Response to CO 2 enrichment of understory vegetation in the shade of forests

Kim, Dohyoung; Oren, Ram; Qian, Song S.

doi:10.1111/gcb.13126

Response to CO ₂ enrichment of understory vegetation in the shade of forests

Journal Article · Tue Jan 05 23:00:00 EST 2016 · Global Change Biology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13126· OSTI ID:1401633

Kim, Dohyoung ^[1]; Oren, Ram ^[2]; Qian, Song S. ^[3]

Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA, Hydrospheric Atmospheric Research Center Nagoya University Chikusa‐ku Nagoya 464‐8601 Japan
Department of Environmental Sciences University of Toledo Toledo OH 43606 USA

Abstract

Responses of forest ecosystems to increased atmospheric CO ₂ concentration have been studied in few free‐air CO ₂ enrichment ( FACE ) experiments during last two decades. Most studies focused principally on the overstory trees with little attention given to understory vegetation. Despite its small contribution to total productivity of an ecosystem, understory vegetation plays an important role in predicting successional dynamics and future plant community composition. Thus, the response of understory vegetation in Pinus taeda plantation at the Duke Forest FACE site after 15–17 years of exposure to elevated CO ₂ , 6–13 of which with nitrogen (N) amendment, was examined. Aboveground biomass and density of the understory decreased across all treatments with increasing overstory leaf area index ( LAI ). However, the CO ₂ and N treatments had no effect on aboveground biomass, tree density, community composition, and the fraction of shade‐tolerant species. The increases of overstory LAI (~28%) under elevated CO ₂ resulted in a reduction of light available to the understory (~18%) sufficient to nullify the expected growth‐enhancing effect of elevated CO ₂ on understory vegetation.

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

OSTI ID:: 1401633

Journal Information:: Global Change Biology, Journal Name: Global Change Biology Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 22; ISSN 1354-1013

Publisher:: Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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