The effects of 11 years of CO2 enrichment on roots in a Florida scrub-oak ecosystem

Day, Frank P.; Schroeder, Rachel E.; Stover, Daniel B; Brown, Alisha L. P.; Butnor, John R.; Dilutro, John J.; Hungate, Bruce A.; Dijkstra, Paul; Duval, Benjamin D.; Seiler, Troy J.; Drake, Bert G.; Hinkle, Charles R.

doi:10.1111/nph.12246

The effects of 11 years of CO2 enrichment on roots in a Florida scrub-oak ecosystem

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · New Phytologist

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12246· OSTI ID:1163320

Day, Frank P. ^[1]; Schroeder, Rachel E.; Stover, Daniel B; Brown, Alisha L. P.; Butnor, John R.; Dilutro, John J.; ; Dijkstra, Paul; Duval, Benjamin D.; Seiler, Troy J.; Drake, Bert G.; Hinkle, Charles R.

ClimateWise Solutions, LLC

Uncertainty surrounds belowground plant responses to rising atmospheric CO2 because roots are difficult to measure, requiring frequent monitoring as a result of fine root dynamics and long-term monitoring as a result of sensitivity to resource availability. We report belowground plant responses of a scrub-oak ecosystem in Florida exposed to 11 yr of elevated atmospheric CO2 using open-top chambers. We measured fine root production, turnover and biomass using minirhizotrons, coarse root biomass using ground penetrating radar and total root biomass using soil cores. Total root biomass was greater in elevated than in ambient plots, and the absolute difference was larger than the difference aboveground. Fine root biomass fluctuated by more than a factor of two, with no unidirectional temporal trend, whereas leaf biomass accumulated monotonically. Strong increases in fine root biomass with elevated CO2 occurred after fire and hurricane disturbance. Leaf biomass also exhibited stronger responses following hurricanes. Responses after fire and hurricanes suggest that disturbance promotes the growth responses of plants to elevated CO2. Increased resource availability associated with disturbance (nutrients, water, space) may facilitate greater responses of roots to elevated CO2. The disappearance of responses in fine roots suggests limits on the capacity of root systems to respond to CO2 enrichment.

Research Organization:: Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Contributing Organization:: ClimateWise Solutions, LLC

DOE Contract Number:: SC0008260

OSTI ID:: 1163320

Journal Information:: New Phytologist, Journal Name: New Phytologist Vol. 200

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (72)

Long- and short-term effects of fire on nitrogen cycling in tallgrass prairie Ojima, Dennis S.; Schimel, D. S.; Parton, W. J. Biogeochemistry, Vol. 24, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02390180	journal	June 1994
Elevated atmospheric CO2 stimulates aboveground biomass in a fire-regenerated scrub-oak ecosystem Dijkstra, Paul; Hymus, Graham; Colavito, Debra Global Change Biology, Vol. 8, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1354-1013.2001.00458.x	journal	January 2002
Applications of minirhizotrons to understand root function in forests and other natural ecosystems Hendrick, Ronald L.; Pregitzer, Kurt S. Plant and Soil, Vol. 185, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257535	journal	September 1996
A meta-analysis of mycorrhizal responses to nitrogen, phosphorus, and atmospheric CO2 in field studies Treseder, Kathleen K. New Phytologist, Vol. 164, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2004.01159.x	journal	July 2004
No stimulation in root production in response to 4 years of in situ CO ₂ enrichment at the Swiss treeline Handa, I. Tanya; Hagedorn, Frank; Hättenschwiler, Stephan Functional Ecology, Vol. 22, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01372.x	journal	April 2008
Transitory effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on fine root dynamics in an arid ecosystem do not increase long-term soil carbon input from fine root litter Ferguson, Scot D.; Nowak, Robert S. New Phytologist, Vol. 190, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03654.x	journal	March 2011
Irreconcilable Differences: Fine-Root Life Spans and Soil Carbon Persistence Strand, A. E.; Pritchard, S. G.; McCormack, M. L. Science, Vol. 319, Issue 5862 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151382	journal	January 2008
PROGRESSIVE N LIMITATION IN FORESTS: REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR LONG-TERM RESPONSES TO ELEVATED CO ₂ Johnson, Dale W. Ecology, Vol. 87, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1890/04-1781	journal	January 2006
Effects of Elevated Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide on Biomass and Carbon Accumulation in a Model Regenerating Longleaf Pine Community Runion, G. B.; Davis, M. A.; Pritchard, S. G. Journal of Environmental Quality, Vol. 35, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2005.0164	journal	July 2006
Soil fertility limits carbon sequestration by forest ecosystems in a CO2-enriched atmosphere Oren, Ram; Ellsworth, David S.; Johnsen, Kurt H. Nature, Vol. 411, Issue 6836 https://doi.org/10.1038/35078064	journal	May 2001
Quantifying the coarse-root biomass of intensively managed loblolly pine plantations Miller, Ashley T.; Allen, H. Lee; Maier, Chris A. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 36, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1139/x05-229	journal	January 2006
Elevated CO2 and plant structure: a review Pritchard, SetH. G.; Rogers, HugO. H.; Prior, Stephen A. Global Change Biology, Vol. 5, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.1999.00268.x	journal	October 1999
Kinetics of nutrient uptake by roots: responses to global change: REVIEW Nutrient uptake kinetics and global change Bassirirad, Hormoz New Phytologist, Vol. 147, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2000.00682.x	journal	July 2000
A global analysis of root distributions for terrestrial biomes Jackson, R. B.; Canadell, J.; Ehleringer, J. R. Oecologia, Vol. 108, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00333714	journal	November 1996
EFFECT OF ELEVATED CO ₂ ON COARSE-ROOT BIOMASS IN FLORIDA SCRUB DETECTED BY GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR Stover, Daniel B.; Day, Frank P.; Butnor, John R. Ecology, Vol. 88, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1890/06-0989	journal	May 2007
The Response of Natural Ecosystems to the Rising Global CO2 Levels Bazzaz, F. A. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 21, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.21.110190.001123	journal	November 1990
Impacts of Hurricane Frances on Florida scrub-oak ecosystem processes: defoliation, net CO ₂ exchange and interactions with elevated CO ₂ Li, Jiahong; Powell, Thomas L.; Seiler, Troy J. Global Change Biology, Vol. 13, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01358.x	journal	June 2007
Biomass partitioning and root morphology of savanna trees across a water gradient Tomlinson, Kyle W.; Sterck, Frank J.; Bongers, Frans Journal of Ecology, Vol. 100, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2012.01975.x	journal	April 2012
Whole-tree biomass and carbon allocation of juvenile trees of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda): influence of genetics and fertilization Retzlaff, W. A.; Handest, J. A.; O'Malley, D. M. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 31, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-31-6-960	journal	January 2001
Abundance, production and mortality of fine roots under elevated atmospheric CO2 in an oak-scrub ecosystem Dilustro, John J.; Day, Frank P.; Drake, Bert G. Environmental and Experimental Botany, Vol. 48, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0098-8472(02)00020-5	journal	September 2002
Root biomass and nutrient dynamics in a scrub-oak ecosystem under the influence of elevated atmospheric CO2 Brown, Alisha Lea Pagel; Day, Frank P.; Hungate, Bruce A. Plant and Soil, Vol. 292, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9218-4	journal	March 2007
Utility of Ground-Penetrating Radar as a Root Biomass Survey Tool in Forest Systems Butnor, J. R.; Doolittle, J. A.; Johnsen, K. H. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 67, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2003.1607	journal	January 2003
Temporal dynamics of fine roots under long-term exposure to elevated CO ₂ in the Mojave Desert Sonderegger, Derek L.; Ogle, Kiona; Evans, R. Dave New Phytologist, Vol. 198, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12128	journal	January 2013
Fine root dynamics in a loblolly pine forest are influenced by free-air-CO ₂ -enrichment: a six-year-minirhizotron study Pritchard, Seth G.; Strand, Allan E.; McCORMACK, M. Luke Global Change Biology, Vol. 14, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01523.x	journal	March 2008
The Role of Fine Roots in the Organic Matter and Nitrogen Budgets of Two Forested Ecosystems McClaugherty, Charles A.; Aber, John D.; Melillo, Jerry M. Ecology, Vol. 63, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.2307/1938874	journal	October 1982
Architectural analysis of plant root systems. III. Studies on plants under field conditions Fitter, A. H.; Stickland, T. R. New Phytologist, Vol. 121, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1992.tb01110.x	journal	June 1992
The Demography of Fine Roots in a Northern Hardwood Forest Hendrick, Ronald L.; Pregitzer, Kurt S. Ecology, Vol. 73, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.2307/1940183	journal	June 1992
The long-term effects of CO2 enrichment on fine root productivity, mortality, and survivorship in a scrub-oak ecosystem at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA Stover, Daniel B.; Day, Frank P.; Drake, Bert G. Environmental and Experimental Botany, Vol. 69, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2010.03.003	journal	November 2010
Underground Structures of Woody Plants in Mediterranean Ecosystems of Australia, California, and Chile Canadell, Josep; Zedler, Paul H. Ecological Studies https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2490-7_8	book	January 1995
Fine root Architecture of nine North American Trees Pregitzer, Kurt S.; DeForest, Jared L.; Burton, Andrew J. Ecological Monographs, Vol. 72, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9615(2002)072[0293:FRAONN]2.0.CO;2	journal	May 2002
The effects of elevated CO₂concentrations on the root growth of Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens grown in a FACE* system Jongen, Marjan; Jones, Mike B.; Hebeisen, Thomas Global Change Biology, Vol. 1, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.1995.tb00034.x	journal	October 1995
Priming depletes soil carbon and releases nitrogen in a scrub-oak ecosystem exposed to elevated CO2 Langley, J. Adam; McKinley, Duncan C.; Wolf, Amelia A. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 41, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.09.016	journal	January 2009
The role of biomass allocation in the growth response of plants to different levels of light, CO2, nutrients and water: a quantitative review Poorter, Hendrik; Nagel, Oscar Functional Plant Biology, Vol. 27, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1071/PP99173_CO	journal	January 2000
The distribution of tree and grass roots in savannas in relation to soil nitrogen and water February, E. C.; Higgins, S. I. South African Journal of Botany, Vol. 76, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2010.04.001	journal	August 2010
Life History Strategies of Florida Scrub Plants in Relation to Fire Menges, Eric S.; Kohfeldt, Nancy Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 122, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2307/2996320	journal	October 1995
Effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ on fine root length and distribution in an oak‐palmetto scrub ecosystem in central Florida Day, Frank P.; Weber, Everett P.; Hinkle, C. Ross Global Change Biology, Vol. 2, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.1996.tb00059.x	journal	April 1996
Root system adjustments: regulation of plant nutrient uptake and growth responses to elevated CO2 BassiriRad, Hormoz; Gutschick, Vincent Peter; Lussenhop, John Oecologia, Vol. 126, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420000524	journal	February 2001
CO ₂ enrichment increases carbon and nitrogen input from fine roots in a deciduous forest Iversen, Colleen M.; Ledford, Joanne; Norby, Richard J. New Phytologist, Vol. 179, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02516.x	journal	August 2008
Increased belowground biomass and soil CO ₂ fluxes after a decade of carbon dioxide enrichment in a warm-temperate forest Jackson, Robert B.; Cook, Charles W.; Pippen, Jeffrey S. Ecology, Vol. 90, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1890/08-1609.1	journal	December 2009
Root growth and functioning under atmospheric CO2 enrichment Stulen, I.; Hertog, J. Vegetatio, Vol. 104-105, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00048147	journal	January 1993
Plant CO ₂ responses: an issue of definition, time and resource supply Körner, Christian New Phytologist, Vol. 172, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01886.x	journal	November 2006
Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on fine root production and activity in an intact temperate forest ecosystem Matamala, Roser; Schlesinger, William H. Global Change Biology, Vol. 6, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2000.00374.x	journal	December 2000
Disturbance, rainfall and contrasting species responses mediated aboveground biomass response to 11 years of CO ₂ enrichment in a Florida scrub-oak ecosystem Seiler, Troy J.; Rasse, Daniel P.; Li, Jiahong Global Change Biology, Vol. 15, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01740.x	journal	February 2009
Interactive effects of elevated carbon dioxide and environmental stresses on root mass fraction in plants: a meta-analytical synthesis using pairwise techniques Wang, Xianzhong; Taub, Daniel R. Oecologia, Vol. 163, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1572-x	journal	February 2010
Fine-root production dominates response of a deciduous forest to atmospheric CO2 enrichment Norby, R. J.; Ledford, J.; Reilly, C. D. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 101, Issue 26 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0403491101	journal	June 2004
Issues and perspectives for investigating root responses to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide Norby, Richard J. Plant and Soil, Vol. 165, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009958	journal	March 1994
Modeling in-situ pine root decomposition using data from a 60-year chronosequence Ludovici, Kim H.; Zarnoch, Stanley J.; Richter, Daniel D. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 32, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1139/x02-073	journal	September 2002
Influence of Elevated CO2 on the Fungal Community in a Coastal Scrub Oak Forest Soil Investigated with Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis Klamer, Morten; Roberts, Michael S.; Levine, Lanfang H. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 68, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.68.9.4370-4376.2002	journal	September 2002
Litterfall ¹⁵ N abundance indicates declining soil nitrogen availability in a free-air CO ₂ enrichment experiment Garten, Charles T.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Norby, Richard J. Ecology, Vol. 92, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1890/10-0293.1	journal	January 2011
Rapid accumulation and turnover of soil carbon in a re-establishing forest Richter, Daniel D.; Markewitz, Daniel; Trumbore, Susan E. Nature, Vol. 400, Issue 6739 https://doi.org/10.1038/21867	journal	July 1999
Multi-Scale Variation in Fine-Root Biomass in a Tropical rain Forest: a Seven-Year Study Espeleta, J. F.; Clark, D. A. Ecological Monographs, Vol. 77, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1890/06-1257.1	journal	August 2007
Plant responses to atmospheric CO2 enrichment with emphasis on roots and the rhizosphere Rogers, Hugo H.; Runion, G. Brett; Krupa, Sagar V. Environmental Pollution, Vol. 83, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0269-7491(94)90034-5	journal	January 1994
Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia Chen, Xiaoyong; Hutley, Lindsay B.; Eamus, Derek Oecologia, Vol. 137, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1358-5	journal	November 2003
Rapid root closure after fire limits fine root responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 in a scrub oak ecosystem in central Florida, USA Day, Frank P.; Stover, Daniel B.; Pagel, Alisha L. Global Change Biology, Vol. 12, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01148.x	journal	June 2006
Detection of tree roots and determination of root diameters by ground penetrating radar under optimal conditions Barton, Craig V. M.; Montagu, Kelvin D. Tree Physiology, Vol. 24, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/24.12.1323	journal	December 2004
Allocation of carbon to fine root compounds and their residence times in a boreal forest depend on root size class and season Keel, Sonja G.; Campbell, Catherine D.; Högberg, Mona N. New Phytologist, Vol. 194, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04120.x	journal	March 2012
Soil n and Plant Responses to Fire, Topography, and Supplemental n in Tallgrass Prairie Turner, Clarence L.; Blair, John M.; Schartz, Rita J. Ecology, Vol. 78, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[1832:SNAPRT]2.0.CO;2	journal	September 1997
Fine root biomass estimates from minirhizotron imagery in a shrub ecosystem exposed to elevated CO2 Brown, Alisha L. P.; Day, Frank P.; Stover, Daniel B. Plant and Soil, Vol. 317, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9795-x	journal	October 2008
Measurement of Soil‐grown Roots in a Rhizotron¹ Taylor, H. M.; Huck, M. G.; Klepper, Betty Agronomy Journal, Vol. 62, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1970.00021962006200060039x	journal	November 1970
The Allometry of Root Production and Loss in Seedlings of Acer rubrum (Aceraceae) and Betula papyrifera (Betulaceae): Implications for Root Dynamics in Elevated CO 2 Berntson, Glenn M.; Bazzaz, F. A. American Journal of Botany, Vol. 83, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.2307/2445920	journal	May 1996
Increases in the flux of carbon belowground stimulate nitrogen uptake and sustain the long-term enhancement of forest productivity under elevated CO2: C fluxes belowground and long-term FACE productivity Drake, John E.; Gallet-Budynek, Anne; Hofmockel, Kirsten S. Ecology Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01593.x	journal	February 2011
Implications of a large global root biomass for carbon sink estimates and for soil carbon dynamics Robinson, David Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 274, Issue 1626 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.1012	journal	August 2007
Vertical root distributions of northern tree species in relation to successional status Gale, M. R.; Grigal, D. F. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 17, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1139/x87-131	journal	August 1987
Nitrogen limitation constrains sustainability of ecosystem response to CO2 Reich, Peter B.; Hobbie, Sarah E.; Lee, Tali Nature, Vol. 440, Issue 7086 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04486	journal	April 2006
Progressive Nitrogen Limitation of Ecosystem Responses to Rising Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Luo, Yiqi; Su, Bo; Currie, William S. BioScience, Vol. 54, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0731:PNLOER]2.0.CO;2	journal	January 2004
Soil respiration, root biomass, and root turnover following long-term exposure of northern forests to elevated atmospheric CO ₂ and tropospheric O ₃ Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Burton, Andrew J.; King, John S. New Phytologist, Vol. 180, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02564.x	journal	October 2008
Quantifying root lateral distribution and turnover using pine trees with a distinct stable carbon isotope signature Johnsen, K.; Maier, C.; Kress, L. Functional Ecology, Vol. 19, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0269-8463.2005.00928.x	journal	February 2005
Responses of Terrestrial Ecosystems to the Changing Atmosphere: A Resource-Based Approach Field, C. B.; Chapin, F. S.; Matson, P. A. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 23, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.23.110192.001221	journal	November 1992
Root biomass, root distribution and the fine-root growth dynamics of Quercus coccifera L. in the garrigue of southern France Kummerow, Jochen; Kummerow, Margarete; Trabaud, Louis Vegetatio, Vol. 87, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045653	journal	May 1990
ELEVATED CO ₂ STIMULATES NET ACCUMULATIONS OF CARBON AND NITROGEN IN LAND ECOSYSTEMS: A META-ANALYSIS Luo, Yiqi; Hui, Dafeng; Zhang, Deqiang Ecology, Vol. 87, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1890/04-1724	journal	January 2006
Altered soil microbial community at elevated CO2 leads to loss of soil carbon Carney, K. M.; Hungate, B. A.; Drake, B. G. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 104, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0610045104	journal	March 2007
Ectomycorrhizal Colonization, Biomass, and Production in a Regenerating Scrub Oak Forest in Response to Elevated CO2 Langley, J. Adam; Dijkstra, Paul; Drake, Bert G. Ecosystems, Vol. 6, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00021509	journal	July 2003

Similar Records

Legacy effects of long-term CO2 enrichment on plant biomass recovery from fire seven years after return to ambient CO2 levels1

Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2018 · Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society · OSTI ID:1611012

Effects of elevated CO[sub 2] on root length density, distribution, and turnover in a scrub oak - palmetto community in central Florida

Conference · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States) · OSTI ID:7264685

Disturbances during minirhizotron installation can affect root observation data

Journal Article · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1998 · Soil Science Society of America Journal · OSTI ID:679474

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

The effects of 11 years of CO2 enrichment on roots in a Florida scrub-oak ecosystem

Citation Formats

References (72)

Similar Records

Related Subjects