Tree seedling growth enhancement in a high CO[sub 2] environment declines over three years

Conference · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)

OSTI ID:6044198

Miao, S L; Bazzaz, F A ^[1]

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1. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)

For predicting global carbon budgets in a high CO[sub 2] environment of the future, we must understand how long the enhancement of plant growth in the high CO[sub 2] environment will be sustained. To elucidate how an enriched CO[sub 2] atmosphere affects long-term growth of tree seedlings, we grew ash (Fraxinus americana L.), gray birch (Betula populifolia), red maple (Acer rubrum), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum), and red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings in various combinations of light, nutrient, and CO[sub 2] levels for three years. After year one, in 10 of 24 cases plants grown in high CO[sub 2] were significantly larger than those grown in ambient CO[sub 2], however, after three years only 6 of 24 cases differed significantly. Weight ratio (die ratio of total weight of plants grown in high CO[sub 2] to that of plants grown in ambient CO[sub 2]) declined from year one to year dime for plants grown in high nutrient and low light. Species identity determined whether weight ratio decreased, increased, or remained unchanged in the other dime treatments. Allocation patterns were largely unaffected by CO[sub 2], but significantly affected by nutrients and light in most species. These insults suggest that the stimulation of seedling growth in response to elevated CO[sub 2] for some species may be of a limited duration and depends on the levels of other resources in the environment.

• OSTI ID: 6044198
• Report Number(s): CONF-930798--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States) Journal Volume: 74:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANNUAL VARIATIONS
ASHES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIRCHES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON CYCLE
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
GROWTH
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
MAPLES
OAKS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
RESIDUES
SEEDLINGS
TREES
VARIATIONS