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Title: Effects of Warming and Elevated CO2 on Stomatal Conductance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence of C3 and C4 Coastal Wetland Species

Journal Article · · Wetlands
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3]
  1. Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ (United States); Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA (United States)
  2. Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ (United States)
  3. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD (United States)

Coastal wetland communities provide valuable ecosystem services such as erosion prevention, soil accretion, and essential habitat for coastal wildlife, but are some of the most vulnerable to the threats of climate change. This work investigates the combined effects of two climate stressors, elevated temperature (ambient, +1.7 °C,+3.4 °C, and 5.1 °C) and elevated CO2 (eCO2), on leaf physiological traits of dominant salt marsh plant species. The research took place at the Salt Marsh Accretion Response to Temperature eXperiment (SMARTX) at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, which includes two plant communities: a C3 sedge community and a C4 grass community. Here we present data collected over five years on rates of stomatal conductance (gs), quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), and rates of electron transport (ETRmax). We found that both warming and eCO2 caused declines in all traits, but the warming effects were greater for the C3 sedge. This species showed a strong negative stomatal response to warming in 2017 and 2018 (28% and 17% reduction, respectively in+5.1 °C). However, in later years the negative response to warming was dampened to<7%, indicating that S. americanus was able to partially acclimate to the warming over time. In 2022, we found that sedges growing in the combined +5.1 °C eCO2 plots exhibited more significant declines in gs, Fv/Fm, and ETRmax than in either treatment individually. These results are important for predicting future trends in growth of wetland species, which serve as a large carbon sink that may help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Research Organization:
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0021112; SC0014413; SC0019110; NA18OAR4170084
OSTI ID:
2325308
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2439693
Journal Information:
Wetlands, Vol. 44, Issue 4; ISSN 0277-5212
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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