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Nitin Chaudhary

Postdoc

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Physiological acclimation dampens initial effects of elevated temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration in mature boreal Norway spruce

Author

  • Shubhangi Lamba
  • Marianne Hall
  • Mats Räntfors
  • Nitin Chaudhary
  • Sune Linder
  • Danielle Way
  • Johan Uddling
  • Göran Wallin

Summary, in English

Physiological processes of terrestrial plants regulate the land-atmosphere exchange of carbon, water, and energy, yet few studies have explored the acclimation responses of mature boreal conifer trees to climate change. Here we explored the acclimation responses of photosynthesis, respiration, and stomatal conductance to elevated temperature and/or CO2 concentration ([CO2]) in a 3-year field experiment with mature boreal Norway spruce. We found that elevated [CO2] decreased photosynthetic carboxylation capacity (-23% at 25 °C) and increased shoot respiration (+64% at 15 °C), while warming had no significant effects. Shoot respiration, but not photosynthetic capacity, exhibited seasonal acclimation. Stomatal conductance at light saturation and a vapour pressure deficit of 1 kPa was unaffected by elevated [CO2] but significantly decreased (-27%) by warming, and the ratio of intercellular to ambient [CO2] was enhanced (+17%) by elevated [CO2] and decreased (-12%) by warming. Many of these responses differ from those typically observed in temperate tree species. Our results show that long-term physiological acclimation dampens the initial stimulation of plant net carbon assimilation to elevated [CO2], and of plant water use to warming. Models that do not account for these responses may thus overestimate the impacts of climate change on future boreal vegetation-atmosphere interactions.

Department/s

  • Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
  • Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
  • MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system

Publishing year

2018-02

Language

English

Pages

300-313

Publication/Series

Plant, Cell and Environment

Volume

41

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Topic

  • Climate Research
  • Forest Science

Keywords

  • Carboxylation efficiency
  • Intercellular CO concentration
  • Picea abies
  • Transpiration
  • V
  • Whole-tree chambers

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0140-7791