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TACIT - temperature and CO{sub 2} interactions in trees. Photosynthesis and growth

Journal Article · · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America
OSTI ID:95856
; ;  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); and others
A unique experimental facility has been assembled for studying the multi-year responses of young trees to atmospheric CO{sub 2} enrichment in combination with ambient or elevated air temperature. Standard open-top chambers were modified to permit temperature control (ambient or ambient + 4{degrees}C) by replacing the blower with an evaporative cooler and heater regulated by a computer control system. Temperature control has been excellent (78% of 1-min data within 0.5{degrees}C of targets) without any confounding problems of differential atmospheric vapor pressures. In the first year of a 4-year experiment to describe direct and secondary processes involved in carbon cycling by forests, the responses of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and red maple (A. rubrum) seedlings to elevated CO{sub 2} and elevated temperature were measured. Photosynthesis of both species was moderately enhanced (+31%) by CO{sub 2} enrichment and depressed (-12%) by elevated temperature. Aboveground growth of most sugar maples was reduced by elevated temperature but not affected by CO{sub 2} concentration. However, 6 of the 72 sugar maples grew more than 10-fold larger than the mean, and 5 of these plants were in elevated CO{sub 2}. Aboveground growth responses were more uniform in red maple, and plants in elevated CO{sub 2} were more than twice the size of plants in ambient CO{sub 2} in both temperature regimes.
OSTI ID:
95856
Report Number(s):
CONF-9507129--
Journal Information:
Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 76; ISSN BECLAG; ISSN 0012-9623
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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