| The Role of Water Relations in Driving Grassland Ecosystem Responses to Rising A |
by Jack Morgan
While
rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is known to be an important
contributor to radiative forcing of Earth’s climate, more direct effects of
this gas on photosynthesis and plant water relations have been underway for
more than a century, and likely have already contributed to important ecosystem
changes. Experiments conducted in native and semi-natural grasslands in which ambient
CO2 concentrations have been artificially increased have shown that
increasing CO2 often increases photosynthesis, results in higher
soil and plant water content, and can enhance plant water use efficiency, the
ratio of plant biomass produced per unit water transpired back to the
atmosphere. While these responses may appear beneficial, there are long-term
responses of ecosystems to CO2 such as alterations in the cycling
and availability of critical plant nutrients like nitrogen (N) which are likely
to change over time and may significantly alter CO2-enhanced
production and forage quality. Herein we discuss these phenomena and speculate
on the implications and the importance for world grasslands.
Link to Abstract
Link to Slides
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