Elevated CO{sub 2} and leaf shape: Are dandelions getting toothier?
- Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
Heteroblastic leaf development in Taraxacum officinale is compared between plants grown under ambient (350 ppm) vs. elevated (700 ppm) CO{sub 2} levels. Leaves of elevated CO{sub 2} plants exhibited more deeply incised leaf margins and relatively more slender leaf laminae than leaves of ambient CO{sub 2} plants. These differences were found to be significant in allometric analyses that controlled for differences in leaf size, as well as analyses that controlled for leaf development order. The effects of elevated CO{sub 2} on leaf shape were most pronounced when plants were grown individually, but detectable differences were also found in plants grown at high density. Although less dramatic than in Taraxacum, significant effects of elevated CO{sub 2} on leaf shape were also found in two other weedy rosette species, Plantago major and Rumex crispus. These observations support the long-standing hypothesis that leaf carbohydrate level plays an important role in regulating heteroblastic leaf development, though elevated CO{sub 2} may also affect leaf development through direct hormonal interactions or increased leaf water potential. In Taraxacum, pronounced modifications of leaf shape were found at CO{sub 2} levels predicted to occur within the next century. 33 refs., 5 figs.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 387356
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Botany, Journal Name: American Journal of Botany Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 83; ISSN 0002-9122; ISSN AJBOAA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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