The extent, timing and duration of these responses varied among ecosystems, species and years. Across the grasslands of the Kansas tallgrass prairie, Colorado shortgrass steppe and Swiss calcareous grassland, increases in aboveground biomass from CO2 enrichment were relatively greater in dry years. In contrast, CO2-induced aboveground biomass increases in the Texas C3/C4 grassland and the New Zealand pasture seemed little or only marginally influenced by yearly variation in soil water, while plant growth in the Mojave Desert was stimulated by CO2 in a relatively wet year. Mediterranean grasslands sometimes failed to respond to CO2-related increased late-season water, whereas semiarid Negev grassland assemblages profited. Vegetative and reproductive responses to CO2 were highly varied among species and ecosystems, and did not generally follow any predictable pattern in regard to functional groups. Results suggest that the indirect effects of CO2 on plant and soil water relations may contribute substantially to experimentally induced CO2-effects, and also reflect local humidity conditions. For landscape scale predictions, this analysis calls for a clear distinction between biomass responses due to direct CO2 effects on photosynthesis and those indirect CO2 effects via soil moisture as documented here.

Food security and climate change: on the potential to adapt global crop production by active selection to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide

Agricultural production is under increasing pressure by global anthropogenic changes, including rising population, diversion of cereals to biofuels, increased protein demands and climatic extremes. Because of the immediate and dynamic nature of these changes, adaptation measures are urgently needed to ensure both the stability and continued increase of the global food supply. Although potential adaption options often consider regional or sectoral variations of existing risk management (e.g. earlier planting dates, choice of crop), there may be a global-centric strategy for increasing productivity. In spite of the recognition that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is an essential plant resource that has increased globally by approximately 25 per cent since 1959, efforts to increase the biological conversion of atmospheric CO2 to stimulate seed yield through crop selection is not generally recognized as an effective adaptation measure. In this review, we challenge that viewpoint through an assessment of existing studies on CO2 and intraspecific variability to illustrate the potential biological basis for differential plant response among crop lines and demonstrate that while technical hurdles remain, active selection and breeding for CO2 responsiveness among cereal varieties may provide one of the simplest and direct strategies for increasing global yields and maintaining food security with anthropogenic change.

Elevated CO2 and temperature effects on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling in ryegrass/white clover turves of an Endoaquept soil

Effects of elevated CO2 (700 μL L−1) and a control (350 μL L−1 CO2) on the productivity of a 3-year-old ryegrass/white clover pasture, and on soil biochemical properties, were investigated with turves of a Typic Endoaquept soil in growth chambers. Temperature treatments corresponding to average winter, spring, and summer conditions in the field were applied consecutively to all of the turves. An additional treatment, at 700 μL L−1 CO2 and a temperature 6°C higher throughout than in the other treatments, was included.Under the same temperature conditions, overall herbage yields in the ‘700 μL L−1 CO2’ treatment were ca. 7% greater than in the control at the end of the ‘summer’ period. Root mass (to ca 25 cm depth) in the ‘700 μL L−1 CO2’ treatment was then about 50% greater than in the control, but in the ‘700 μL L−1 CO2+6°C’ treatment it was 6% lower than in the control. Based on decomposition results, herbage from the ‘700 μL L−1+6°C’ treatment probably contained the highest proportion of readily decomposable components.Elevated CO2 had no consistent effect on soil total C and N, microbial C and N, or extractable C concentrations in any of the treatments. Under the same temperature conditions, it did, however, enhance soil respiration (CO2-C production) and invertase activity. The effects of elevated CO2 on rates of net N mineralization were less distinct, and the apparent availability of N for the sward was not affected. Under elevated CO2, soil in the higher-temperature treatment had a higher microbial C:N ratio; it also had a greater potential to degrade plant materials.Data interpretation was complicated by soil spatial variability and the moderately high background levels of organic matter and biochemical properties that are typical of New Zealand pasture soils. More rapid cycling of C under CO2 enrichment is, nevertheless, indicated. Futher long-term experiments are required to determine the overall effect of elevated CO2 on the soil C balance.

Seasonal not annual rainfall determines grassland biomass response to carbon dioxide

The rising atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) should stimulate ecosystem productivity, but to what extent is highly uncertain, particularly when combined with changing temperature and precipitation. Ecosystem response to CO2 is complicated by biogeochemical feedbacks but must be understood if carbon storage and associated dampening of climate warming are to be predicted. Feedbacks through the hydrological cycle are particularly important and the physiology is well known; elevated CO2 reduces stomatal conductance and increases plant water use efficiency (the amount of water required to produce a unit of plant dry matter). The CO2 response should consequently be strongest when water is limiting; although this has been shown in some experiments, it is absent from many. Here we show that large annual variation in the stimulation of above-ground biomass by elevated CO2 in a mixed C3/C4 temperate grassland can be predicted accurately using seasonal rainfall totals; summer rainfall had a positive effect but autumn and spring rainfall had negative effects on the CO2 response. Thus, the elevated CO2 effect mainly depended upon the balance between summer and autumn/spring rainfall. This is partly because high rainfall during cool, moist seasons leads to nitrogen limitation, reducing or even preventing biomass stimulation by elevated CO2. Importantly, the prediction held whether plots were warmed by 2 °C or left unwarmed, and was similar for C3 plants and total biomass, allowing us to make a powerful generalization about ecosystem responses to elevated CO2. This new insight is particularly valuable because climate projections predict large changes in the timing of rainfall, even where annual totals remain static. Our findings will help resolve apparent differences in the outcomes of CO2 experiments and improve the formulation and interpretation of models that are insensitive to differences in the seasonal effects of rainfall on the CO2 response.

The TasFACE climate-change impacts experiment: design and performance of combined elevated CO2 and temperature enhancement in a native Tasmanian grassland

The potential impacts of climate change on both natural and managed ecosystems are far-reaching and are only beginning to be understood. Here we describe a new experiment that aims to determine the impacts of elevated concentration of CO2 ((CO2)) and elevated temperature on a native Themeda-Austrodanthonia-dominated grassland ecosystem in south-eastern Tasmania. The experimental site contains 60 vascular plant species. The experiment combines the latest developments in free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) technology with the use of infrared (IR) heaters to mimic environmental conditions expected to exist in the year 2050. The CO2 concentration in the FACE treatments is reliably maintained at 550 µmol mol −1 and leaf temperature is elevated by an average of 2.1 ◦ C by the IR treatment, with 1-cm soil temperature being elevated by 0.8 ◦ C. Measurements being made in the experiment cover plant ecophysiological responses, plant population dynamics and community interactions. Soil processes and ecosystem effects, including nutrient cycling and plant animal interactions, are also being investigated. Collaborations are invited from interested parties.

Response of the fauna of a grassland soil to doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration

Abstract The effects of elevated CO2 on rhizosphere processes, including the response of soil faunal populations and community structure, have so far received little attention. We report on significant responses in the soil fauna of ryegrass/white clover swards to both increasing CO2 from 350 to 750 μl · l–1 and, to a period of 60 days when some of the turves were subject to drought, in a controlled climate growth room experiment. The nematodes which increased were predominantly Enoplia, including dorylaimids, alaimids and trichodorids. This accords with both the doubling of Alaimus under elevated CO2 conditions reported in a similar experiment and with the common association of Enoplia with less disturbed habitats. The most marked decrease was in the bacterial-feeding Rhabditis (Secernentea). The increase in omnivorous and predacious nematodes may have been responsible for the decrease in populations of bacterial-feeding nematodes. However, in contrast to their standing crops, the turnover rate of bacterial-feeding nematodes and soil microbial biomass probably increased as a result of increased grazing by these omnivorous and predacious nematodes. Increases in earthworm and enchytraeid populations were related to increased below-ground productivity reported for the same trial.

Flowering phenology in a species‐rich temperate grassland is sensitive to warming but not elevated CO2

* Flowering is a critical stage in plant life cycles, and changes might alter processes at the species, community and ecosystem levels. Therefore, likely flowering-time responses to global change drivers are needed for predictions of global change impacts on natural and managed ecosystems. * Here, the impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) (550 micromol mol(-1)) and warming (+2 masculineC) is reported on flowering times in a native, species-rich, temperate grassland in Tasmania, Australia in both 2004 and 2005. * Elevated [CO2] did not affect average time of first flowering in either year, only affecting three out of 23 species. Warming reduced time to first flowering by an average of 19.1 d in 2004, acting on most species, but did not significantly alter flowering time in 2005, which might be related to the timing of rainfall. Elevated [CO2] and warming treatments did not interact on flowering time. * These results show elevated [CO2] did not alter average flowering time or duration in this grassland; neither did it alter the response to warming. Therefore, flowering phenology appears insensitive to increasing [CO2] in this ecosystem, although the response to warming varies between years but can be strong.

Photosynthetic responses of temperate species to free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) in a grazed New Zealand pasture

A New Zealand temperate pasture is currently exposed to either ambient air or air enriched to 475 µbar CO2 using free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) technology. Sheep graze the site regularly, which results in heterogeneity in nutrient return. To investigate leaf photosynthetic responses, leaf gas exchange characteristics and nitrogen (N) content were measured in two consecutive years in spring under standard conditions on Lolium perenne L. and Trifolium subterraneum L. and on Trifolium repens L. and Paspalum dilatatum Poir. in the second year only. Leaves of the three C3 species growing under FACE conditions had lower (up to 37% in 1998 and 22% in 1999) photosynthetic rates than leaves growing under ambient conditions, when measured at the same standard conditions of high light and 360-380 µbar CO2. Differences in photosynthetic rates were correlated with leaf N content and stomatal conductance when measured under these conditions. There was no difference in photosynthetic capacities between ambient or FACE grown P. dilatatum, a C4 grass. Photosynthetic N use efficiency (A/N) differed among species. For the C3 species A/N was on average 25% greater under FACE conditions and L. perenne had the highest (240 µmol CO2 mol N -1 s -1 ) and T. repens the lowest A/N (142 µmol CO2 mol N -1 s -1 ) under ambient CO2 partial pressure (p(CO2)). A/N of L. perenne was similar to that of P. dilatatum measured under ambient p(CO2) but 21% greater under FACE conditions. In the second year, leaf stable carbon isotope compositions (δ 13 C) were determined for P. dilatatum, L. perenne and T. repens to assess long-term responses of leaf transpiration efficiency. Using the difference in δ 13 C between ambient and FACE-grown P. dilatatum as a reference to difference in δ 13 C in ambient and FACE air, we concluded that the ratio of leaf intercellular to ambient p(CO2) (Ci/Ca) was similar between FACE and ambient grown L. perenne and T. repens.

Constraints to nitrogen acquisition of terrestrial plants under elevated CO2.

A key part of the uncertainty in terrestrial feedbacks on climate change is related to how and to what extent nitrogen (N) availability constrains the stimulation of terrestrial productivity by elevated CO2 (eCO2 ), and whether or not this constraint will become stronger over time. We explored the ecosystem-scale relationship between responses of plant productivity and N acquisition to eCO2 in free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments in grassland, cropland and forest ecosystems and found that: (i) in all three ecosystem types, this relationship was positive, linear and strong (r(2) = 0.68), but exhibited a negative intercept such that plant N acquisition was decreased by 10% when eCO2 caused neutral or modest changes in productivity. As the ecosystems were markedly N limited, plants with minimal productivity responses to eCO2 likely acquired less N than ambient CO2 -grown counterparts because access was decreased, and not because demand was lower. (ii) Plant N concentration was lower under eCO2 , and this decrease was independent of the presence or magnitude of eCO2 -induced productivity enhancement, refuting the long-held hypothesis that this effect results from growth dilution. (iii) Effects of eCO2 on productivity and N acquisition did not diminish over time, while the typical eCO2 -induced decrease in plant N concentration did. Our results suggest that, at the decennial timescale covered by FACE studies, N limitation of eCO2 -induced terrestrial productivity enhancement is associated with negative effects of eCO2 on plant N acquisition rather than with growth dilution of plant N or processes leading to progressive N limitation.

Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate

Introduction, P.C.D. Newton, R.A. Carran, G.R. Edwards, and P.A. Niklaus Resource Supply and Demand Climate Change Effects on Biogeochemical Cycles, Nutrients, and Water Supply, P.A. Niklaus Nutrient and Water Demands of Plants under Global Climate Change, O. Ghannoum, M.J. Searson, and J.P. Conroy Climate Change and Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Agroecosystems, R.B. Thomas, S.J. Van Bloem, and W.H. Schlesinger Belowground Food Webs in a Changing Climate, J.C. Blankinship and B.A. Hungate Herbivory and Nutrient Cycling, R.A. Carran and V. Allard Sustainability of Crop Production Systems under Climate Change, J. Fuhrer Special Example 1: Impacts of Climate Change on Marginal Tropical Animal Production Systems, C. Stokes and A. Ash Pests, Weeds, and Diseases Plant Performance and Implications for Plant Population Dynamics and Species Composition in a Changing Climate, G.R. Edwards and P.C.D. Newton Climate Change Effects on Fungi in Agroecosystems, M.C. Rillig Trophic Interactions and Climate Change, J.A. Newman Future Weed, Pest, and Disease Problems for Plants, L.H. Ziska and G.B. Runion Special Example 2: Climate Change and Biological Control, S.L. Goldson Special Example 3: Efficacy of Herbicides under Elevated Temperature and CO2, D.J. Archambault Capacity to Adapt Distinguishing between Acclimation and Adaptation, M.J. Hovenden Plant Breeding for a Changing Environment, P.C.D. Newton and G.R. Edwards Special Example 4: Evolution of Pathogens Under Elevated CO2, S. Chakraborty Special Example 5: Adapting U.K. Agriculture to Climate Change, J.E. Hossell Index