Global change, the impact of the greenhouse effect (atmospheric CO2 enrichment) and the increased UV-B radiation on terrestrial plants

Abstract

Atmospheric enrichment of CO2 will favour growth of C3 plant species and as a result the competitive balance between C3 and C4 plant species may markedly change. The greenhouse effect consists, however, of both an increase of atmospheric CO2 and global warming, with an expected increase of the global temperature of 1.5–4.5° C with a doubling of the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. Such a rise of temperature will prove advantageous to C4 plants. It is also indicated that below a mean air temperature of 18.5° C no positive growth response to CO2 enrichment will occur.Increased UV-B radiation will negatively affect the growth of many plant species, monocots possibly being less sensitive than dicot plants. Both the causes of physiological damage by increased UV-B and adaptations to increased UV-B are incompletely understood. There is special need for assessment of UV-B effects on plants in long term field studies. The combined effect of CO2 enrichment, global warming, UV-B increase, and soil and air pollution (ozone, SO2, acid rain etc.) on terrestric and aquatic ecosystems is unknown.The combined effects of climatic change factors and the soil and air pollution factors need to be studied in the near future.KeywordsSalt MarshPhotosynthetically Active RadiationStratospheric OzoneStomatal DensityLeaf Area RatioThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.