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Title: Climate Change Alters Seedling Emergence and Establishment in an Old-Field Ecosystem

Abstract

In shaping how ecosystems respond to climatic change, ecosystem structure can dominate over physiological responses of individuals, especially under conditions of multiple, simultaneous changes in environmental factors. Ecological succession drives large-scale changes in ecosystem structure over time, but the mechanisms whereby climatic change alters succession remain unresolved. Here, we investigate effects of atmospheric and climatic change on seedling establishment, recognizing that small shifts in seedling establishment of different species may have long-term repercussions on the transition of fields to forests in the future. Our 4-year experiment in an old-field ecosystem revealed that response of seedling emergence to different combinations of atmospheric CO2 concentration, air temperature, and soil moisture depends on seed phenology, the timing of seed arrival into an ecosystem. We conclude that seed phenology is an important plant trait that can shape, and help predict, the trajectories of ecosystems under climatic change.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [2]
  1. ORNL
  2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
992517
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
PLoS ONE
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0193-4511
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; AIR; CLIMATES; CLIMATIC CHANGE; ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION; ECOSYSTEMS; FORESTS; MOISTURE; PHENOLOGY; SEEDLINGS; SEEDS; SHAPE; SOILS; TRAJECTORIES

Citation Formats

Classen, Aimee T, Norby, Richard J, Campany, Courtney E, Sides, Katherine E, and Weltzin, Jake. Climate Change Alters Seedling Emergence and Establishment in an Old-Field Ecosystem. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013476.
Classen, Aimee T, Norby, Richard J, Campany, Courtney E, Sides, Katherine E, & Weltzin, Jake. Climate Change Alters Seedling Emergence and Establishment in an Old-Field Ecosystem. United States. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013476
Classen, Aimee T, Norby, Richard J, Campany, Courtney E, Sides, Katherine E, and Weltzin, Jake. 2010. "Climate Change Alters Seedling Emergence and Establishment in an Old-Field Ecosystem". United States. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013476.
@article{osti_992517,
title = {Climate Change Alters Seedling Emergence and Establishment in an Old-Field Ecosystem},
author = {Classen, Aimee T and Norby, Richard J and Campany, Courtney E and Sides, Katherine E and Weltzin, Jake},
abstractNote = {In shaping how ecosystems respond to climatic change, ecosystem structure can dominate over physiological responses of individuals, especially under conditions of multiple, simultaneous changes in environmental factors. Ecological succession drives large-scale changes in ecosystem structure over time, but the mechanisms whereby climatic change alters succession remain unresolved. Here, we investigate effects of atmospheric and climatic change on seedling establishment, recognizing that small shifts in seedling establishment of different species may have long-term repercussions on the transition of fields to forests in the future. Our 4-year experiment in an old-field ecosystem revealed that response of seedling emergence to different combinations of atmospheric CO2 concentration, air temperature, and soil moisture depends on seed phenology, the timing of seed arrival into an ecosystem. We conclude that seed phenology is an important plant trait that can shape, and help predict, the trajectories of ecosystems under climatic change.},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0013476},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/992517}, journal = {PLoS ONE},
issn = {0193-4511},
number = 10,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010}
}