Increases in atmospheric CO2 have little influence on transpiration of a temperate forest canopy

Tor-ngern, Pantana; Oren, Ram; Ward, Eric J.; Palmroth, Sari; McCarthy, Heather R.; Domec, Jean-Christophe

doi:10.1111/nph.13148

Increases in atmospheric CO₂ have little influence on transpiration of a temperate forest canopy

Journal Article · Mon Oct 27 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · New Phytologist

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13148· OSTI ID:1454930

Tor-ngern, Pantana ^[1]; Oren, Ram ^[2]; Ward, Eric J. ^[3]; Palmroth, Sari ^[2]; McCarthy, Heather R. ^[4]; Domec, Jean-Christophe ^[5]

Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; Bordeaux Sciences AGRO, Gradignan Cedex (France); Duke University
Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå (Sweden). Department of Forest Ecology and Management
North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States). Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology
Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; Bordeaux Sciences AGRO, Gradignan Cedex (France)

We report odels of forest energy, water and carbon cycles assume decreased stomatal conductance with elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) based on leaf-scale measurements, a response not directly translatable to canopies. Where canopy–atmosphere are well-coupled, [CO₂]-induced structural changes, such as increasing leaf-area index (L_D), may cause, or compensate for, reduced mean canopy stomatal conductance (G_S), keeping transpiration (E_C) and, hence, runoff unaltered. We investigated G_S responses to increasing [CO₂] of conifer and broadleaved trees in a temperate forest subjected to 17-yr free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE; + 200 μmol mol^-1). During the final phase of the experiment, we employed step changes of [CO₂] in four elevated-[CO₂] plots, separating direct response to changing [CO₂] in the leaf-internal air-space from indirect effects of slow changes via leaf hydraulic adjustments and canopy development. Short-term manipulations caused no direct response up to 1.8 × ambient [CO₂], suggesting that the observed long-term 21% reduction of G_S was an indirect effect of decreased leaf hydraulic conductance and increased leaf shading. Thus, E_C was unaffected by [CO₂] because 19% higher canopy L_D nullified the effect of leaf hydraulic acclimation on G_S. Finally, we advocate long-term experiments of duration sufficient for slow responses to manifest, and modifying models predicting forest water, energy and carbon cycles accordingly.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0006967

OSTI ID:: 1454930

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1400675

Journal Information:: New Phytologist, Journal Name: New Phytologist Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 205; ISSN 0028-646X

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Liquidambar styraciflua
Pinus taeda
canopy stomatal conductance
elevated CO2
free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)
transpiration