Predicting the response of a temperate forest ecosystem to atmospheric CO sub 2 increase

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5113935· OSTI ID:5113935

Bazzaz, F A

All research goals for the current year have been met. We have prepared eight manuscripts reporting these discoveries. Individual projects have determined: Soil volume is not critical to the decline of photosynthetic rates under elevated CO{sub 2}. However, the shape, as well as the size, exerts a strong influence on growth in response to elevated CO{sub 2}, but this response is variable dependent on the species. Elevated CO{sub 2} may increase the growth of shade-tolerant trees to a greater extent than shade-intolerant trees. All birch trees examined responded in a similar positive way to a doubling of CO{sub 2}, but only yellow birch showed an increase in survival. Seedling regeneration in a New England deciduous forest may be altered by future CO{sub 2} levels. Plants grown in a high CO{sub 2} atmosphere altered their physiological functions, growth rates, biomass, and allometric growth patterns, probably influencing individual survival and plant/plant interactions within a community. The changes in photosynthetic rate (Ps) in response to elevated CO{sub 2} may involve alteration of multiple physiological characteristics. Growth enhancement in elevated CO{sub 2} is contingent on soil moisture conditions. Model simulations show increases in plant survival under elevated CO{sub 2} can have unexpected results on population dynamics. Finally, CO{sub 2} levels do not affect the heat shock response. Future experiments are described. 21 refs., 1 tab. (MHB)

• Research Organization: Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-84ER60257
• OSTI ID: 5113935
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60257-T1; ON: DE92001943
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
FORESTS
PLANT GROWTH
PRODUCTIVITY
SPECIES DIVERSITY
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
AIR-BIOSPHERE INTERACTIONS
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
BIOMASS
BIRCHES
CARBON DIOXIDE
CLIMATES
DEHYDRATION
GREENHOUSE GASES
MAPLES
POPULATION DYNAMICS
PROGRESS REPORT
SOILS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
VARIATIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLIMATIC CHANGE
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
GROWTH
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
TREES
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
553000 - Agriculture & Food Technology
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology