Temperature Free-air Controlled Enhancement Research Articles

Warming offsets the benefits of elevated CO2 in water relations while amplifies elevated CO2-induced reduction in forage nutritional value in the C4 grass Megathyrsus maximus.

Tropical grasslands are very important to global carbon and water cycles. C4 plants have increased heat tolerance and a CO2 concentrating mechanism that often reduces responses to elevated concentrations of CO2 ([CO2]). Despite the importance of tropical grasslands, there is a scarcity of studies that elucidate how managed tropical grasslands will be affected by elevated [CO2] and warming. In our study, we used a combination of a temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) and a free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) systems to increase canopy temperature and [CO2] under field conditions, respectively. We warmed a field-grown pasture dominated by the C4 tropical forage grass Megathyrsus maximus by 2°C above ambient under two levels of [CO2] (ambient (aC) and elevated (eC - 600 ppm) to investigate how these two factors isolated or combined regulate water relations through stomatal regulation, and how this combination affects PSII functioning, biochemistry, forage nutritive value, and digestibility. We demonstrated that the effects of warming negated the effects of eC in plant transpiration, water potential, proline content, and soil moisture conservation, resulting in warming canceling the eCO2-induced improvement in these parameters. Furthermore, there were additive effects between eC and warming for chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and aboveground nutritive value. Warming sharply intensified the eCO2-induced decrease in crude protein content and increases in forage fibrous fraction and lignin, resulting in a smaller forage digestibility under a warmer CO2-enriched atmosphere. Our results highlight the importance of multifactorial studies when investigating global change impacts on managed ecosystems and the potential consequences for the global carbon cycle like amplification in methane emissions by ruminants and feeding a positive climate feedback system.

Future warming will change the chemical composition and leaf blade structure of tropical C3 and C4 forage species depending on soil moisture levels

Temperature and soil moisture strongly affect the nutritional value and digestibility of forage plants through changes in leaf chemical composition or the proportion of leaf blade tissues. In this study, we aimed to evaluate leaf blade anatomical modifications of two tropical forage species, Stylosanthes capitata (C3) and Megathyrsus maximus (C4) under warmed conditions (+2 °C) at well-watered and rainfed conditions and investigate the interactions between leaf anatomical alterations, leaf chemical composition, and leaf digestibility. Experiments were conducted under field conditions using a Temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system. We observed that plants under elevated temperature produced leaves with smaller stomata and thinner mesophyll tissue and reduced total leaf thickness, potentially impacting gas exchange. On the other hand, reduced soil moisture increased stomatal density and thickness of the adaxial epidermis. In both species, leaf fibrous fractions concentration increased under warmed and non-irrigated conditions, while crude protein concentration and digestibility decreased. However, leaf digestibility was associated with leaf chemical composition rather than the proportion of different leaf blade tissues. We concluded that although both species developed leaf anatomical modifications to acclimate under future warming conditions, leaf nutritional value and digestibility will be reduced, potentially impacting future livestock production and methane emissions by ruminants.

Warming and soil water availability affect plant–flower visitor interactions for Stylosanthes capitata, a tropical forage legume

The reproductive success of a zoophilous plant species depends on biological interaction with pollinators, which involves both the provision and exploitation of flower resources. Currently, there is little information about how future climate change scenarios will impact interactions between plants and their flower visitors in the tropics. This study analyzes the effects of warming and two soil water conditions on interactions between the tropical forage legume species Stylosanthes capitata and its floral visitors during the flowering period. We used a temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) facility to simulate future warming scenarios by increasing canopy temperature. The tested treatments were: irrigated and ambient canopy temperature (Control); non-irrigated and ambient canopy temperature (wS); irrigated and elevated canopy temperature (eT, +2 °C above ambient canopy temperature); and non-irrigated and elevated canopy temperature (wSeT). The effects of treatments on the time of flower opening and closing, sugar concentration in the nectar, and plant–flower visitor interactions were assessed. In the warmed treatments, S. capitata flower opening occurred ~45 min earlier compared to non-warmed treatments, and flowers remained opened for only ~3 h. Further, the sugar concentration in the nectar from eT was 39% higher than in the Control. The effects of warming on floral biology and flower resource production in S. capitata had an impact on the plant–floral visitor relationships with the bees Apis mellifera and Paratrigona lineata, the most abundant potential pollinating floral visitors, and the butterfly visitor Hemiargus hanno. Additionally, around noon, the interactive and additive effects of the combined wS and eT treatments decreased insect visiting frequency. These results suggest that warming and soil water deficiency could affect flower–visitor interactions and thus the reproductive success of S. capitata in tropical belts.

Are the interaction effects of warming and drought on nutritional status and biomass production in a tropical forage legume greater than their individual effects?

Drought alone and drought plus warming will change the nutrient requirements and biomass distributions of Stylosanthes capitata, while warming will be advantageous only under well-watered condition for the next decades. Climate change effects on natural and managed ecosystems are difficult to predict due to its multi-factor nature. However, most studies that investigate the impacts of climate change factors on plants, such as warming or drought, were conducted under one single stress and controlled environments. In this study, we evaluated the effects of elevated temperature (+ 2°C) (T) under different conditions of soil water availability (W) to understand the interactive effects of both factors on leaf, stem, and inflorescence macro and micronutrients concentration and biomass allocation of a tropical forage species, Stylosanthes capitata Vogel under field conditions. Temperature control was performed by a temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system. We observed that warming changed nutrient concentrations and plant growth depending on soil moisture levels, but the responses were specific for each plant organ. In general, we found that warming under well-watered conditions greatly improved nutrient concentration and biomass production, whilst the opposite effect was observed under non-irrigated and non-warmed conditions. However, under warmed and non-irrigated conditions, leaf biomass and leaf nutrient concentration were greatly reduced when compared to non-warmed and irrigated plants. Our findings suggest that warming (2°C above ambient temperature) and drought, as well as both combined stresses, will change the nutrient requirements and biomass distributions between plant aerial organs of S. capitata in tropical ecosystems, which may impact animal feeding in the future.

Correlation among vegetative and reproductive variables in wheat under a climate change simulation

Based on climate change scenarios predicted for northwestern Mexico, an experiment was carried out during the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 crop cycles, under field conditions in wheat, in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. The assay consisted on canopy temperature increase by + 2 °C with respect to ambient temperature, using a temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system for temperature manipulation and control. This experiment aimed to determine the existing correlation among vegetative and reproductive variables that can result precise indicators of warming tolerance. A total of 30 variables divided into: morphological (6), physiological (7), biochemical (8) and agronomic (9) indicators were evaluated, using CIRNO C2008 cultivar as experimental model. For each variable, the response index, in a total of five repetition each year, was computed. Results indicated that, during the vegetative stages, the most precise variables for heat tolerance evaluation were: dry matter, vegetal vigor, water potential, nitrate reductase and transpiration indexes; while during the reproductive stage were: grain and biomass yield, spike mass and vain grain per spike indexes. There was a positive correlation among the most majority of vegetative and reproductive variables, being water and osmotic potential indexes those with the greatest contribution to biomass and grain yield. From the 30 evaluated variables, water and osmotic potential, transpiration, grain yield and field water use efficiency indexes were the most precise indicator of heat tolerance in CIRNO C2008 under canopy temperature increase in + 2 °C.

Wheat morpho-physiological traits and radiation use efficiency under interactive effects of warming and tillage management.

Understanding the interactive effects of different warming levels and tillage managements on crop morphological and physiological traits and radiation use efficiency (RUE) is essential for breeding climate-resilient cultivars. Here, we conducted temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) experiments on winter wheat during two growth seasons in the North China Plain. The experiments consisted of three warming treatments and two tillage treatments (CT: conventional tillage and NT: no-tillage). In the normal season, warming had significant positive effects on major morphological and physiological traits and increased significantly RUE of yield (RUEY ) and biomass (RUEDM ) by 13.3 and 11.3%, 19.3 and 12.4%, 42.3 and 43.7%, respectively, under the treatments of CTT1, CTT2 and NTT1 relative to the control (CTN, NTN). By contrast, in the warmer season, warming had negative effects on leaf width, light extinction coefficient, light-saturated net photosynthetic rate, aboveground, stems and spike biomass and RUE from anthesis to maturity, and consequently grain yield under conventional tillage, but positive effects under no-tillage. Our findings bring new insights into the mechanisms on the interactive effects of warming and tillage treatments on wheat growth and productivity; provide valuable information on crop ideotypic traits for breeding climate-resilient crop cultivars.

How does leaf physiological acclimation impact forage production and quality of a warmed managed pasture of Stylosanthes capitata under different conditions of soil water availability?

Tropical pastures play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and are crucial for world livestock production. Despite its importance, there is a paucity of field studies that clarify how tropical pasture species will be affected by environmental changes predicted for tropical regions. Using a temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system, we increased canopy temperature (+2 °C over ambient) and evaluated the effects of warming under two soil moisture conditions in a factorial design over the physiology, forage production, and forage quality of a tropical forage legume, Stylosanthes capitata. Under well-watered conditions, warming increased the PSII efficiency, net photosynthesis, and aboveground biomass accumulation, but reduced forage quality and digestibility by decreasing crude protein content and increasing lignin content. Non-irrigated conditions under ambient temperature reduced leaf water status presumably promoting the reduction in net photosynthesis, forage production, and forage quality and digestibility. Under the combination of canopy warming and non-irrigated conditions, warming mitigated the effects of reduced soil moisture on leaf photosynthesis and biomass production, but a significant interaction reduced forage quality and digestibility more than under isolated treatments of warming or non-irrigated conditions. We found a potential physiological acclimation of the tropical forage species to moderate warming when grown under rainfed or well-watered conditions. However, this acclimation was achieved due to a trade-off that reduced forage nutritional value and digestibility that may impact future animal feeding, livestock production, and would contribute to methane emissions.

Water stress and warming impact nutrient use efficiency of Mombasa grass (Megathyrsus maximus) in tropical conditions

AbstractTemperature and other abiotic factors, such water and nutrient availability, play an important role for plants in response to the changing environments. At this regard, both warming and drought might affect the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and growth ofMegathyrsus maximusa C4 forage grass of high interest for cattle feeding. However, the nutrient requirements of this species under climate change are unknown. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of two levels of temperature: ambient and elevated temperature (2°C above ambient temperature), and two levels of soil water availability: irrigated plants and non‐irrigated plants on accumulation of leaf nutrients, NUE and biomass production ofM. maximus. Temperature control was performed by a temperature free‐air‐controlled enhancement (T‐FACE) system under field conditions. In general, we observed that warming under well‐irrigated conditions increased the leaf accumulation of most nutrients, improving the NUE of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn and Zn. Plant growth was also enhanced under warming effects, with higher leaf dry mass accumulation and root development. Meanwhile, drought decreased NUE of K, Ca, B and leaf dry biomass, while root growth was stimulated. The combined effects of warming and drought on nutrient accumulation, NUE and plant growth tended to be greater than the individual effects expected from a single factor; thus, warming mitigated the negative impacts of individual drought. In summary, our findings suggest that warming and drought, both as individual and combined factors, will change the nutrient requirements ofM. maximusin tropical ecosystems.

Variation in the phenology of photosynthesis among eastern white pine provenances in response to warming.

In higher-latitude trees, temperature and photoperiod control the beginning and end of the photosynthetically active season. Elevated temperature (ET) has advanced spring warming and delayed autumn cooling while photoperiod remains unchanged. We assessed the effects of warming on the length of the photosynthetically active season of three provenances of Pinus strobus L. seedlings from different latitudes, and evaluated the accuracy of the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and the chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI) for tracking the predicted variation in spring and autumn phenology of photosynthesis among provenances. Seedlings from northern, local and southern P.strobus provenances were planted in a temperature-free-air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) experiment and exposed to ET (+1.5/3°C; day/night). Over 18months, we assessed photosynthetic phenology by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, leaf spectral reflectance and pigment content. During autumn, all seedlings regardless of provenance followed the same sequence of phenological events with the initial downregulation of photosynthesis, followed by the modulation of non-photochemical quenching and associated adjustments of zeaxanthin pool sizes. However, the timing of autumn downregulation differed between provenances, with delayed onset in the southern provenance (SP) and earlier onset in the northern relative to the local provenance, indicating that photoperiod at the provenance origin is a dominant factor controlling autumn phenology. Experimental warming further delayed the downregulation of photosynthesis during autumn in the SP. A provenance effect during spring was also observed but was generally not significant. The vegetation indices PRI and CCI were both effective at tracking the seasonal variations of energy partitioning in needles and the differences of carotenoid pigments indicative of the stress status of needles. These results demonstrate that PRI and CCI can be useful tools for monitoring conifer phenology and for the remote monitoring of the length of the photosynthetically active season of conifers in a changing climate.

Fungal communities differentially respond to warming and drought in tropical grassland soil

Climate change is predicted to cause more extreme events, such as heatwaves, and different precipitation patterns. The effects of warming and short-term drought on soil microbial communities, in particular fungal communities, remain largely unexplored under field conditions. Here, we evaluated how the fungal community of a tropical grassland soil responds to these changes. A field experiment was carried out in a temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) facility in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. The isolated and combined effects of drought and a 2°C increase in temperature were investigated. Based on metabarcoding of the ITS2 region, a total of 771 operational taxonomic units were observed. While warming affected the community structure, drought affected the alpha diversity, and the interaction between warming and drought affected both diversity and structure. The change in community composition driven by warming affected only the less abundant species (>1% of the total sequences). The aspect of the fungal communities that was most affected was diversity, which was increased by drought (p<.05), mostly by reducing the dominance of a single species, as observed in the watered plots. In a phylogenetic context, some fungal taxa were favoured by changes in temperature (Hypocreales) and drought (Sordariales) or disadvantaged by both (Pleosporales). It was of note that a water deficit increased the abundance of phytopathogenic fungi, such as Curvularia, Thielavia and Fusarium species. Overall, our results provide evidence that fungal communities in tropical grassland soils have greater sensitivity to drought than to temperature, which might increase the incidence of certain soil-borne diseases.

Global warming: Antioxidant responses to deal with drought and elevated temperature inStylosanthes capitata, a forage legume

AbstractDrought can be more frequent and severe along with elevated temperatures (eT). To deal with the climate change impact on plants, we need to understand the plant biochemical performance. Nowadays, there is a lack of information about the antioxidant response of plants, mainly growing in field conditions and under the future climatic scenario. In this context, we carried out this experiment to analyse the antioxidant responses of the forage legumeStylosanthes capitataVogel (in field condition) to eT and water deprivation. This work had four treatments: control, eT (+2°C above ambient canopy temperature), wS (water deprivation) and eT + wS. Temperature free‐air controlled enhancement (T‐FACE) system was used for warming, and samples were taken 17, 24 and 46 days after warming exposure at time periods of 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The eT + wS treatments decreased catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase activities, especially at 46 days. Nevertheless, glutathione (GSH) content was not modified by eT + wS treatments. Also, we determined an important inverse relation among SOD‐GR‐GSH and MDA‐H2O2. In conclusion, combined stresses provoked detrimental effects of enzymatic antioxidant responses. Furthermore, we highlighted the importance of SOD‐GR and GSH to avoid damages of reactive oxygen species inS. capitatagrown under climate change. In addition, we suggest an adequate irrigation management in order to improve the antioxidant systems to face the eT, successfully; besides, we consider that the uses of tolerant cultivars are key under climate change conditions.

Increasing atmospheric CO2 and canopy temperature induces anatomical and physiological changes in leaves of the C4 forage species Panicum maximum.

Changes in leaf anatomy and ultrastructure are associated with physiological performance in the context of plant adaptations to climate change. In this study, we investigated the isolated and combined effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) up to 600 μmol mol-1 (eC) and elevated temperature (eT) to 2°C more than the ambient canopy temperature on the ultrastructure, leaf anatomy, and physiology of Panicum maximum Jacq. grown under field conditions using combined free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) and temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) systems. Plants grown under eC showed reduced stomatal density, stomatal index, stomatal conductance (gs), and leaf transpiration rate (E), increased soil-water content (SWC) conservation and adaxial epidermis thickness were also observed. The net photosynthesis rate (A) and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) were enhanced by 25% and 71%, respectively, with a concomitant increase in the size of starch grains in bundle sheath cells. Under air warming, we observed an increase in the thickness of the adaxial cuticle and a decrease in the leaf thickness, size of vascular bundles and bulliform cells, and starch content. Under eCeT, air warming offset the eC effects on SWC and E, and no interactions between [CO2] and temperature for leaf anatomy were observed. Elevated [CO2] exerted more effects on external characteristics, such as the epidermis anatomy and leaf gas exchange, while air warming affected mainly the leaf structure. We conclude that differential anatomical and physiological adjustments contributed to the acclimation of P. maximum growing under elevated [CO2] and air warming, improving the leaf biomass production under these conditions.

Warming and water deficit impact leaf photosynthesis and decrease forage quality and digestibility of a C4 tropical grass.

Global warming is predicted to cause more intense extreme events such as heat waves, flooding and severe droughts, producing significant effects on agriculture. In tropics, climate change will severely impact livestock production affecting water availability, forage quality and food for cattle. We investigated the isolated and combined effects of soil water deficit (wS) and + 2°C increase in canopy temperature (eT) on leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, carbohydrate content, forage quality and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of a field-grown C4 tropical forage grass Panicum maximum Jacq. using a temperature-free air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system. The wS and eT treatments showed no effects on photosystem II photochemistry. However, wS under ambient temperature decreased net photosynthesis rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs ) and maximum rate of carboxylation of Rubisco (Vcmax ), leading to a reduced starch content in leaves. A 16% reduction in leaf dry mass (LDM) and reduction in forage quality by increasing fibers, reducing crude protein (CP) and decreasing the IVDMD was also observed by effect of wS. Warming under adequate soil moisture (eT) significantly increased LDM by 25% but reduced the forage quality, increasing the lignin content and reducing starch, CP and digestibility. The combined wSeT treatment reduced A, gs , Vcmax and the forage quality. When compared to control, the lignin content in leaves increased by 43, 28 and 17% in wS, eT and wSeT, respectively, causing a significant reduction in IVDMD. We concluded that despite physiological mechanisms to acclimate to warming, both warming and water deficit will impair the quality and digestibility of C4 tropical pastures.

Wheat response to a wide range of temperatures, as determined from the Hot Serial Cereal (HSC) Experiment

Temperatures are warming on a global scale, a phenomenon that likely will affect future crop productivity. Crop growth models are useful tools to predict the likely effects of these global changes on agricultural productivity and to develop strategies to maximize the benefits and minimize the detriments of such changes. However, few such models have been tested at the higher temperatures expected in the future. Therefore, a “Hot Serial Cereal” experiment was conducted on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the world’s foremost food and feed crop, in order to obtain a dataset appropriate for testing the high temperature performance of wheat growth models. The wheat (Cereal) was planted serially (Serial) about every six weeks for over two years at Maricopa, Arizona, USA, which experiences the whole range of temperatures at which plants grow on Earth. In addition, on six planting dates infrared heaters in a T-FACE (temperature free-air controlled enhancement) system (Hot) were deployed over one-third of the plots to warm the wheat by additional target 1.5°C during daytime and 3.0°C at night. Achieved average degrees of warming were 1.3 and 2.7°C for day and night. Overall, a dataset covering 27 differently treated wheat crops with three replicates each was obtained covering an air temperature range from -2 to 42°C. Herein, the management, soils, weather, physiology, phenology, growth, yield, quality, and other data are presented. Data access via doi 10.7910/DVN/AEFLHB.

The Hot Serial Cereal Experiment for modeling wheat response to temperature: field experiments and AgMIP-Wheat multi-model simulations

The data set reported here includes the part of a Hot Serial Cereal Experiment (HSC) experiment recently used in the AgMIP-Wheat project to analyze the uncertainty of 30 wheat models and quantify their response to temperature. The HSC experiment was conducted in an open-field in a semiarid environment in the southwest USA. The data reported herewith include one hard red spring wheat cultivar (Yecora Rojo) sown approximately every six weeks from December to August for a two-year period for a total of 11 planting dates out of the 15 of the entire HSC experiment. The treatments were chosen to avoid any effect of frost on grain yields. On late fall, winter and early spring plantings temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) apparatus utilizing infrared heaters with supplemental irrigation were used to increase air temperature by 1.3°C/2.7°C (day/night) with conditions equivalent to raising air temperature at constant relative humidity (i.e. as expected with global warming) during the whole crop growth cycle. Experimental data include local daily weather data, soil characteristics and initial conditions, detailed crop measurements taken at three growth stages during the growth cycle, and cultivar information. Simulations include both daily in-season and end-of-season results from 30 wheat models. Data access via doi 10.7910/DVN/M9ZT0F

Experimental Air Warming of a Stylosanthes capitata, Vogel Dominated Tropical Pasture Affects Soil Respiration and Nitrogen Dynamics.

Warming due to global climate change is predicted to reach 2°C in tropical latitudes. There is an alarming paucity of information regarding the effects of air temperature on tropical agroecosystems, including foraging pastures. Here, we investigated the effects of a 2°C increase in air temperature over ambient for 30 days on an established tropical pasture (Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil) dominated by the legume Stylosanthes capitata Vogel, using a T-FACE (temperature free-air controlled enhancement) system. We tested the effects of air warming on soil properties [carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and their stable isotopic levels (δ13C and δ15N), as well as soil respiration and soil enzymatic activity] and aboveground characteristics (foliar C, N, δ13C, δ15N, leaf area index, and aboveground biomass) under field conditions. Results show that experimental air warming moderately increased soil respiration rates compared to ambient temperature. Soil respiration was positively correlated with soil temperature and moisture during mid-day (when soil respiration was at its highest) but not at dusk. Foliar δ13C were not different between control and elevated temperature treatments, indicating that plants grown in warmed plots did not show the obvious signs of water stress often seen in warming experiments. The 15N isotopic composition of leaves from plants grown at elevated temperature was lower than in ambient plants, suggesting perhaps a higher proportion of N-fixation contributing to tissue N in warmed plants when compared to ambient ones. Soil microbial enzymatic activity decreased in response to the air warming treatment, suggesting a slower decomposition of organic matter under elevated air temperature conditions. Decreased soil enzyme capacity and increases in soil respiration and plant biomass in plots exposed to high temperature suggest that increased root activity may have caused the increase seen in soil respiration in this tropical pasture. This response along with rapid changes in soil and plant 15N may differ from what has been shown in temperate grasslands.

Leaf Dynamics of Panicum maximum under Future Climatic Changes.

Panicum maximum Jacq. ‘Mombaça’ (C4) was grown in field conditions with sufficient water and nutrients to examine the effects of warming and elevated CO2 concentrations during the winter. Plants were exposed to either the ambient temperature and regular atmospheric CO2 (Control); elevated CO2 (600 ppm, eC); canopy warming (+2°C above regular canopy temperature, eT); or elevated CO2 and canopy warming (eC+eT). The temperatures and CO2 in the field were controlled by temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) and mini free-air CO2 enrichment (miniFACE) facilities. The most green, expanding, and expanded leaves and the highest leaf appearance rate (LAR, leaves day-1) and leaf elongation rate (LER, cm day-1) were observed under eT. Leaf area and leaf biomass were higher in the eT and eC+eT treatments. The higher LER and LAR without significant differences in the number of senescent leaves could explain why tillers had higher foliage area and leaf biomass in the eT treatment. The eC treatment had the lowest LER and the fewest expanded and green leaves, similar to Control. The inhibitory effect of eC on foliage development in winter was indicated by the fewer green, expanded, and expanding leaves under eC+eT than eT. The stimulatory and inhibitory effects of the eT and eC treatments, respectively, on foliage raised and lowered, respectively, the foliar nitrogen concentration. The inhibition of foliage by eC was confirmed by the eC treatment having the lowest leaf/stem biomass ratio and by the change in leaf biomass-area relationships from linear or exponential growth to rectangular hyperbolic growth under eC. Besides, eC+eT had a synergist effect, speeding up leaf maturation. Therefore, with sufficient water and nutrients in winter, the inhibitory effect of elevated CO2 on foliage could be partially offset by elevated temperatures and relatively high P. maximum foliage production could be achieved under future climatic change.

Sensitivity of cold acclimation to elevated autumn temperature in field-grown Pinus strobus seedlings.

Climate change will increase autumn air temperature, while photoperiod decrease will remain unaffected. We assessed the effect of increased autumn air temperature on timing and development of cold acclimation and freezing resistance in Eastern white pine (EWP, Pinus strobus) under field conditions. For this purpose we simulated projected warmer temperatures for southern Ontario in a Temperature Free-Air-Controlled Enhancement (T-FACE) experiment and exposed EWP seedlings to ambient (Control) or elevated temperature (ET, +1.5°C/+3°C during day/night). Photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, photoprotective pigments, leaf non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), and cold hardiness were assessed over two consecutive autumns. Nighttime temperature below 10°C and photoperiod below 12 h initiated downregulation of assimilation in both treatments. When temperature further decreased to 0°C and photoperiod became shorter than 10 h, downregulation of the light reactions and upregulation of photoprotective mechanisms occurred in both treatments. While ET seedlings did not delay the timing of the downregulation of assimilation, stomatal conductance in ET seedlings was decreased by 20–30% between August and early October. In both treatments leaf NSC composition changed considerably during autumn but differences between Control and ET seedlings were not significant. Similarly, development of freezing resistance was induced by exposure to low temperature during autumn, but the timing was not delayed in ET seedlings compared to Control seedlings. Our results indicate that EWP is most sensitive to temperature changes during October and November when downregulation of photosynthesis, enhancement of photoprotection, synthesis of cold-associated NSCs and development of freezing resistance occur. However, we also conclude that the timing of the development of freezing resistance in EWP seedlings is not affected by moderate temperature increases used in our field experiments.

Predicting Canopy Temperatures and Infrared Heater Energy Requirements for Warming Field Plots

Warming open‐field plots using arrays of infrared heaters has proven feasible for conducting experiments to determine the likely effects of global warming on various ecosystems. To date, however, such experiments have been done for only a few degrees (≤3.5°C) of warming, yet climate projections, especially for high latitudes, indicate that future warming may be 10°C or more. Therefore, there is a need to conduct such experiments with more heating, which increases expense. To estimate energy requirements and costs for such temperature free‐air controlled enhancement (T‐FACE) experiments, improved theory was developed whereby: (i) the canopy temperature of an unheated plot is computed using the well‐accepted Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, with some constraints to calculate aerodynamic resistance; (ii) the desired amount of warming is added; and (iii) the energy balance is re‐solved to obtain the additional infrared radiation needed from the heaters to attain the desired temperature of the heated plots. Performance data are presented from T‐FACE experiments with 3‐m‐diameter plots conducted over six wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops and for 1‐wk periods over soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and northern mixed‐grass prairie. The T‐FACE system over wheat provided warming temperatures for day and night that were within 0.1°C of the desired setpoint differences. The measured or predicted energy requirements of the T‐FACE system for raising the wheat canopy temperatures averaged about 7.0 kWh m−2 d−1. Predictions of canopy temperatures and infrared heating requirements agreed with measurements most of the time for wheat, soybean, and prairie.

Moderate warming increases PSII performance, antioxidant scavenging systems and biomass production in Stylosanthes capitata Vogel

Stylosanthes capitata Vogel is an important forage legume in tropical and subtropical regions. To study the response of S. capitata to the moderate warming expected as a result of climate change, plants were subjected to elevated temperature (2°C increase over the ambient temperature) in a temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) facility. Photosystem II (PSII) performance, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, the chlorophyll index, the leaf area index (LAI) and the aboveground biomass production were evaluated. The maximum PSII quantum yield (FV/FM) and the quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation Y (NPQ) were not affected by the warming. However, we observed a significant increase in the electron transport rate (ETR), the non-photochemical energy dissipation (NPQ), the effective PSII quantum yield Y(II) and the coefficient of photochemical quenching (qP) in the warmed leaves compared with the control leaves. In contrast, a significant reduction in the quantum yield of the relative reduction state of QA (1-qP) and non-regulated power dissipation Y(NO) was observed in the warmed leaves. The increase in ETR under moderate warming was associated with the increase (31%) in chlorophyll content. The activities of antioxidant enzymes increased in the leaves of the warmed plants, but the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of the leaves was not affected by warming, suggesting that higher levels of the antioxidant defense system induced by warming may improve the protection of photosynthesis against oxidative damage and attenuate the destructive effects of reactive oxygen species. As a result of warming, leaf area index (LAI) and biomass production increased by 32% and 16%, respectively. The improved PSII functioning of the warmed leaves of S. capitata may reflect their capacity to acclimate better to warming growth conditions. We conclude that the warming induced by increasing the temperature by 2°C, under non stressing conditions, was beneficial for the physiology and for the biophysical and physiological processes involved in plant growth of S. capitata, suggesting that slight increases in the leaf temperature may benefit some plants, especially those in tropical environments.