Integrative Biology Journals

J Plant Ecol ›› 2010, Vol. 3 ›› Issue (1): 33-39 .DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtp032

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

CO2 enrichment accelerates successional development of an understory plant community

Lara Souza1,2,*, R. Travis Belote3, Paul Kardol1, Jake F. Weltzin4 and Richard J. Norby1   

  1. 1 Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Building 1062, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA; 2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 569 Dabney Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; 3 The Wilderness Society, 503 West Mendenhall St Bozeman, MT 59715, USA; 4 USA National Phenology Network, National Coordinating office, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
  • Received:2009-09-02 Accepted:2009-12-01 Published:2010-02-19
  • Contact: Souza, Lara

CO2 enrichment accelerates successional development of an understory plant community

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Abstract: Aims Rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO2]) may influence forest successional development and species composition of understory plant communities by altering biomass production of plant species of functional groups. Here, we describe how elevated [CO2] (eCO2) affects aboveground biomass within the understory community of a temperate deciduous forest at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) facility in eastern Tennessee, USA. We asked if (i) CO2 enrichment affected total understory biomass and (ii) whether total biomass responses could be explained by changes in understory species composition or changes in relative abundance of functional groups through time.
Materials and Methods The FACE experiment started in 1998 with three rings receiving ambient [CO2] (aCO2) and two rings receiving eCO2. From 2001 to 2003, we estimated species-specific, woody versus herbaceous and total aboveground biomass by harvesting four 1 × 0.5-m subplots within the established understory plant community in each FACE plot. In 2008, we estimated herbaceous biomass as previously but used allometric relationships to estimate woody biomass across two 5 × 5-m quadrats in each FACE plot.
Important findings Across years, aboveground biomass of the understory community was on average 25% greater in eCO2 than in aCO2 plots. We could not detect differences in plant species composition between aCO2 and eCO2 treatments. However, we did observe shifts in the relative abundance of plant functional groups, which reflect important structural changes in the understory community. In 2001–03, little of the understory biomass was in woody species; herbaceous species made up 94% of the total understory biomass across [CO2] treatments. Through time, woody species increased in importance, mostly in eCO2, and in 2008, the contribution of herbaceous species to total understory biomass was 61% in aCO2 and only 33% in eCO2 treatments. Our results suggest that rising atmospheric [CO2] could accelerate successional development and have longer term impact on forest dynamics.

Key words: community composition, FACE, aboveground biomass, woody, herbaceous, sweetgum, Microstegium vimineum, Lonicera japonica

摘要：
Aims Rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO2]) may influence forest successional development and species composition of understory plant communities by altering biomass production of plant species of functional groups. Here, we describe how elevated [CO2] (eCO2) affects aboveground biomass within the understory community of a temperate deciduous forest at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) facility in eastern Tennessee, USA. We asked if (i) CO2 enrichment affected total understory biomass and (ii) whether total biomass responses could be explained by changes in understory species composition or changes in relative abundance of functional groups through time.
Materials and Methods The FACE experiment started in 1998 with three rings receiving ambient [CO2] (aCO2) and two rings receiving eCO2. From 2001 to 2003, we estimated species-specific, woody versus herbaceous and total aboveground biomass by harvesting four 1 × 0.5-m subplots within the established understory plant community in each FACE plot. In 2008, we estimated herbaceous biomass as previously but used allometric relationships to estimate woody biomass across two 5 × 5-m quadrats in each FACE plot.
Important findings Across years, aboveground biomass of the understory community was on average 25% greater in eCO2 than in aCO2 plots. We could not detect differences in plant species composition between aCO2 and eCO2 treatments. However, we did observe shifts in the relative abundance of plant functional groups, which reflect important structural changes in the understory community. In 2001–03, little of the understory biomass was in woody species; herbaceous species made up 94% of the total understory biomass across [CO2] treatments. Through time, woody species increased in importance, mostly in eCO2, and in 2008, the contribution of herbaceous species to total understory biomass was 61% in aCO2 and only 33% in eCO2 treatments. Our results suggest that rising atmospheric [CO2] could accelerate successional development and have longer term impact on forest dynamics.

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