Does a decade of elevated [CO2] affect a desert perennial plant community?
New Phytol
; 201(2): 498-504, 2014 Jan.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24117700
ABSTRACT
Understanding the effects of elevated [CO2 ] on plant community structure is crucial to predicting ecosystem responses to global change. Early predictions suggested that productivity in deserts would increase via enhanced water-use efficiency under elevated [CO2], but the response of intact arid plant communities to elevated [CO2 ] is largely unknown. We measured changes in perennial plant community characteristics (cover, species richness and diversity) after 10 yr of elevated [CO2] exposure in an intact Mojave Desert community at the Nevada Desert Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) Facility. Contrary to expectations, total cover, species richness, and diversity were not affected by elevated [CO2]. Over the course of the experiment, elevated [CO2] had no effect on changes in cover of the evergreen C3 shrub, Larrea tridentata; alleviated decreases in cover of the C4 bunchgrass, Pleuraphis rigida; and slightly reduced the cover of C3 drought-deciduous shrubs. Thus, we generally found no effect of elevated [CO2] on plant communities in this arid ecosystem. Extended drought, slow plant growth rates, and highly episodic germination and recruitment of new individuals explain the lack of strong perennial plant community shifts after a decade of elevated [CO2].
Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Changement climatique
/
Dioxyde de carbone
/
Phénomènes physiologiques des plantes
/
Biodiversité
Type d'étude:
Prognostic_studies
Pays/Région comme sujet:
America do norte
Langue:
En
Journal:
New Phytol
Sujet du journal:
BOTANICA
Année:
2014
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
États-Unis d'Amérique