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Early vs. asymptotic growth responses of herbaceous plants to elevated CO[sub 2]

Journal Article · · Ecology
; ;  [1]
  1. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Although many studies have examined the effects of elevated carbon dioxide on plant growth,'' the dynamics of growth involve at least two parameters, namely, an early rate of exponential size increase and an asymptotic size reached late in plant ontogeny. The common practice of quantifying CO[sub 2] responses as a single response ratio thus obscures two qualitatively distinct kinds of effects. The present experiment examines effects of elevated CO[sub 2] on both early and asymptotic growth parameters in eight C[sub 3] herbaceous plant species (Abutilon theophrasti, Cassia obtusifolia, Plantago major, Rumex crispus, Taraxacum officinale, Dactylis glomerata, Lolium multiflorum, and Panicum dichotomoflorum). Plants were grown for 118--172 d in a factorial design of CO[sub 2] (350 and 700 [micro]L/L) and plant density (individually grown vs. high-density monocultures) under edaphic conditions approximating those of coastal areas in Massachusetts. For Abutilon theophrasti, intraspecific patterns of plant response were also assessed using eight genotypes randomly sampled from a natural population and propagated as inbred lines.

OSTI ID:
6429230
Journal Information:
Ecology, Journal Name: Ecology Vol. 80:5; ISSN 0012-9658; ISSN ECOLAR
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English