Long-Term Growth of Alfalfa and Orchard Grass Plots at Elevated Carbon Dioxide

Characteristics of the large-scale circulation during episodes with high and low concentrations of carbon dioxide and air pollutants at an arctic monitoring site in winter

Impacts of elevated water carbon dioxide partial pressure at two temperatures on Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) parr growth and haematology

Corn, with C4 photosynthetic metabolism, often has no photosynthetic or yield response to elevated carbon dioxide concentrations. In C3 species, the yield stimulation at elevated carbon dioxide concentrations often decreases with nitrogen limitation. I tested whether such a nitrogen interaction occurred in corn, by growing sweet corn in field plots in open top chambers at ambient and elevated (ambient + 180 mmol·mol-1) carbon dioxide concentrations for four seasons, with six nitrogen application rates, ranging from half to twice the locally recommended rate. At the recommended rate of nitrogen application, no carbon dioxide effect on production occurred. However, both ear and leaf plus stem biomass were lower for the elevated carbon dioxide treatment than for the ambient treatment at less than the recommended rate of nitrogen application, and higher at the highest rates of nitrogen application. There were no significant responses of mid-day leaf gas exchange rates to nitrogen application rate for either carbon dioxide treatment, and elevated carbon dioxide did not significantly increase leaf carbon dioxide assimilation rates at any nitrogen level. Leaf area index during vegetative growth increased more with nitrogen application rate at elevated than at ambient carbon dioxide. It is concluded that elevated carbon dioxide increased the responsiveness of corn growth to nitrogen application by increasing the response of leaf area to nitrogen application rate, and that elevated carbon dioxide increased the amount of nitrogen required to achieve maximum yields.

ASSIMILATION AND RESPIRATION OF EXCISED LEAVES AT HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE

Carbon dioxide concentration is likely to increase by 2–2.5 fold by the end of 21st century from its current level of 400 ppm due to anthropogenic activities mediated climate change. As yam is an important food and nutrition security crop, it is of paramount importance to assess the effect of climate change on the physiological processes especially photosynthetic efficiency to identify the climate-smart varieties to meet the future food demand. The aim of this experiment was to assess the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2, transpiration and physiological water use efficiency of seven yam varieties subjected to 400 ppm (ambient), 600, 800 and 1000 ppm (elevated carbon dioxide concentration). All the parameters were found significant at P<0.001. The mean photosynthetic rate increased significantly increased at 400–1000 ppm and no down-regulation was observed. Similar trend was observed in case of intercellular CO2 and physiological water use efficiency (WUEinstantaneous and WUEintrinsic). However, stomatal conductance increased significantly up to 800 and decreased at 1000 ppm. Contrasting results were recorded with regard to transpiration, which steadily decreased at ascending carbon dioxide concentrations. Further, photosynthesis rate had a significant (P<0.001) positive linear correlation with the elevated carbon dioxide (R2 = 0.783) and intercellular CO2 concentration (R2=0.763). White yam and greater yam were found to be responsive to elevated carbon dioxide as photosynthetic rate at 1000 ppm increased up to ∼68% in comparison to 400 ppm.

Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), larvae were placed on sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) and pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus L.) plants in outdoor chambers in which the plants were growing at either the ambient (≈350 μl liter−1) or ambient plus 350 μl liter−1 (≈700 μl liter−1) carbon dioxide concentration. A series of experiments was performed to determine if larvae reduced plant growth differently at the two carbon dioxide concentrations in either species and if the insect growth or survival differed with carbon dioxide concentration. Leaf nitrogen, water, starch, and soluble carbohydrate contents were measured to assess carbon dioxide concentration effects on leaf quality. Insect feeding significantly reduced plant growth in sugarbeet plants at 350 μl liter−1 but not at 700 μl liter−1 nor in pigweed at either carbon dioxide concentration. Larval survival was greater on sugarbeet plants at the elevated carbon dioxide concentration. Increased survival occurred only if the insects were at the elevated carbon dioxide concentration and consumed leaf material grown at the elevated concentration. Leaf quality was only marginally affected by growth at elevated carbon dioxide concentration in these experiments. The results indicate that in designing experiments to predict effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on plant–insect interactions, both plants and insects should be exposed to the experimental carbon dioxide concentrations, as well as to as realistic environmental conditions as possible.

Lactic acid, carbon dioxide and human sweat stimuli were presented singly and in combination to femaleAedes aegypti(Linnaeus) within a wind-tunnel system. The take-off, flight, landing and probing responses of the mosquitoes were recorded using direct observation and video techniques. The analyses determined the nature of the response to different stimuli and the concentration ranges within which specific behaviours occurred. A threshold carbon dioxide concentration for taking-off of approximately 0.03% above ambient was detected. Lactic acid and human sweat samples did not elicit take-off when presented alone, however, when they were combined with elevated carbon dioxide, take-off rate was enhanced in most of the combinations tested. Flight activity was positively correlated with carbon dioxide level and some evidence for synergism with lactic acid was found within a narrow window of blend concentrations. The factors eliciting landing were more subtle. There was a positive correlation between landing rate and carbon dioxide concentration. At the lowest carbon dioxide concentration tested, landing occurred only in the presence of lactic acid. Within a window of low to intermediate concentrations, landing rate was enhanced by this combination. At the highest carbon dioxide concentration, landing was however inhibited by the presence of lactic acid. The sweat extract elicited landings in the absence of elevated carbon dioxide. This indicated the presence of chemical stimuli, other than lactic acid, active in the short range. Probing occurred only at low carbon dioxide concentrations and there was no probing when lactic acid alone was tested. There was however probing in the presence of combined stimuli, the level of response seemed to be positively correlated with the ratio of carbon dioxide and lactic acid concentrations.

Previous work indicated that long-term exposure to ele- vated carbon dioxide levels can reduce hydraulic conduc- tance in some species, but the basis of the response was not determined. In this study, hydraulic conductance was measured at concentrations of both 350 and 700 cm 3 nT 3 carbon dioxide for plants grown at both concentrations, to determine the reversibility of the response. In Zea mays and Amaranthus hypochondriacus, exposure to the higher carbon dioxide concentration for several hours reduced whole-plant transpiration rate by 22-40%, without any consistent change in leaf water potential, indicating reversible reductions in hydraulic conductance at elevated carbon dioxide levels. Hydraulic conductance in these species grown at both carbon dioxide concentrations responded similarly to measurement concentration of carbon dioxide, indicating that the response was reversible. In Glycine max, which in earlier work had shown a long-term decrease in hydraulic conductance at elevated carbon dioxide levels, and in Abutilon theophrasti, no short-term changes in hydraulic conductance with measurement con- centration of carbon dioxide were found, despite lower transpiration rates at elevated carbon dioxide. In G. max and Medicago sativa, growth at high dew-point tempera- ture reduced transpiration rate and decreased hydraulic conductance. The results indicate that both reversible and irreversible decreases in hydraulic conductance can occur at elevated carbon dioxide concentrations, and that both could be responses to reduced transpiration rate, rather than to carbon dioxide concentration itself.

The promotion and application of transgenic Bt crops provides an approach for the prevention and control of target lepidopteran pests and effectively relieves the environmental pressure caused by the massive usage of chemical pesticides in fields. However, studies have shown that Bt crops will face a new risk due to a decrease in exogenous toxin content under elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, thus negatively affecting the ecological sustainability of Bt crops. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important beneficial microorganisms that can effectively improve the nutrient status of host plants and are expected to relieve the ecological risk of Bt crops under increasing CO2 due to global climate change. In this study, the Bt maize and its parental line of non-transgenic Bt maize were selected and inoculated with a species of AMF (Funneliformis caledonium, synonyms: Glomus caledonium), in order to study the secondary defensive chemicals and yield of maize, and to explore the effects of F. caledonium inoculation on the growth, development, and reproduction of the pest Mythimna separata fed on Bt maize and non-Bt maize under ambient carbon dioxide concentration (aCO2) and elevated carbon dioxide concentration (eCO2). The results showed that eCO2 increased the AM fungal colonization, maize yield, and foliar contents of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), but decreased foliar Bt toxin content and Bt gene expression in Bt maize leaves. F. caledonium inoculation increased maize yield, foliar JA, SA contents, Bt toxin contents, and Bt gene expression in Bt maize leaves, and positively improved the growth, development, reproduction, and food utilization of the M. separata fed on non-Bt maize. However, F. caledonium inoculation was unfavorable for the fitness of M. separata fed on Bt maize, and the effect was intensified when combined with eCO2. It is indicated that F. caledonium inoculation had adverse effects on the production of non-Bt maize due to the high potential risk of population occurrence of M. separata, while it was just the opposite for Bt maize. Therefore, this study confirms that the AMF can increase the yield and promote the expression levels of its endogenous (JA, SA) and exogenous (Bt toxin) secondary defense substances of Bt maize under eCO2, and finally can enhance the insect resistance capacity of Bt crops, which will help ensure the sustainable utilization and safety of Bt crops under climate change.

Effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment on nitrogen metabolism were studied in barley primary leaves (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Brant). Seedlings were grown in chambers under ambient (36 Pa) and elevated (100 Pa) carbon dioxide and were fertilized daily with complete nutrient solution providing 12 millimolar nitrate and 2.5 millimolar ammonium. Foliar nitrate and ammonium were 27% and 42% lower (P </= 0.01) in the elevated compared to ambient carbon dioxide treatments, respectively. Enhanced carbon dioxide affected leaf ammonium levels by inhibiting photorespiration. Diurnal variations of total nitrate were not observed in either treatment. Total and Mg(2+)inhibited nitrate reductase activities per gram fresh weight were slightly lower (P </= 0.01) in enhanced compared to ambient carbon dioxide between 8 and 15 DAS. Diurnal variations of total nitrate reductase activity in barley primary leaves were similar in either treatment except between 7 and 10 h of the photoperiod when enzyme activities were decreased (P </= 0.05) by carbon dioxide enrichment. Glutamate was similar and glutamine levels were increased by carbon dioxide enrichment between 8 and 13 DAS. However, both glutamate and glutamine were negatively impacted by elevated carbon dioxide when leaf yellowing was observed 15 and 17 DAS. The above findings showed that carbon dioxide enrichment produced only slight modifications in leaf nitrogen metabolism and that the chlorosis of barley primary leaves observed under enhanced carbon dioxide was probably not attributable to a nutritionally induced nitrogen limitation.

The atmospheric carbon dioxide level has increased and is predicted to continue increasing, which may affect various aspects of plant growth. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of doubling the carbon dioxide level on the growth and physiological activities of a widely utilized cool-season turfgrass species, creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L. ‘Penncross’). ‘Penncross’ plants were established in fritted clay medium and maintained under well-irrigated and well-fertilized conditions in growth chambers. The plants were exposed to either ambient carbon dioxide concentrations (400±10 µmol L−1) or elevated carbon dioxide concentrations (800±10 µmol L−1) for 12 weeks. Plants grown under elevated carbon dioxide displayed a significantly faster growth rate of their lateral stems (stolons) and increased shoot and root dry weight but a reduced specific leaf area compared to those plants at ambient carbon dioxide levels. Fast stolon growth is a highly desirable trait for turfgrass establishment and recovery from physical damage. The root length and surface area were also increased due to the elevated CO2, which may facilitate water uptake and serve critical drought-avoidance roles when irrigation water is limited. Elevated carbon dioxide caused an increase in the leaf net photosynthetic rate but a reduction in the stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, contributing to improved water use efficiency in creeping bentgrass. Efficient water use is especially important for turfgrass plant survival when irrigation water is limited. Our results suggested that cool-season turfgrass species may greatly benefit from increasingly elevated carbon dioxide concentrations via growth promotion and increasing water use efficiency.

BackgroundChanges in aboveground plant species diversity as well as variations of environmental conditions such as exposure of ecosystems to elevated concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide may lead to changes in metabolic activity, composition and diversity of belowground microbial communities, both bacterial and fungal.ResultsWe examined soil samples taken from a biodiversity × CO2 grassland experiment where replicate plots harboring 5, 12, or 31 different plant species had been exposed to ambient or elevated (600 ppm) levels of carbon dioxide for 5 years. Analysis of soil bacterial communities in these plots by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) showed that dominant soil bacterial populations varied only very little between different experimental treatments. These populations seem to be ubiquitous. Likewise, screening of samples on a high-resolution level by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) showed that increased levels of carbon dioxide had no significant influence on both soil bacterial community composition (appearance and frequency of operational taxonomic units, OTUs) and on bacterial richness (total number of different OTUs). In contrast, differences in plant diversity levels had a significant effect on bacterial composition but no influence on bacterial richness. Regarding species level, several bacterial species were found only in specific plots and were related to elevated carbon dioxide or varying plant diversity levels. For example, analysis of T-RFLP showed that the occurrence of Salmonella typhimurium was significantly increased in plots exposed to elevated CO2 (P < 0.05).ConclusionPlant diversity levels are affecting bacterial composition (bacterial types and their frequency of occurrence). Elevated carbon dioxide does not lead to quantitative alteration (bacterial richness), whereas plant diversity is responsible for qualitative changes (bacterial diversity).

New study on the correlation between carbon dioxide concentration in the environment and radon monitor devices

ABSTRACTSeed yield increases in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] caused by increased growth at elevated carbon dioxide concentrations primarily result from increased numbers of pods. Reasons for differences among cultivars in the increases in pod number are not clear. In experiments in controlled environment chambers, cultivars varied in how much elevated carbon dioxide delayed the transition of the apical node of the main stem from vegetative to reproductive growth. The longer the delay in the transition, the more main stem and total nodes and pods were produced, increasing the relative stimulation of seed yield. In free‐air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) systems in the field, the timing of the first open flower, and the rate of progression through reproductive stages was faster, slower, or unchanged by elevated carbon dioxide in three indeterminate cultivars. However, independently from these effects on the rate of progression through the flowering stages, elevated carbon dioxide concentration also differentially affected the overall duration of vegetative growth, and the number of main stem and total nodes and pods produced. The extension of the duration of vegetative growth caused by elevated carbon dioxide was highly correlated with the relative seed yield increase in the field, as well as in the controlled environment chamber experiments.

The Influence of Root Zone Temperature on Photosynthetic Acclimation to Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentrations