Soil disturbance and invasion magnify CO2 effects on grassland productivity, reducing diversity

Blumenthal, Dana M.; Carrillo, Yolima; Kray, Julie A.; Parsons, Matthew C.; Morgan, Jack A.; Pendall, Elise

doi:10.1111/gcb.16383

Soil disturbance and invasion magnify CO₂ effects on grassland productivity, reducing diversity

Journal Article · Mon Sep 12 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Global Change Biology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16383· OSTI ID:2424608

^[1]; ^[2]; Kray, Julie A. ^[1]; Parsons, Matthew C. ^[3]; Morgan, Jack A. ^[1]; ^[2]

US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Fort Collins CO (United States). Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW (Australia)
US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Fort Collins CO (United States). Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Resource Environmental Solutions LLC, Brodhead, WI (United States)

Climate change, disturbance, and plant invasion threaten grassland ecosystems, but their combined and interactive effects are poorly understood. Here, in this study, we examine how the combination of disturbance and plant invasion influences the sensitivity of mixed-grass prairie to elevated carbon dioxide (eCO₂) and warming. We established subplots of intact prairie and disturbed/invaded prairie within a free-air CO₂ enrichment (to 600 ppmv) by infrared warming (+1.5°C day, 3°C night) experiment and followed plant and soil responses for 5 years. Elevated CO₂ initially led to moderate increases in biomass and plant diversity in both intact and disturbed/invaded prairie, but these effects shifted due to strong eCO₂ responses of the invasive forb Centaurea diffusa. In the final 3 years, biomass responses to eCO₂ in disturbed/invaded prairie were 10 times as large as those in intact prairie (+186% vs. +18%), resulting in reduced rather than increased plant diversity (-17% vs. +10%). At the same time, warming interacted with disturbance/invasion and year, reducing the rate of topsoil carbon recovery following disturbance. The strength of these interactions demonstrates the need to incorporate disturbance into predictions of climate change effects. In contrast to expectations from studies in intact ecosystems, eCO₂ may threaten plant diversity in ecosystems subject to soil disturbance and invasion.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Resource Environmental Solutions LLC, Brodhead, WI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

OSTI ID:: 2424608

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1886738

Journal Information:: Global Change Biology, Journal Name: Global Change Biology Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 28; ISSN 1354-1013

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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global change
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soil carbon
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Soil disturbance and invasion magnify CO2 effects on grassland productivity, reducing diversity

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