Environmental Limitations to O3 Uptake — Some Key Results from Young Trees Growing at Elevated CO2 Concentrations

Abstract

Elevated carbon dioxide concentrations and limited water supply have been shown to reduce the impact of ozone pollution on the growth and physiology of Quercus petraea in a long-term factorial experiment. These responses can be explained by observed reductions in stomatal conductance, and thus potential ozone exposure of 28% and 40% for CO2 and drought treatments respectively. However, parameterisation of a stomatal conductance model for Quercus robur and Fagus sylvatica grown under ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations in a separate experiment has demonstrated that elevated CO2 also reduces the responsiveness of stomata to both saturation deficit (LAVPD) and soil moisture deficit (ψ) in beech, and to a lesser extent, in oak. Season-long model simulations of ozone fluxes suggest that LAVPD and ψ conductance parameters derived at ambient CO2 concentrations will lead to these fluxes being underestimated by 24% and 2% for beech and oak respectively at 615 ppm CO2.