Rangeland-plant response to elevated CO sub 2

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6771488· OSTI ID:6771488

Owensby, C E; Coyne, P I; Auen, L M

Effects of carbon dioxide enrichment on a tallgrass ecosystem were monitored during the 1989 growing season. The experimental site was located in pristine Tallgrass Prairie north of/and adjacent to the Kansas State University campus. Vegetation on the site was a mixture of C{sub 3} and C{sub 4} species and was dominated by big bluestem and indiangrass. Subdominants included Kentucky bluegrass, sideoats grama, and tall dropseed. Principal forbs included western ragweed, Louisiana sagewort, and mayflower scurfpea. The area was ideal for meeting the experimental objectives, in that the mixture of C3 and C4 plants would allow for assessment of competitive relationships among numerous species of both carbon fixation pathways. The objectives of this project were: to characterize the effects of CO{sub 2} enrichment on changes in diet selection and diet quality for ruminants, to monitor plant population dynamics under ambient and CO{sub 2}-enriched atmospheres, and to measure biomass accumulation and leaf area during the growing season under ambient and Co{sub 2}-enriched atmospheres. During 1989 we developed and tested the system and were able to collect substantial data concerning the effects of CO{sub 2} enrichment of tallgrass prairie. In this report we detail chamber design, data acquisition, control of the chamber environment, biomass and leaf area response to CO{sub 2} enrichment, and collection of forage quality samples using esophageally-fistulated sheep. 23 refs., 21 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (USA). Dept. of Agronomy
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/ER
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-84ER60253
• OSTI ID: 6771488
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60253-8; ON: DE90013702
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540210 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (1990-)
550100 -- Behavioral Biology
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL FEEDS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BIOMASS
BUILDUP
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DIET
DOCUMENT TYPES
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FOOD
FORAGE
GRASS
GRAZING
LEAVES
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAMMALS
MONITORING
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POPULATION DYNAMICS
PROGRESS REPORT
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RUMINANTS
SAMPLING
SHEEP
VARIATIONS
VERTEBRATES