ALBERT

Notes: To analyse the broad-scale behaviour of 15 global models of the terrestrial biosphere, we evaluated the sensitivity of simulated net primary productivity (NPP) to spatial and seasonal variations in precipitation, temperature and solar radiation, and to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). For annual NPP estimates, the models’ sensitivities to climate were the most similar in regions where NPP was not limited by precipitation. The largest differences in sensitivities occurred in regions where NPP was limited by both temperature and precipitation. Water use efficiencies within the models were relatively constant across latitudes so that higher correlations occurred between the latitudinal distribution of NPP and precipitation than with the other climate variables. The sensitivities of NPP estimates to solar radiation varied considerably with latitude. The largest differences in temperature sensitivity among NPP estimates occurred in the northern latitudes (50°N–70°N), i.e. the zone with the shortest active growing seasons. The sensitivity of NPP estimates to climate also varied seasonally. At the beginning and end of the active growing season in the boreal zone, monthly NPP estimates of all models were the most sensitive to temperature. In the tropics, sensitivities to climate varied widely among and within models. Seasonal changes in water balance and the structure of the vegetation canopy, as reflected by seasonal changes in NDVI, modified the sensitivity of NPP to climate in both boreal and tropical zones. Because these are both highly productive regions sensitive to climate change, continued investigations and better validation of models are necessary before we can fully understand and predict changes in ecosystem structure and function under various climatic conditions.

Notes: The direct effect of elevated carbon dioxide on evapotranspiration over a growing season was investigated by scaling up single-leaf gas exchange measurements on soybean and corn plants grown and measured at three carbon dioxide concentrations. Stomatal conductance decreased markedly with increasing carbon dioxide in these species under most conditions. Coupled soil–vegetation–atmosphere models were used to scale up these single-leaf level measurements to simulate evapotranspiration at the regional scale from planting to harvest. The coupled modelling system introduced feedbacks over the season that are not present at the measurement level, which decreased the effect of carbon dioxide on evapotranspiration. Four sets of simulations were performed to evaluate specifically the magnitude of four feedbacks; two resulting from scale, surface layer and mixed layer feedback, one resulting from soil evaporation and one resulting from the interactions of stomatal conductance and the simulated canopy microclimate (physiological feedback). The feedbacks occurring from scale were consistent with previous analytical work indicating that transpiration becomes less dependent on stomatal conductance at larger scales. Evaporation from the soil has been generally neglected in past studies on carbon dioxide effects, but was especially important in decreasing the effects of carbon dioxide on evapotranspiration and showed a seasonal dynamic. The feedback resulting from physiological responses has also received less attention than the feedbacks from scale, but was only moderately important in these simulations. We also investigated the seasonal dynamics of how the observed increase in leaf area at elevated carbon dioxide affects evapotranspiration. Considering all the feedbacks and the observed increase in leaf area at elevated carbon dioxide, the simulated decrease in evapotranspiration was not negligible but was much less than the decrease in stomatal conductance. At the regional scale and maximum complexity in our model, the simulated decrease in seasonal evapotranspiration at doubled carbon dioxide (700 μmol mol–1) was 5.4% for soybeans and 8.6% for corn.

Notes: The release of certain man-made chemicals has led to recurrent, seasonal destruction of ozone in the upper atmosphere, allowing more solar radiation in the UV-B waveband to reach the Earth. Consequently, many amphibians may suffer increased exposure to UV-B at various stages in their lives. Embryonic stages of species which spawn in the spring, in shallow, open water, are at high risk of increased exposure. We exposed newly fertilized eggs of one such species, Rana temporaria L., to sunlight with and without supplemental UV-B. We used outdoor arrays of lamps to simulate the increase in UV-B which might result from previously documented ozone depletion. From immediately after fertilization to when hatchlings began feeding, ambient solar UV-B, weighted for DNA-damaging potential, was supplemented by ≈ 81% in 1995 and 113% in 1996. These levels of supplementation approximated the increase in solar UV-B expected to result from losses of 21% and 25%, respectively, of the total amount of ozone in the atmospheric column, relative to pre-ozone-depletion values. We found no evidence that these additions of UV-B radiation increased the incidence of mortality or overt developmental abnormality among embryos. We stress the need for appropriate dosimetry in studies of effects of UV-B on organisms.

Notes: The net ecosystem exchange of CO2 between forests and the atmosphere, measured by eddy covariance, is the small difference between two large fluxes of photosynthesis and respiration. Chamber measurements of soil surface CO2 efflux (Fs), wood respiration (Fw) and foliage respiration (Ff) help identify the contributions of these individual components to net ecosystem exchange. Models developed from the chamber data also provide independent estimates of respiration costs. We measured CO2 efflux with chambers periodically in 1996–97 in a ponderosa pine forest in Oregon, scaled these measurements to the ecosystem, and computed annual totals for respiration by component. We also compared estimated half-hourly ecosystem respiration at night (Fnc) with eddy covariance measurements. Mean foliage respiration normalized to 10 °C was 0.20 μmol m–2 (hemi-leaf surface area) s–1, and reached a maximum of 0.24 μmol m–2 HSA s–1 between days 162 and 208. Mean wood respiration normalized to 10 °C was 5.9 μmol m–3 sapwood s–1, with slightly higher rates in mid-summer, when growth occurs. There was no significant difference (P 〉 0.10) between wood respiration of young (45 years) and old trees (250 years). Soil surface respiration normalized to 10 °C ranged from 0.7 to 3.0 μmol m–2 (ground) s–1 from days 23 to 329, with the lowest rates in winter and highest rates in late spring. Annual CO2 flux from soil surface, foliage and wood was 683, 157, and 54 g C m–2 y–1, with soil fluxes responsible for 76% of ecosystem respiration. The ratio of net primary production to gross primary production was 0.45, consistent with values for conifer sites in Oregon and Australia, but higher than values reported for boreal coniferous forests. Below-ground carbon allocation (root turnover and respiration, estimated as Fs– litterfall carbon) consumed 61% of GPP; high ratios such as this are typical of sites with more water and nutrient constraints. The chamber estimates were moderately correlated with change in CO2 storage in the canopy (Fstor) on calm nights (friction velocity u* 〈 0.25 m s–1; R2 = 0.60); Fstor was not significantly different from summed chamber estimates. On windy nights (u* 〉 0.25 m s–1), the sum of turbulent flux measured above the canopy by eddy covariance and Fstor was only weakly correlated with summed chamber estimates (R2 = 0.14); the eddy covariance estimates were lower than chamber estimates by 50%.

Notes: Seventeen global models of terrestrial biogeochemistry were compared with respect to annual and seasonal fluxes of net primary productivity (NPP) for the land biosphere. The comparison, sponsored by IGBP-GAIM/DIS/GCTE, used standardized input variables wherever possible and was carried out through two international workshops and over the Internet. The models differed widely in complexity and original purpose, but could be grouped in three major categories: satellite-based models that use data from the NOAA/AVHRR sensor as their major input stream (CASA, GLO-PEM, SDBM, SIB2 and TURC), models that simulate carbon fluxes using a prescribed vegetation structure (BIOME-BGC, CARAIB 2.1, CENTURY 4.0, FBM 2.2, HRBM 3.0, KGBM, PLAI 0.2, SILVAN 2.2 and TEM 4.0), and models that simulate both vegetation structure and carbon fluxes (BIOME3, DOLY and HYBRID 3.0). The simulations resulted in a range of total NPP values (44.4–66.3 Pg C year–1), after removal of two outliers (which produced extreme results as artefacts due to the comparison). The broad global pattern of NPP and the relationship of annual NPP to the major climatic variables coincided in most areas. Differences could not be attributed to the fundamental modelling strategies, with the exception that nutrient constraints generally produced lower NPP. Regional and global NPP were sensitive to the simulation method for the water balance. Seasonal variation among models was high, both globally and locally, providing several indications for specific deficiencies in some models.

Notes: Interactive effects of CO2 and water availability have been predicted to alter the competitive relationships between C3 and C4 species over geological and contemporary time scales. We tested the effects of drought and CO2 partial pressures (pCO2) ranging from values of the Pleistocene to those predicted for the future on the physiology and growth of model C3 and C4 species. We grew co-occurring Abutilon theophrasti (C3) and Amaranthus retroflexus (C4) in monoculture at 18 (Pleistocene), 27 (preindustrial), 35 (current), and 70 (future) Pa CO2 under conditions of high light and nutrient availability. After 27 days of growth, water was withheld from randomly chosen plants of each species until visible wilting occurred. Under well-watered conditions, low pCO2 that occurred during the Pleistocene was highly limiting to C3 photosynthesis and growth, and C3 plants showed increased photosynthesis and growth with increasing pCO2 between the Pleistocene and future CO2 values. Well-watered C4 plants exhibited increased photosynthesis in response to increasing pCO2, but total mass and leaf area were unaffected by pCO2. In response to drought, C3 plants dropped a large amount of leaf area and maintained relatively high leaf water potential in remaining leaves, whereas C4 plants retained greater leaf area, but at a lower leaf water potential. Furthermore, drought-treated C3 plants grown at 18 Pa CO2 retained relatively greater leaf area than C3 plants grown at higher pCO2 and exhibited a delay in the reduction of stomatal conductance that may have occurred in response to severe carbon limitations. The C4 plants grown at 70 Pa CO2 showed lower relative reductions in net photosynthesis by the end of the drought compared to plants at lower pCO2, indicating that CO2 enrichment may alleviate drought effects in C4 plants. At the Pleistocene pCO2, C3 and C4 plants showed similar relative recovery from drought for leaf area and biomass production, whereas C4 plants showed higher recovery than C3 plants at current and elevated pCO2. Based on these model systems, we conclude that C3 species may not have been at a disadvantage relative to C4 species in response to low CO2 and severe drought during the Pleistocene. Furthermore, C4 species may have an advantage over C3 species in response to increasing atmospheric CO2 and more frequent and severe droughts.

Notes: Carbon dioxide, water vapour, and sensible heat fluxes were measured above and within a spruce dominated forest near the southern ecotone of the boreal forest in Maine, USA. Summer, mid-day carbon dioxide uptake was higher than at other boreal coniferous forests, averaging about – 13 μmol CO2 m–2 s–1. Nocturnal summer ecosystem respiration averaged ≈ 6 μmol CO2 m–2 s–1 at a mean temperature of ≈ 15 °C. Significant ecosystem C uptake began with the thawing of the soil in early April and was abruptly reduced by the first autumn frost in early October. Half-hourly forest CO2 exchange was regulated mostly by the incident photosynthetically active photon flux density (PPFD). In addition to the threshold effects of freezing temperatures, there were seasonal effects on the inferred photosynthetic parameters of the forest canopy. The functional response of this forest to environmental variation was similar to that of other spruce forests. In contrast to reports of carbon loss from northerly boreal forest sites, in 1996 the Howland forest was a strong carbon sink, storing about 2.1 t C ha–1.

Notes: The exchange of CH4 between tropical forests and the atmosphere was determined by simultaneously measuring the net CH4 flux at the soil surface and assessing the flux contribution from soil-feeding termite biomass, both within the soil profile and in mounds. In Cameroon the flux of CH4 ranged from a net emission of 40.7 ng m–2 s–1 to a net CH4 oxidation of –53.0 ng m–2 s–1. Soil-inhabiting termite biomass was significantly correlated with CH4 flux. Termite mounds emitted up to 2000 ng s–1 mound–1. Termite-derived CH4 emission reduced the soil sink strength by up to 28%. Disturbance also had a strong effect on the soil sink strength, with the average rate of CH4 oxidation, at – 17.5 ng m–2 s–1, being significantly smaller (≈ 36%) at the secondary forest site than the –27.2 ng m–2 s–1, observed at the primary forest site. CH4 budgets calculated for each site indicated that both forests were net sinks for CH4 at – 6.1 kg ha–1 y–1 in the near-primary forest and – 3.1 kg ha–1 y–1 in the secondary forest.In Borneo, three forest sites representing a disturbance gradient were examined. CH4 oxidation rates ranged from 0 to – 32.1 ng m–2s–1 and a significant correlation between the net flux and termite biomass was observed only in an undisturbed primary forest, although the biomass was insufficient to cause net emission of CH4. Rates of CH4 oxidation were not significantly different across the disturbance gradient but were, however, larger in the primary forest (averaging – 15.4 ng m–2 s–1) than in an old-growth secondary forest (–13.9 ng m–2s–1) and a young secondary re-growth (– 10.8 ng m–2s–1). CH4 flux from termite mounds ranged from net oxidation in an abandoned mound to a maximum emission of 468 ng s–1 mound–1. CH4 budgets calculated for each site indicated that CH4 flux from termite mounds had an insignificant effect on the budget of CH4 at the regional scale at all three forest sites. Annual oxidation rates were – 4.8, – 4.2 and – 3.4 kg ha–1 y–1 in the primary, secondary and young secondary forests, respectively.

Notes: Saplings of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) were exposed at an outdoor facility to modulated levels of elevated UV-B radiation (280–315 nm) under treatment arrays of cellulose diacetate-filtered fluorescent lamps which also produced UV-A radiation (315–400 nm). Saplings were also exposed to UV-A radiation alone under control arrays of polyester-filtered lamps and to ambient levels of solar radiation under arrays of unenergized lamps. The UV-B treatment corresponded to a 30% elevation above the ambient level of erythemally weighted UV-B radiation. Sapling growth and the occurrence of associated organisms were examined over two years. In both years, leaves of saplings exposed to UV-B treatment were thicker and smaller in area relative to leaves exposed to ambient and control levels of radiation. UV-B treatment also retarded bud burst at one sampling in the first year of the study. Some responses were recorded which were common to both treatment and control arrays, implying that UV-A radiation, or some other factor associated with energized lamps, was responsible for the observed effects. Saplings under treatment and control arrays were taller in the first year of the study, suffered greater herbivory from chewing insects, and had lower root dry weights and greater insertion heights of secondary branches than saplings exposed to ambient levels of radiation. Exposure of saplings to elevated UV-A radiation alone under control arrays increased estimated leaf volumes in the second year of the study and reduced the number of secondary branches and the total number of branches per sapling after two years, relative to both treatment and ambient arrays. There were no effects of elevated ultraviolet radiation on shoot or total plant weight, root/shoot ratios, stem diameter, the numbers or insertion heights of primary or tertiary branches, total leaf number, timing of leaf fall or frequency of ectomycorrhizas. Our study suggests that any increases in UV-B radiation as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion will influence the growth of Q. robur primarily through effects on leaf morphology.

Notes: Atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) and temperature are likely to increase in the future and may change plant growth and composition characteristics. Rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.) and bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) were grown on a natural field soil in temperature-gradient greenhouses to evaluate the effects of elevated [CO2] and temperature on tissue composition and digestibility during the establishment year. Carbon dioxide levels were maintained at 365 (ambient) and 640 μL CO2 L–1 air. The temperature-gradient greenhouses were regulated to obtain air temperature sectors of 0.2, 1.5, 2.9, and 4.5 °C above ambient. Samples were taken of previously undefoliated herbage at 57, 86, 121, 148, and 217 days after planting and entire plots were harvested at 218 days after planting. Elevated [CO2] increased total nonstructural carbohydrate concentration in rhizoma peanut leaves by almost 50%. Rhizoma peanut leaf N concentration was 6% lower at elevated than at ambient [CO2]. The N concentration in new rhizomes of rhizoma peanut was increased by high [CO2], while the N concentration in bahiagrass was not affected by temperature or [CO2]. No effects of [CO2] and temperature were found on neutral detergent fibre in rhizoma peanut leaves or stems; however, elevated [CO2] increased neutral detergent fibre in bahiagrass leaves. Only at season end was in vitro organic matter digestion of rhizoma peanut higher at ambient (623 g kg–1) than at elevated [CO2] (609 g kg–1). Elevated [CO2] had a greater effect on tissue composition of rhizoma peanut than of bahiagrass. These data suggest that elevated temperature and CO2-induced changes in chemical composition of forage species adapted to humid subtropics will be relatively small, particularly for C4 species.

Notes: The distribution of assimilated carbon among the plant parts has a profound effect on plant growth, and at a larger scale, on terrestrial biogeochemistry. Although important progress has been made in modelling photosynthesis, less effort has been spent on understanding the carbon allocation, especially at large spatial scales. Whereas several individual-level models of plant growth include an allocation scheme, most global terrestrial models still assume constant allocation of net primary production (NPP) among plant parts, without any environmental coupling. Here, we use the CASA biosphere model as a platform for exploring a new global allocation scheme that estimates allocation of photosynthesis products among leaves, stems, and roots depending on resource availability. The philosophy underlying the model is that allocation patterns result from evolved responses that adjust carbon investments to facilitate capture of the most limiting resources, i.e. light, water, and mineral nitrogen. In addition, we allow allocation of NPP to vary in response to changes in atmospheric CO2. The relative magnitudes of changes in NPP and resource-use efficiency control the response of root:shoot allocation. For ambient CO2, the model produces realistic changes in above-ground allocation along productivity gradients. In comparison to the CASA standard estimate using fixed allocation ratios, the new allocation scheme tends to favour root allocation, leading to a 10% lower global biomass. Elevated CO2, which alters the balance between growth and available resources, generally leads to reduced water stress and consequently, decreased root:shoot ratio. The major exception is forest ecosystems, where increased nitrogen stress induces a larger root allocation.

Notes: The alteration of climate is driven not only by anthropogenic activities, but also by biosphere processes that change in conjunction with climate. Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation may be particularly sensitive to changes in climate and may play an important role in climate forcing through their influence on the atmospheric oxidative balance, greenhouse gas concentration, and the formation of aerosols. Using the VEMAP vegetation database and associated vegetation responses to climate change, this study examined the independent and combined effects of simulated changes in temperature, CO2 concentration, and vegetation distribution on annual emissions of isoprene, monoterpenes, and other reactive VOCs (ORVOCs) from potential vegetation of the continental United States. Temperature effects were modelled according to the direct influence of temperature on enzymatic isoprene production and the vapour pressure of monoterpenes and ORVOCs. The effect of elevated CO2 concentration was modelled according to increases in foliar biomass per unit of emitting surface area. The effects of vegetation distribution reflects simulated changes in species spatial distribution and areal coverage by 21 different vegetation classes. Simulated climate warming associated with a doubled atmospheric CO2 concentration enhanced total modelled VOC emission by 81.8% (isoprene + 82.1%, monoterpenes + 81.6%, ORVOC + 81.1%), whereas a simulated doubled CO2 alone enhanced total modelled VOC emission by only + 11.8% (isoprene + 13.7%, monoterpenes + 4.1%, ORVOC + 11.7%). A simulated redistribution of vegetation in response to altered temperatures and precipitation patterns caused total modelled VOC emission to decline by 10.4% (isoprene – 11.7%, monoterpenes – 18.6%, ORVOC 0.0%) driven by a decline in area covered by vegetation classes emitting VOCs at high rates. Thus, the positive effect of leaf-level adjustments to elevated CO2 (i.e. increases in foliar biomass) is balanced by the negative effect of ecosystem-level adjustments to climate (i.e. decreases in areal coverage of species emitting VOC at high rates).

Notes: Young Scots pine trees naturally established at a pine heath were exposed to two concentrations of CO2 (ambient and doubled ambient) and two O3 regimes (ambient and doubled ambient) and their combination in open-top field chambers during growing seasons 1994, 1995 and 1996 (late May to 15 September). Filtered ozone treatment and chamberless control trees were also included in the treatment comparisons. Root ingrowth cores were inserted to the undisturbed soil below the branch projection of each tree at the beginning of the fumigation period in 1994 and were harvested at the end of the fumigation periods in 1995 and 1996. Root biomasses were determined from different soil layers in the ingrowth cores, and the infection levels of different mycorrhizal types were calculated. Elevated O3 and CO2 did not have significant effects on the biomass production of Scots pine coarse (Ø 〉 2 mm) or fine roots (Ø 〈 2 mm) and roots of grasses and dwarf shrubs. Elevated O3 caused a transient stimulation, observable in 1995, in the proportion of tuber-like mycorrhizas, total mycorrhizas and total short roots but this stimulation disappeared during the last study year. Elevated CO2 did not enhance carbon allocation to root growth or mycorrhiza formation, although a diminishing trend in the mycorrhiza formation was observed. In the combination treatment increased CO2 inhibited the transient stimulating effect of ozone, and a significant increase of old mycorrhizas was observed. Our conclusion is that doubled CO2 is not able to increase carbon allocation to growth of fine roots or mycorrhizas in nutrient poor forest sites and realistically elevated ozone does not cause a measurable limitation to roots within a period of three exposure years.

Notes: Arid and semiarid climates comprise roughly 40% of the earth’s terrestrial surface. Deserts are predicted to be extremely responsive to global change because they are stressful environments where small absolute changes in water availability or use represent large proportional changes. Water and carbon dioxide fluxes are inherently coupled in plant growth. No documented global change has been more substantial or more rapid than the increase in atmospheric CO2. Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) technology permits manipulation of CO2 in intact communities without altering factors such as light intensity or quality, humidity or wind. The Nevada Desert FACE Facility (NDFF) consists of three 491 m2 plots in the Mojave Desert receiving 550 μL L–1 CO2, and six ambient plots to assess both CO2 and fan effects. The shrub community was characterized as a Larrea–Ambrosia–Lycium species complex. Data are reported through 12 months of operation.

Notes: We report changes in nitrogen cycling in Florida scrub oak in response to elevated atmospheric CO2 during the first 14 months of experimental treatment. Elevated CO2 stimulated above-ground growth, nitrogen mass, and root nodule production of the nitrogen-fixing vine, Galactia elliottii Nuttall. During this period, elevated CO2 reduced rates of gross nitrogen mineralization in soil, and resulted in lower recovery of nitrate on resin lysimeters. Elevated CO2 did not alter nitrogen in the soil microbial biomass, but increased the specific rate of ammonium immobilization (NH4+ immobilized per unit microbial N) measured over a 24-h period. Increased carbon input to soil through greater root growth combined with a decrease in the quality of that carbon in elevated CO2 best explains these changes. These results demonstrate that atmospheric CO2 concentration influences both the internal cycling of nitrogen (mineralization, immobilization, and nitrification) as well as the processes that regulate total ecosystem nitrogen mass (nitrogen fixation and nitrate leaching) in Florida coastal scrub oak. If these changes in nitrogen cycling are sustained, they could cause long-term feedbacks to the growth responses of plants to elevated CO2. Greater nitrogen fixation and reduced leaching could stimulate nitrogen-limited plant growth by increasing the mass of labile nitrogen in the ecosystem. By contrast, reduced nitrogen mineralization and increased immobilization will restrict the supply rate of plant-available nitrogen, potentially reducing plant growth. Thus, the net feedback to plant growth will depend on the balance of these effects through time.

Notes: The role of acclimation of dark respiration to temperature and CO2 concentration and its relationship to growth are critical in determining plant response to predicted global change. We explored temperature acclimation of respiration in seedlings of tree species of the North American boreal forest. Populus tremuloides, Betula papyrifera, Larix laricina, Pinus banksiana, and Picea mariana plants were grown from seed in controlled-environments at current and elevated concentrations of CO2 (370 and 580 μmol mol–1) in combination with three temperature treatments of 18/12, 24/18, and 30/24 °C (light/dark period). Specific respiration rates of roots and shoots acclimated to temperature, damping increases in rates across growth-temperature environments compared to short-term temperature responses. Compared at a standard temperature, root and shoot respiration rates were, on average, 40% lower in plants grown at the highest compared to lowest growth temperature. Broad-leaved species had a lower degree of temperature acclimation of respiration than did the conifers. Among species and treatment combinations, rates of respiration were linearly related to size and relative growth rate, and relationships were comparable among growth environments. Specific respiration rates and whole-plant respiratory CO2 efflux as a proportion of daily net CO2 uptake increased at higher growth temperatures, but were minimally affected by CO2 concentration. Whole-plant specific respiration rates were two to three times higher in broad-leaved than coniferous species. However, compared to faster-growing broad-leaved species, slower-growing conifers lost a larger proportion of net daily CO2 uptake as respiratory CO2 efflux, especially in roots. Interspecific variation in acclimation responses of dark respiration to temperature is more important than acclimation of respiration to CO2 enrichment in modifying tree seedling growth responses to projected increases in CO2 concentration and temperature.

Notes: An open-air experiment was performed in Pistoia (Italy) to investigate the possible protective role played by different contents of UV-B absorbing compounds to realistic UV-B supplementation and to study its effect on plant fruit production. A mutant line and its normal counterpart of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill, which differ in the content of UV-B absorbing compounds, were used. Additional UV-B radiation in the field was supplied to simulate a 20% stratospheric ozone depletion. Two groups of plants were grown: ‘control’, where plants received only natural solar UV-B radiation, and ‘UV-B’ treatment, where plants were grown under supplemental UV-B. The results of the experiment showed that the content of UV-B absorbing compounds of treated plants did not differ from that of the control in both lines. This indicates that natural sunlight, in Mediterranean areas, is saturating for synthesis of these compounds also in plants with normal content of UV-B absorbing compounds. Consequently, plants are not able to produce significant additional amounts of them, in response to a realistic UV-B supplementation, in order to protect the plant from additional UV-B radiation. No different responses to the UV-B supplementation were found between the two lines. The most significant UV-B effect was an earlier reddening of fruits in comparison with the ‘control’ accompanied by a reduction in the size of mature fruits. No significant effects of UV-B treatment were observed in biomass accumulation, leaf ontogeny, flowering or productivity.

Notes: It was hypothesized that high CO2 availability would increase monoterpene emission to the atmosphere. This hypothesis was based on resource allocation theory which predicts increased production of plant secondary compounds when carbon is in excess of that required for growth. Monoterpene emission rates were measured from needles of (a) Ponderosa pine grown at different CO2 concentrations and soil nitrogen levels, and (b) Douglas fir grown at different CO2 concentrations. Ponderosa pine grown at 700 μmol mol–1 CO2 exhibited increased photosynthetic rates and needle starch to nitrogen (N) ratios when compared to trees grown at 350 μmol mol–1 CO2. Nitrogen availability had no consistent effect on photosynthesis. Douglas fir grown at 550 μmol mol–1 CO2 exhibited increased photosynthetic rates as compared to growth at 350 μmol mol–1 CO2 in old, but not young needles, and there was no influence on the starch/N ratio. In neither species was there a significant effect of elevated growth CO2 on needle monoterpene concentration or emission rate. The influence of climate warming and leaf area index (LAI) on monoterpene emission were also investigated. Douglas fir grown at elevated CO2 plus a 4 °C increase in growth temperature exhibited no change in needle monoterpene concentration, despite a predicted 50% increase in emission rate. At elevated CO2 concentration the LAI increased in Ponderosa pine, but not Douglas fir. The combination of increased LAI and climate warming are predicted to cause an 80% increase in monoterpene emissions from Ponderosa pine forests and a 50% increase in emissions from Douglas fir forests. This study demonstrates that although growth at elevated CO2 may not affect the rate of monoterpene emission per unit biomass, the effect of elevated CO2 on LAI, and the effect of climate warming on monoterpene biosynthesis and volatilization, could increase canopy monoterpene emission rate.

Notes: Soil and ecosystem trace gas fluxes are commonly measured using the dynamic chamber technique. Although the chamber pressure anomalies associated with this method are known to be a source of error, their effects have not been fully characterized. In this study, we use results from soil gas-exchange experiments and a soil CO2 transport model to characterize the effects of chamber pressure on soil CO2 efflux in an annual California grassland. For greater than ambient chamber pressures, experimental data show that soil-surface CO2 flux decreases as a nonlinear function of increasing chamber pressure; this decrease is larger for drier soils. In dry soil, a gauge pressure of 0.5 Pa reduced the measured soil CO2 efflux by roughly 70% relative to the control measurement at ambient pressure. Results from the soil CO2 transport model show that pressurizing the flux chamber above ambient pressure effectively flushes CO2 from the soil by generating a downward flow of air through the soil air-filled pore space. This advective flow of air reduces the CO2 concentration gradient across the soil–atmosphere interface, resulting in a smaller diffusive flux into the chamber head space. Simulations also show that the reduction in diffusive flux is a function of chamber pressure, soil moisture, soil texture, the depth distribution of soil CO2 generation, and chamber diameter. These results highlight the need for caution in the interpretation of dynamic chamber trace gas flux measurements. A portion of the frequently observed increase in net ecosystem carbon uptake under elevated CO2 may be an artifact resulting from the impact of chamber pressurization on soil CO2 efflux.

Notes: A free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) system was designed to permit the experimental exposure of tall vegetation such as stands of forest trees to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]a) without enclosures that alter tree microenvironment. We describe a prototype FACE system currently in operation in forest plots in a maturing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stand in North Carolina, USA. The system uses feedback control technology to control [CO2] in a 26 m diameter forest plot that is over 10 m tall, while monitoring the 3D plot volume to characterize the whole-stand CO2 regime achieved during enrichment. In the second summer season of operation of the FACE system, atmospheric CO2 enrichment was conducted in the forest during all daylight hours for 96.7% of the scheduled running time from 23 May to 14 October with a preset target [CO2] of 550 μmol mol–1, ≈ 200 μmol mol–1 above ambient [CO2]. The system provided spatial and temporal control of [CO2] similar to that reported for open-top chambers over trees, but without enclosing the vegetation. The daily average daytime [CO2] within the upper forest canopy at the centre of the FACE plot was 552 ± 9 μmol mol–1 (mean ± SD). The FACE system maintained 1-minute average [CO2] to within ± 110 μmol mol–1 of the target [CO2] for 92% of the operating time. Deviations of [CO2] outside of this range were short-lived (most lasting 〈 60 s) and rare, with fewer than 4 excursion events of a minute or longer per day. Acceptable spatial control of [CO2] by the system was achieved, with over 90% of the entire canopy volume within ± 10% of the target [CO2] over the exposure season. CO2 consumption by the FACE system was much higher than for open-top chambers on an absolute basis, but similar to that of open-top chambers and branch bag chambers on a per unit volume basis. CO2 consumption by the FACE system was strongly related to windspeed, averaging 50 g CO2 m–3 h–1 for the stand for an average windspeed of 1.5 m s–1 during summer. The [CO2] control results show that the free-air approach is a tractable way to study long-term and short-term alterations in trace gases, even within entire tall forest ecosystems. The FACE approach permits the study of a wide range of forest stand and ecosystem processes under manipulated [CO2]a that were previously impossible or intractable to study in true forest ecosystems.

Notes: Hydrologists and ecologists studying tundra ecosystems have worked largely independently, with little cross-fertilization between disciplines. Their disciplines are, however, inextricably linked by a need to understand the dynamics and significance of the common substance water, in its liquid, solid and gaseous state within tundra environments. The impacts of predicted long-term changes in climate have particularly important consequences for the functioning of tundra systems and there is a pressing need to initiate studies that integrate hydrological and ecological methodologies and concepts. Our paper attempts to summarize existing information on the role of water within tundra ecosystems, to emphasize the fundamental links between the biotic and the physico/chemical environments and to suggest how a closer integration of ideas might be achieved. Given the breadth of the subject matter the paper is intended to be illustrative rather than comprehensive. The paper examines the physical impacts of water in its various states on the tundra environment, emphasizing in particular the causes of spatial variation in water availability to living organisms. The significance of water is discussed for a range of organism groups, including plants, invertebrates and microorganisms and its pivotal role in ecosystem function and disturbance stressed. The need to develop integrated hydological/ecological models for tundra systems on different spatial scales is emphasized.

Notes: Plantago lanceolata and Trifolium repens were grown under ambient (400 μmol mol–1) and elevated (650 μmol mol–1) atmospheric CO2 conditions. Plants were inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae and given a phosphorus supply in the form of bonemeal. Six sequential harvests were taken in order to determine whether the effect of elevated CO2 on internal mycorrhizal colonization and external hyphal production was independent of the stimulatory effect of elevated CO2 on plant growth. At a given time, elevated CO2 increased the percentage of root length colonized (RLC), the total length of colonized root and the external mycorrhizal hyphal (EMH) density and decreased the ratio of EMH to total length of colonized root. When plant size was taken into account, the CO2 effect on RLC and total length of colonized root was greatly reduced (and only apparent for early harvests in T. repens) and the effects on the EMH parameters disappeared. Root tissue P concentration was unchanged at elevated CO2, but there was a decrease in shoot P at the later harvests. There was no direct effect of elevated CO2 on P inflow for the earlier period (〈 50 d) of the experiment. However, over the last period, there was a significant negative effect of elevated CO2 on P inflow for both species, independent of plant size. It is concluded that elevated CO2 had no direct effect on mycorrhizal colonization or external hyphal production, and that any observed effects on a time basis were due to faster growing plants at elevated CO2. However, for older plants, elevated CO2 had a direct negative effect on P inflow. This decrease in P inflow coincides with the observed decrease in shoot P concentration. This is discussed in terms of downregulation of photosynthesis often seen in elevated CO2 grown plants, and the potential for mycorrhizas (via external hyphal turnover) to alleviate the phenomenon. The direction for future research is highlighted, especially in relation to carbon flow to and storage in the soil.

Notes: Estimation of leaf photosynthetic rate (A) from leaf nitrogen content (N) is both conceptually and numerically important in models of plant, ecosystem, and biosphere responses to global change. The relationship between A and N has been studied extensively at ambient CO2 but much less at elevated CO2. This study was designed to (i) assess whether the A–N relationship was more similar for species within than between community and vegetation types, and (ii) examine how growth at elevated CO2 affects the A–N relationship. Data were obtained for 39 C3 species grown at ambient CO2 and 10 C3 species grown at ambient and elevated CO2. A regression model was applied to each species as well as to species pooled within different community and vegetation types. Cluster analysis of the regression coefficients indicated that species measured at ambient CO2 did not separate into distinct groups matching community or vegetation type. Instead, most community and vegetation types shared the same general parameter space for regression coefficients. Growth at elevated CO2 increased photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency for pines and deciduous trees. When species were pooled by vegetation type, the A–N relationship for deciduous trees expressed on a leaf-mass basis was not altered by elevated CO2, while the intercept increased for pines. When regression coefficients were averaged to give mean responses for different vegetation types, elevated CO2 increased the intercept and the slope for deciduous trees but increased only the intercept for pines. There were no statistical differences between the pines and deciduous trees for the effect of CO2. Generalizations about the effect of elevated CO2 on the A–N relationship, and differences between pines and deciduous trees will be enhanced as more data become available.

Notes: Although numerous studies indicate that increasing atmospheric CO2 or temperature stimulate soil CO2 efflux, few data are available on the responses of three major components of soil respiration [i.e. rhizosphere respiration (root and root exudates), litter decomposition, and oxidation of soil organic matter] to different CO2 and temperature conditions. In this study, we applied a dual stable isotope approach to investigate the impact of elevated CO2 and elevated temperature on these components of soil CO2 efflux in Douglas-fir terracosms. We measured both soil CO2 efflux rates and the 13C and 18O isotopic compositions of soil CO2 efflux in 12 sun-lit and environmentally controlled terracosms with 4-year-old Douglas fir seedlings and reconstructed forest soils under two CO2 concentrations (ambient and 200 ppmv above ambient) and two air temperature regimes (ambient and 4 °C above ambient). The stable isotope data were used to estimate the relative contributions of different components to the overall soil CO2 efflux. In most cases, litter decomposition was the dominant component of soil CO2 efflux in this system, followed by rhizosphere respiration and soil organic matter oxidation. Both elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and elevated temperature stimulated rhizosphere respiration and litter decomposition. The oxidation of soil organic matter was stimulated only by increasing temperature. Release of newly fixed carbon as root respiration was the most responsive to elevated CO2, while soil organic matter decomposition was most responsive to increasing temperature. Although some assumptions associated with this new method need to be further validated, application of this dual-isotope approach can provide new insights into the responses of soil carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems to future climate changes.

Notes: The performance of fifth generation offspring of a desert annual (Dimorphotheca sinuata DC.) were compared in the absence of UV-B, under variable atmospheric CO2 and nutrient supply, after four consecutive generations of concurrent exposure of their progenitors to UV-B at ambient (seasonal range: 2.55–8.85 kJ m–2 d–1) and enhanced (seasonal range: 4.70–11.41 kJ m–2 d–1) levels. Offspring of progenitors grown under elevated UV-B exhibited a diminished photosynthetic rate, a consequence of a reduced leaf density, and diminished foliar levels of carotenoids, polyphenolics and anthocyanins. Conversely, nonstructural carbohydrate and chlorophyll b levels were increased. Altered physiology was accompanied by reduced apical dominance and earlier flowering, features generally considered under photomorphogenic control, increased branching and inflorescence production and greater partitioning of biomass to reproductive structures, but diminished seed production. Many of these changes were magnified under nutrient limitation and intensified under atmospheric CO2 enriched conditions. The latter disagrees with current opinion that elevated CO2 may reduce detrimental UV-B effects, at least over the long-term. Observed correlations between seed production and polyphenolic, especially anthocyanin, levels in offspring, and indications of diminished lignification (thinner leaves, less robust stems and fewer lignified seeds set) all pointed to the involvement of the phenylpropanoid pathway in seed formation and plant structural development and its disruption during long-term UV-B exposure. Comparisons with earlier generations revealed trends with cumulative generations of enhanced UV-B exposure of increasing chlorophyll b and nonstructural carbohydrates, decreasing polyphenolics and biomass allocation to vegetative structures, and diminishing seed production despite increasing biomass allocation to reproductive structures. Notwithstanding some physiological compensation (increased chlorophyll b), the accumulation and persistence of these ostensibly inherited changes in physiological and reproductive performance suggest a greater impact of elevated UV-B on vegetation, primary production and regeneration over the long-term than presently envisaged.

Notes: The analysis of carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) in crop plant remains from archaeological sites may help to assess water availability for early agriculture. This study presents the analysis of Δ in seeds of naked wheat (Triticum aestivum/durum), lentil (Lens orientalis/culinaris), and flax (Linum sp.) found at the archaeological site of Tell Halula in the valley of the Middle Euphrates (Syria). This Neolithic site is the oldest in this region of the Fertile Crescent where the cultivation of domesticated plants has been reported, with seed remains ranging from 9550 to 8465 BP. Most of the seeds analysed showed Δ values greater than 16 ‰, reaching 20 ‰ for some samples of flax. For wheat, Δ values were much higher than those reported in present-day (1996) durum wheat crops cultivated under rainfed conditions in north-west Syria under environments with somewhat higher rainfall than Tell Halula. Similarly, grains of present-day (1997) barley cultivated in the archaeological site also showed lower values than those found in archaeological kernels. An empirical relationship between Δ of mature kernels and total precipitation (plus irrigation where applicable) from heading to maturity (r2 = 0.82, n = 11) was established for durum wheat, currently cultivated in different environments of the Mediterranean basin. The resulting relationship was applied to the data on Δ of wheat fossil kernels from Tell Halula to estimate the accumulated water inputs during the time (about 6 weeks) the kernels were produced. Calculated water inputs for wheat during early agriculture were (over 110 mm) at least 5 times higher than current-day rainfall accumulated in Tell Halula during the same phenological period. These results strongly suggest that early agriculture wheat was cultivated at Tell Halula under much wetter conditions than are currently to be found in the area. The presence of flax and its very high Δ values also support this conclusion. Whether such humid conditions during cultivation were due to moister conditions prevailing at this time, by planting in alluvial areas or by irrigation works is discussed.

Notes: This paper reviews two decades of effort by the scientific community in a search for predictive understanding of plant responses to elevated [CO2]. To evaluate the progress of research in leaf photosynthesis, plant respiration, root nutrient uptake, and carbon partitioning, we divided scientific activities into four phases: (I) initial assessments derived from our existing knowledge base to provide frameworks for experimental studies; (II) experimental tests of the initial assessments; (III) in cases where assessments were invalidated, synthesis of experimental results to stimulate alternative hypotheses and further experimentation; and (IV) formation of new knowledge. This paper suggests that photosynthetic research may have gone through all four phases, considering that (a) variable responses of photosynthesis to [CO2] are generally explainable, (b) extrapolation of leaf-level studies to the global scale has been examined, and (c) molecular studies are under way. Investigation of plant respiratory responses to [CO2] has reached the third phase: experimental results have been accumulated, and mechanistic approaches are being developed to examine alternative hypotheses in search for new concepts and/or new quantitative frameworks to understand respiratory responses to elevated [CO2]. The study of nutrient uptake kinetics is still in the second phase: experimental evidence has contradicted some of the initial assessments, and more experimental studies need to be designed before generalizations can be made. It is quite unfortunate that we have not made much progress in understanding mechanisms of carbon partitioning during the past two decades. This is due in part to the fact that some of the holistic theories, such as functional balance and optimality, have not evolved into testable hypotheses to guide experimental studies. This paper urges modelers to play an increasing role in plant–CO2 research by disassembling these existing theories into hypotheses and urges experimentalists to design experiments to examine these holistic concepts.

Notes: Climatic change is predicted to alter rates of soil respiration and assimilation of carbon by plants. Net loss of carbon from ecosystems would form a positive feedback enhancing anthropogenic global warming. We tested the effect of increased heat input, one of the most certain impacts of global warming, on net ecosystem carbon exchange in a Rocky Mountain montane meadow. Overhead heaters were used to increase the radiative heat flux into plots spanning a moisture and vegetation gradient. We measured net whole-ecosystem CO2 fluxes using a closed-path chamber system, relatively nondisturbing bases, and a simple model to compensate for both slow chamber leaks and the CO2 concentration-dependence of photosynthetic uptake, in 1993 and 1994. In 1994, we also measured soil respiration separately. The heating treatment altered the timing and magnitude of net carbon fluxes into the dry zone of the plots in 1993 (reducing uptake by ≈100 g carbon m–2), but had an undetectable effect on carbon fluxes into the moist zone. During a strong drought year (1994), heating altered the timing, but did not significantly alter the cumulative magnitude, of net carbon uptake in the dry zone. Soil respiration measurements showed that when differences were detected in dry zone carbon fluxes, they were caused by changes in carbon input from photosynthesis, not by temperature-driven changes in carbon output from soil respiration. When differences were detected in dry-zone carbon fluxes, they were caused by changes in carbon input from photosynthesis, not by a temperature-driven changes in carbon output from soil respiration. Regression analysis suggested that the reduction in carbon inputs from plants was due to a combination of two soil moisture effects: a direct physiological response to decreased soil moisture, and a shift in plant community composition from high-productivity species to low-productivity species that are more drought tolerant. These results partially support predictions that warming may cause net carbon losses from some terrestrial ecosystems. They also suggest, however, that changes in soil moisture caused by global warming may be as important in driving ecosystem response as the direct effects of increased soil temperature.

Notes: The effect of the water table on nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from peat profiles representing boreal peatlands of differing nutrient status was studied in the laboratory. Lowering of the water table in peat monoliths taken from two natural waterlogged peatlands for 14 weeks in a greenhouse at 20 °C increased the fluxes of N2O, an effect that was enhanced further by incubation in the dark. Raising of the water table in monoliths from two drained and forested peatlands caused cessation of the N2O fluxes from the drained peats, which had previously been sources of N2O. It is known that N2O fluxes have increased in peatlands drained several decades ago. The results suggest that it is not necessary for the water table to be lowered for several years to change a boreal peatland from a N2O sink to a source of the gas. In addition to the draining of peatlands, climate change can be expected to lower ground water levels during the summertime in the boreal zone, and this could cause marked changes in N2O fluxes from boreal peatlands by enhancing the microbial processes involved in nitrogen transformations.

Notes: Annual and seasonal net primary productivity estimates (NPP) of 15 global models across latitudinal zones and biomes are compared. The models simulated NPP for contemporary climate using common, spatially explicit data sets for climate, soil texture, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Differences among NPP estimates varied over space and time. The largest differences occur during the summer months in boreal forests (50° to 60°N) and during the dry seasons of tropical evergreen forests. Differences in NPP estimates are related to model assumptions about vegetation structure, model parameterizations, and input data sets.

Notes: In the present study, several limnological characteristics of a reservoir filled for the first time are compared with those of another reservoir totally emptied after being full for almost 40 years and then refilled. Three phases were considered during the study, determined by the filling and emptying in the oldest reservoir: (i) filling phase, from August to October 1994; (ii) regular water-level phase, from December 1994 to April 1995; and (iii) emptying phase, from May to July 1995. Several forms of phosphorus, phosphatase, chlorophyll a, and phytoplankton and zooplankton composition were determined. Trophic states of the two reservoirs were compared. Major limnological differences were not found between these two artificial lakes. In fact, physical factors such as temperature, chemical parameters such as the several forms of phosphorus measured, and biologically derived variables such as chlorophyll a and phosphatase activity exhibited similar patterns and values in both reservoirs, as well as practically the same relationships among those.

Notes: For the first time in Colombia the relative abundance of Pseudomonas spp., Vibrio spp., Plesiomonas shigelloides, the Aeromonas hydrophila group, and the faecal and total coliforms were studied in three dams and a natural lagoon with a different trophic state. Coliforms were low in all the water bodies, but their number was greater in the dams with a greater anthropic activity. Vibrio spp. was not detected. The density of P. shigelloides was irregular. Pseudomonas spp. was always present and showed relatively high abundance. The bacteria of the A. hydrophila group were constant and their numbers increased with the trophic state, for which they could be indicators of the eutrophication phenomena. Significant correlation (P 〈 0.05) was established between total and faecal coliforms and pH, transparency, nitrites, nitrates, and orthophosphates. P. shigelloides was correlated with faecal coliforms and Aeromonas hydrophila with total coliforms and transparency.

Notes: Cuba is located between 19°49′ and 23°18′ north latitude and 74°08′ and 84°57′ west longitude. It is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea and the paucity of natural lakes and the prolonged dry season makes it necessary to construct reservoirs. During the past 36 years, Cuba has built 220 large reservoirs (〉 100 ha) and 800 smaller ones (〈 100 ha). Reservoirs are the most important standing waters in Cuba and their fish, although of low diversity, support productive fisheries, with tilapias contributing 92% of the total production by weight. The fisheries in reservoirs located in the eastern and central parts of the island were analysed during the period 1983–92. The mean depth (z) of reservoirs here is 5.9 m, ranging from 1.8 to 16.0 m. The best correlation coefficients and fit regression in 54 Cuban reservoirs were between FY (fish yield) and DE (diversity of exploitation); when data were analysed with a multiplicative statistical model, r = 0.70, FY = 4.795 DE0.9292; and between TC (total catch) and A (area), but in this case data were analysed with a linear statistical model, r = 0.91, TC = 17209A–6635.56. Regression between FY versus z was relatively low and inverse, r = −0.20, FY = 249.145–11.04z, although all regressions were statistically significant (P 〈 0.01).

Notes: The dissolved oxygen concentrations in Darwin River Reservoir (DRR) and Manton River Reservoir (MRR), both located in the wet/dry tropics of Australia, were investigated over an 8-year period. Average oxygen concentrations were lower in MRR than in DRR, indicating the dominance of consumptive processes not compensated by photosynthetic production of oxygen, despite MRR’s higher chlorophyll a concentration. With the onset of thermal stratification, dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion of each reservoir was depleted at average rates of 3.4–7.1 mg L−1 month−1. These are higher than rates reported for temperate water-bodies (0.10–3.0 mg L−1 month−1). This was ascribed primarily to the effect of temperature on microbial metabolism, while the influence of the reservoirs’ high epilimnion to hypolimnion volumetric ratios (approximately 10:1) and reservoir trophic state were considered secondary. Due to the temperature dependence of hypolimnetic oxygen depletion, the trophic classification of lakes based on hypolimnetic deoxygenation and anoxia is not globally applicable, but is applicable to water-bodies of similar hypolimnetic temperatures, especially when morphometric influences are also taken into account. Both reservoirs experienced long periods of anoxia (average: 9 months in MRR, 5 months in DRR). In DRR, the extent of hypolimnetic anoxia was related to hypolimnion volume. Hypolimnetic anoxia in the reservoirs, when quantified by the anoxic factor (AF; number of days that a sediment area, equal to the whole-lake surface area, is overlain by anoxic waters), was high compared with similar water-bodies in North America, providing quantitative evidence that anoxia in more prevalent in tropical reservoirs. Ammonia, iron and manganese accumulated in the hypolimnion of both DRR and MRR, with concentrations decreasing exponentially from the sediments to the oxycline. Sediment phosphorus release was detected in MRR, but not detected in DRR, despite the reservoir’s long periods of hypolimnetic anoxia. The high water temperatures and lengthy periods of hypolimnetic anoxia of the reservoirs provided a favourable environment for anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria.

Notes: The macrobenthic fauna of two discharge ecosystems, Phawong Canal and U-Taphao Canal flowing into Songkhla Lake in Thailand, were studied from August 1994 to August 1995. The salinity of Phawong Canal and U-Taphao Canal ranged from 0.1 to 27.8 and 0.1 to 17.0 practical salinity units (PSU), respectively. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of Phawong Canal ranged from 2.5 to 33.0 mg L−1, while that of U-Taphao Canal ranged from 1.1 to 12.6 mg L−1. Temporal changes in the number of species and individuals were determined throughout a year. During the season of heavy rains (November– December), the density and number of most species decreased markedly. Only chironomid larvae increased and these were distributed in the uppermost reaches of the canals during this period. Sixty-two and 52 species of macrobenthic fauna were found in Phawong Canal and U-Taphao Canal, respectively; however, the abundance and number of species collected at each sampling was very low in the upper reaches of the canals. The most numerous benthic fauna in the Phawong Canal were polychaetes, followed by amphipods. Pelecypods and gastropods were the dominant groups in U-Taphao Canal. A distribution pattern of macrobenthic fauna associated with pollution gradients (BOD) was observed only at Phawong Canal. In addition, species diversity according to the Shannon-Wiener index only was not applicable to the assessment of benthic environmental health when the few individuals found were evenly distributed among the few species present at U-Taphao Canal. It is recommended that a coastal care project be established by the appropriate government agencies in the study areas.

Notes: Sediments, water and 23 species of rooted, emergent and submerged aquatic macrophytes were sampled from eight different off-river water-bodies and flood plains (raunwaras) in the lower middle Fly River to examine the plant-metal interaction in this mining impacted region. Plant samples obtained from contaminated sites generally showed increased metal concentration compared with the same species from uncontaminated sites. Mean copper concentrations observed for monocots were 7.56±6.05, 11.9±10.5, 15.0±10.7 mg kg−1 Cu (dry weight), corresponding to 0–70, 70–500 and 500–1000 mg kg−1 Cu in sediments. Similarly, dicot copper concentrations were 10.8±7.8, 26.6±15.2, 34.2±24.1 for 0–70, 70–500 and 500–1000 mg kg−1 Cu, respectively. The plants were distinctly grouped into monocots and dicots, with copper concentration in dicots significantly (P 〈 0.005) higher than in monocots. Copper concentrations in various plant parts appeared to be different from each other, however this trend was not significant. The following general trend was evident only for Nelumbo nucifera (significant at P 〈 0.01); seeds 〉 fruits 〉 flowers 〉 petioles 〉 stems 〉 leaves. Species differences in copper content were observed to be significant for both monocots (P 〈 0.0005) and dicots (P 〈 0.05). Sediment copper concentrations, 266±120 mg kg−1 Cu (moderate impact) and 889±136 mg kg−1 Cu (severe impact) reflect the magnitude of copper-rich sediment deposition, with sites closer to the main channel with higher concentrations than sites further away. Other sediment variables such as pH (r = 0.13 P 〈 0.05), Eh (r = 0.13 P 〈 0.05) and sediment organic matter (r = −0.13, P 〈 0.05) correlate with plant copper, confirming the various roles these variables play in the speciation, mobilization and availability of copper to aquatic macrophytes. Dissolved copper correlated poorly with plant copper. However, dissolved copper was found to correlate well with organic matter and particulate sulphur, confirming the existence of organic matter-Cu and CuS complexes.

Notes: Due to the great climatic variety and the peculiar north–south orographic distribution, Argentinean lake systems include a wide diversity of aquatic environments. The deepest lakes are situated in the Andean Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, and range from ultraoligotrophic to oligotrophic. Patagonian Plateau lakes are shallower than Andean lakes and usually range from mesotrophic to eutrophic. All lakes in the Chaco-Pampa Plain are very shallow and range from eutrophic to hypertrophic or salt lakes. Most of the lakes situated in the central–western and northwestern arid regions are reservoirs or salt lakes, and range from mesotrophic to eutrophic. More than half of the northwestern reservoirs have very low dissolved oxygen concentrations in the hypolimnion during mid-summer. Argentina has more than 400 lakes with surface area 〉5 km2, but for some of them not even major ion data are available. In order to synthesize and to extract general characteristics and patterns, issues have been selected which adequately reflect the character of the lake environment in Argentina. We divided Argentina according to geographical regions into six major divisions: Puna, Chaco-Pampa Plain, Peri-Pampean Sierras, Andean Patagonia, Patagonian Plateau, and Misiones Plateu and Brazilian Shield-related systems. Most of the lakes situated in Patagonia are undisturbed lakes. However, the Chaco-Pampa Plain lakes are usually lightly impacted by agricultural operations. Moreover, most of the reservoirs located in the Argentinean arid ‘corridor’ are highly impacted by agriculture. Other lakes in both north and south Argentina range from salt lakes, through dark humic-stained lakes and large river floodplain lakes, to dilute high altitude glacial lakes. Argentina still has a larger proportion of its lake waters in natural conditions. However, expected developments for natural resources indicates that Argentinean goals for lake water management should include the preservation of some proportion of pre-European natural lake environment, and the evolution of a stable, managed lake environment in the more developed regions.

Notes: The present study undertook laboratory and in situ experiments in two hypertrophic lakes in order to determine the possibilities for the effective PO4 precipitation by means of FeCl3, applied directly to organic sediments (at a specific depth) previously subject to resuspension. The study also aimed to test, modify and improve a device constructed previously. This made the direct application of FeCl3 to organic sediments possible, while generating resuspension in the surface layer of sediments to a specified thickness. The results of both laboratory and field experiments, and tests of the prototype device, showed that linking a dosage of FeCl3 with the initiation of controlled resuspension led to a decrease of seven-fold in the concentration of PO4 in interstitial water, and changed other physical and chemical parameters in the water only slightly. The effectiveness of PO4 precipitation relied mostly on initial conditions in the interface of water–organic sediment phases, and especially on the sorption capacity of sediments for phosphates, on the gradient of PO4 concentration, and on the concentration of oxygen in the layer of water above the sediment. It could be an effective method of over-eutrophied lakes reclamation, and an alternative to the expensive removal of sediments.

Notes: Twelve global net primary productivity (NPP) models were compared: BIOME3, CASA, CARAIB, FBM, GLO-PEM, HYBRID, KGBM, PLAI, SDBM, SIB2, SILVAN and TURC. These models all use solar radiation as an input, and compute either absorbed solar radiation directly, or the amount of leaves used to absorb solar radiation, represented by the leaf area index (LAI). For all models, we obtained or estimated photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the canopy (APAR). We then computed the light use efficiency for NPP (LUE) on an annual basis as the ratio of NPP to APAR. We analysed the relative importance for NPP of APAR and LUE. The analyses consider the global values of these factors, their spatial patterns represented by latitudinal variations, and the overall grid cell by grid cell variability. Spatial variability in NPP within a model proved to be determined by APAR, and differences among models by LUE. There was a compensation between APAR and LUE, so that global NPP values fell within the range of ‘generally accepted values’. Overall, APAR was lower for satellite driven models than for the other models. Most computed values of LUE were within the range of published values, except for one model.

Notes: Given that neither absolute measures nor direct model validations of global terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) are feasible, intercomparison of global NPP models provides an effective tool to check model consistency. For this study, we tested the assumption that water availability is the primary limiting factor of NPP in global terrestrial biospheric models. We compared a water balance coefficient (WBC), calculated as the difference of mean annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration to NPP for each grid cell (0.5° × 0.5° longitude/latitude) in each of 14 models. We also evaluated different approaches used for introducing water budget limitations on NPP: (1) direct physiological control on evapotranspiration through canopy conductance; (2) climatological computation of constraints from supply/demand for ecosystem productivity; and (3) water limitation inferred from satellite data alone. Plots of NPP vs. WBC showed comparable patterns for the models using the same method for water balance limitation on NPP. While correlation plots revealed similar patterns for most global models, other environmental controls on NPP introduced substantial variability.

Notes: Estimates of the seasonal absorbed fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) and net primary productivity (NPP) are compared among four production efficiency models (PEMs) and seven terrestrial biosphere models simulating canopy development. In addition, the simulated FPARs of the models are compared to the FASIR-FPAR derived from NOAA-AVHRR satellite observations. All models reproduce observed summergreen phenology of temperate deciduous forests rather well, but perform less well for raingreen phenology of savannas. Some models estimate a much longer active canopy in savannas than indicated by satellite observations. As a result, these models estimate high negative monthly NPP during the dry season. For boreal and tropical evergreen ecosystems, several models overestimate LAI and FPAR. When the simulated canopy does respond to unfavourable periods, the seasonal NPP is largely determined by absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR). When the simulated canopy does not respond to unfavourable periods, the light use efficiency (LUE) influences the seasonal NPP more. However, the relative importance of APAR and LUE can change seasonally.

Notes: Eight terrestrial biospheric models (TBMs) calculating the monthly distributions of both net primary productivity (NPP) and soil heterotrophic respiration (RH) in the Potsdam NPP Model Intercomparison workshop are used to simulate seasonal patterns of atmospheric CO2 concentration. For each model, we used net ecosystem productivity (NEP = NPP – RH) as the source function in the TM2 atmospheric transport model from the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology. Comparing the simulated concentration fields with detrended measurements from 25 monitoring stations spread over the world, we found that the decreasing seasonal amplitude from north to south is rather well reproduced by all the models, though the amplitudes are slightly too low in the north. The agreement between the simulated and observed seasonality is good in the northern hemisphere, but poor in the southern hemisphere, even when the ocean is accounted for. Based on a Fourier analysis of the calculated zonal atmospheric signals, tropical NEP plays a key role in the seasonal cycle of the atmospheric CO2 in the whole southern hemisphere. The relatively poor match between measured and predicted atmospheric CO2 in this hemisphere suggests problems with all the models. The simulation of water relations, a dominant regulator of NEP in the tropics, is a leading candidate for the source of these problems.

Notes: Two coral cays near La Parguera, Puerto Rico, have large, exposed coral ramparts composed almost entirely of loose pieces of elkhorn coral Acropora palmata (88% of horizontal transects, 98% of vertical transects). The total volume of elkhorn coral in the ramparts of the two cays was estimated at 3600 and 12 800 m3. The present volume of living elkhorn coral on these two reefs was estimated at 7 and 14 m3 and previous volumes at 11 000 and 34 900 m3. White-band disease was found on 8.5% of living elkhorn colonies. Lang’s boring sponge Cliona langae covered 10.8% of the total transect area, overgrowing both dead and living corals. White-band disease and coral-reef bleaching have drastically reduced the populations of elkhorn coral, thus, skeletal coral materials to replenish the plate ramparts are severely reduced, disrupting the process of forming and maintaining these coral reef ramparts. We predict that the next series of major storms striking these prominent cay ramparts will remove them. These disappearances will represent a quick, obvious and permanent consequence of global disturbances. Loss of cay ramparts will modify the environments on and around Atlantic coral reefs. Ramparts may be similarly lost from Indo-Pacific reefs. The lack of any other indisputable definitive indicators of long-term, major disturbances on coral reefs makes the distinct loss of coral-reef ramparts an important physical sign.

Notes: Two experiments assessed the effect of current and elevated levels of ultravioletB (UV-B) radiation on forage crop production. The effect of current levels of UV-B radiation was assessed by comparing the growth of eight cultivars of four legume and four grass species for three growing seasons (1994–96) under simulated sward conditions in the field. An exclusion system using cellulose diacetate or polyester covers provided comparable growing conditions for the plants, except for the presence or absence of ambient UV-B radiation, respectively. The second experiment studied the effect of elevated levels of UV-B on eight cultivars of two legume and two grass species in the greenhouse under simulated sward conditions. Natural lighting with sufficient supplemental light was used to provide ideal growing conditions for a 16-h day length. Separate sets of UV lights were installed to provide UV-B levels at approximately the same intensity as would be found in mid summer, and 33% and 66% more than this value. A fourth treatment consisted of removing UV-B radiation by using a polyester filter. Plant production was measured in both experiments. In 1994, field herbage yields from all young grass and legume seedlings were not significantly affected by the exclusion of ambient UV-B radiation, with the exception of alfalfa. Intra-specific variations with alfalfa yields were found for reduced levels of UV-B radiation. In general, these trends persisted as stands matured during two post seeding years. In the second experiment, no significant differences were observed for all tested species with increasing levels of UV-B radiation, except with some alfalfa cultivars and one birdsfoot trefoil cultivar. Collectively, these results demonstrate that in the northern latitudes young and mature plants of the studied species are resistant to current and potentially higher levels of solar UV-B radiation, with the exception of some alfalfa cultivars. The yield of these cultivars increased under enhanced levels of UV-B radiation in the greenhouse and decreased when UV-B was excluded in the field.

Notes: Consequences of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration on plant structure, an important determinant of physiological and competitive success, have not received sufficient attention in the literature. Understanding how increasing carbon input will influence plant developmental processes, and resultant form, will help bridge the gap between physiological response and ecosystem level phenomena. Growth in elevated CO2 alters plant structure through its effects on both primary and secondary meristems of shoots and roots. Although not well established, a review of the literature suggests that cell division, cell expansion, and cell patterning may be affected, driven mainly by increased substrate (sucrose) availability and perhaps also by differential expression of genes involved in cell cycling (e.g. cyclins) or cell expansion (e.g. xyloglucan endotransglycosylase). Few studies, however, have attempted to elucidate the mechanistic basis for increased growth at the cellular level. Regardless of specific mechanisms involved, plant leaf size and anatomy are often altered by growth in elevated CO2, but the magnitude of these changes, which often decreases as leaves mature, hinges upon plant genetic plasticity, nutrient availability, temperature, and phenology. Increased leaf growth results more often from increased cell expansion rather than increased division. Leaves of crop species exhibit greater increases in leaf thickness than do leaves of wild species. Increased mesophyll and vascular tissue cross-sectional areas, important determinates of photosynthetic rates and assimilate transport capacity, are often reported. Few studies, however, have quantified characteristics more reflective of leaf function such as spatial relationships among chlorenchyma cells (size, orientation, and surface area), intercellular spaces, and conductive tissue. Greater leaf size and/or more leaves per plant are often noted; plants grown in elevated CO2 exhibited increased leaf area per plant in 66% of studies, compared to 28% of observations reporting no change, and 6% reported a decrease in whole plant leaf area. This resulted in an average net increase in leaf area per plant of 24%. Crop species showed the greatest average increase in whole plant leaf area (+ 37%) compared to tree species (+ 14%) and wild, nonwoody species (+ 15%). Conversely, tree species and wild, nontrees showed the greatest reduction in specific leaf area (– 14% and – 20%) compared to crop plants (– 6%). Alterations in developmental processes at the shoot apex and within the vascular cambium contributed to increased plant height, altered branching characteristics, and increased stem diameters. The ratio of internode length to node number often increased, but the length and sometimes the number of branches per node was greater, suggesting reduced apical dominance. Data concerning effects of elevated CO2 on stem/branch anatomy, vital for understanding potential shifts in functional relationships of leaves with stems, roots with stems, and leaves with roots, are too few tomake generalizations. Growth in elevated CO2 typically leads to increased root length, diameter, and altered branching patterns. Altered branching characteristics in both shoots and roots may impact competitive relationships above and below the ground. Understanding how increased carbon assimilation affects growth processes (cell division, cell expansion, and cell patterning) will facilitate a better understanding of how plant form will change as atmospheric CO2 increases. Knowing how basic growth processes respond to increased carbon inputs may also provide a mechanistic basis for the differential phenotypic plasticity exhibited by different plant species/functional types to elevated CO2.

Notes: The future flora of Amazonia will include significant areas of secondary forest as degraded pastures are abandoned and secondary succession proceeds. The rate at which secondary forests regain carbon (C) stocks and re-establish biogeochemical cycles that resemble those of primary forests will influence the biogeochemistry of the region. Most studies have focused on the effects of deforestation on biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we present data on the recuperation of carbon stocks and carbon fluxes within a secondary forest of the eastern Amazon, and we compare these measurements to those for primary forest, degraded pasture, and productive pasture. Along a transect from a 23-y-old degraded pasture, through a 7-y-old secondary forest, through a 16-year-old secondary forest, and to a primary forest, the δ13C values of soil organic matter (SOM) in the top 10 cm of soil were – 21.0, – 26.5, – 27.4, and – 27.9‰, respectively, indicating that the isotopic signature of SOM from C3 forest plants was rapidly re-established. The degraded pasture also had significant inputs of C from C3 plants. Radiocarbon data indicated that most of the C in the top 10 cm of soil had been fixed by plants during the last 30 years. Differences in soil C inventory among land use types were small compared to uncertainties in their measurement. Root inputs were nearly identical in primary and secondary forests, and litterfall in the secondary forest was 88% of the litterfall rate of the primary forest. In contrast, the secondary forest had only 17% of the above ground biomass. Because of rapid cycling rates of soil C and rapid recovery of C fluxes to and from the soil, the below ground C cycle in this secondary forest was nearly identical with those of the unaltered primary forest.

Notes: Saplings of four clones of Sitka spruce and cherry were grown for three and two growing seasons, respectively, in open top chambers at two CO2 concentrations (≈ 350 and ≈ 700 μmol mol–1) to determine whether the increase in total biomass brought about by enhanced [CO2] is a result of a transient or persistent effect in nonlimiting conditions. Classical growth analysis was applied to both species and mean current relative growth rate of total dry mass (RT) and leaf dry mass (RL), and period relative growth rate of total dry mass () and leaf dry mass () were calculated. Sitka spruce saplings and cherry seedlings showed a positive growth response to elevated [CO2], and at the end of the experiments both species were ≈ 40% larger in elevated [CO2] than in ambient [CO2]. As a result, the period mean and were significantly higher in elevated [CO2]. The differences in plant dry mass at the end of the experiments were a consequence of the more rapid growth in the early phase of exposure to elevated [CO2]. After this initial phase mean RT and RL were similar or even lower in elevated [CO2] than in ambient [CO2]. NAR of both species was much higher in elevated [CO2], whereas both LAR, SLA, and LMR showed the opposite trend. The higher LAR and SLA of plants in ambient [CO2] contributed to a compensation by which they maintained RT similar to that of elevated [CO2] saplings despite lower NAR and photosynthetic rate. However, when the same size the trees were similar amongst the [CO2] treatments, indicating that one of the main effect of elevated [CO2] on tree growth is to speed-up early development in all aspects.

Notes: Methane emissions from ruminant livestock are responsible for 45 % of New Zealand’s combined CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas inventory, and arise principally from sheep. Using a flock of 6-month old sheep (20 ha–1) grazing abundant pasture, we compare micrometeorological measurements of net methane emission rates with measurements from individual sheep based on a sulphur-hexafluoride tracer technique. Individual sheep emission rates were highly variable and averaged 19.5 ± 4.8 (SD) g CH4 sheep–1 d–1, or 39 ± 9.6 mg CH4 m–2 d–1 on an areal basis. Emission rates were poorly correlated with animal live weight or dry matter intake but represented an average dietary energy loss of 3.6%. Methane fluxes from the surface were determined as half hourly averages by a flux-gradient technique using temperature and methane gradients. Soil methane consumption was measured using chambers and found to be negligible (〈 0.09 mg CH4 m–2 d–1) in comparison with the animal contribution. Daily net emission rates averaged 46 mg m–2 d–1 and exhibited a broad peak in the early afternoon which corresponded with animal activity patterns. On average, net emisssion rates were 40% higher during the day than at night. Stable nocturnal conditions led to a separation of the micrometeorological measurements from the methane source and hence highly variable results. Based on two corroborating techniques, the average net methane emission rate was c. 43 mg CH4 m–2 d–1 or 155 kg CH4 ha–1 y–1.

Notes: C4 plants contribute ≈ 20% of global gross primary productivity, and uncertainties regarding their responses to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations may limit predictions of future global change impacts on C4-dominated ecosystems. These uncertainties have not yet been considered rigorously due to expectations of C4 low responsiveness based on photosynthetic theory and early experiments. We carried out a literature review (1980–97) and meta-analysis in order to identify emerging patterns of C4 grass responses to elevated CO2, as compared with those of C3 grasses. The focus was on nondomesticated Poaceae alone, to the exclusion of C4 dicotyledonous and C4 crop species. This provides a clear test, controlled for genotypic variability at family level, of differences between the CO2-responsiveness of these functional types. Eleven responses were considered, ranging from physiological behaviour at the leaf level to carbon allocation patterns at the whole plant level. Results were also assessed in the context of environmental stress conditions (light, temperature, water and nutrient stress), and experimental growing conditions (pot size, experimental duration and fumigation method). Both C4 and C3 species increased total biomass significantly in elevated CO2, by 33% and 44%, respectively. Differing tendencies between types in shoot structural response were revealed: C3 species showed a greater increase in tillering, whereas C4 species showed a greater increase in leaf area in elevated CO2. At the leaf level, significant stomatal closure and increased leaf water use efficiency were confirmed in both types, and higher carbon assimilation rates were found in both C3 and C4 species (33% and 25%, respectively). Environmental stress did not alter the C4 CO2-response, except for the loss of a significant positive CO2-response for above-ground biomass and leaf area under water stress. In C3 species, stimulation of carbon assimilation rate was reduced by stress (overall), and nutrient stress tended to reduce the mean biomass response to elevated CO2. Leaf carbohydrate status increased and leaf nitrogen concentration decreased significantly in elevated CO2 only in C3 species. We conclude that the relative responses of the C4 and C3 photosynthetic types to elevated CO2 concur only to some extent with expectations based on photosynthetic theory. The significant positive responses of C4 grass species at both the leaf and the whole plant level demand a re-evaluation of the assumption of low responsiveness in C4 plants at both levels, and not only with regard to water relations. The combined shoot structural and water use efficiency responses of these functional types will have consequential implications for the water balance of important catchments and range-lands throughout the world, especially in semiarid subtropical and temperate regions. It may be premature to predict that C4 grass species will lose their competitive advantage over C3 grass species in elevated CO2.

Notes: Plant responses to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations have received considerable interest. However, major uncertainties in relation to interactive effects of CO2 with above- and below-ground conditions remain. This microcosm study investigated the impacts of CO2 concentration on plant growth, dry matter partitioning and rhizodeposition as affected by: (i) photon flux density (PFD), and (ii) growth matrix. Plants were grown in a sandy loam soil for 28 d under two photon flux densities: 350 (low PFD) and 1000 μmol m–2 s–1 (high PFD) and two CO2 concentrations: 450 (low CO2) and 720 μmol mol–1 (high CO2). Partitioning of recent assimilate amongst plant and rhizosphere C-pools was determined by use of 14CO2 pulse-labelling. In treatments with high PFD and/or high CO2, significant (P 〈 0.05) increases in dry matter production were found in comparison with the low PFD/low CO2 treatment. In addition, significant (P 〈 0.05) reductions in shoot %N and SLA were found in treatments imposing high PFD and/or high CO2. Root weight ratio (RWR) was unaffected by CO2 concentration, however, partitioning of 14C to below ground pools was significantly (P 〈 0.05) increased. In a separate study, L. perenne was grown for 28 d in microcosms percolated with nutrient solution, in either a sterile sand matrix or nonsterile soil, under high or low CO2. Dry matter production was significantly (P 〈 0.01) increased for both sand and soil grown seedlings. Dry matter partitioning was affected by matrix type. 14C-allocation below ground was increased for sand grown plants. Rhizodeposition was affected by CO2 concentration for growth in each matrix, but was increased for plants grown in the soil matrix, and decreased for those in sand. The results illustrate that plant responses to CO2 are potentially affected by (i) PFD, and (ii) by feedbacks from the growth matrix. Such feedbacks are discussed in relation to soil nutrient status and interactions with the rhizosphere microbial biomass.

Notes: Spring wheat [ Triticum aestivum (L). cv. Yecora Rojo] was grown from December 1992 to May 1993 under two atmospheric CO2 concentrations, 550 μmol mol–1 for high-CO2 plots, and 370 μmol mol–1 for control plots, using a Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) apparatus. In addition to the two levels of atmospheric CO2, there were ample and limiting levels of water supply through a subsurface trip irrigation system in a strip, split-plot design. In order to examine the temporal and spatial root distribution, root cores were extracted at six growth stages during the season at in-row and inter-row positions using a soil core device (86 mm ID, 1.0 m length). Such information would help determine whether and to what extent root morphology is changed by alteration of two important factors, atmospheric CO2 and soil water, in this agricultural ecosystem.Wheat root growth increased under elevated CO2 conditions during all observed developmental stages. A maximum of 37% increase in total root dry mass in the FACE vs. Control plots was observed during the period of stem elongation. Greater root growth rates were calculated due to CO2 enhancement until anthesis. During the early vegetative growth, root dry mass of the inter-row space was significantly higher for FACE than for Control treatments suggesting that elevated CO2 promoted the production of first-order lateral roots per main axis. Then, during the reproductive period of growth, more branching of lateral roots in the FACE treatment occurred due to water stress. Significant higher root dry mass was measured in the inter-row space of the FACE plots where soil water supply was limiting. These sequential responses in root growth and morphology to elevated CO2 and reduced soil water supports the hypothesis that plants grown in a high-CO2 environment may better compensate soil-water-stress conditions.

Notes: Based on review and original data, this synthesis investigates carbon pools and fluxes of Siberian and European forests (600 and 300 million ha, respectively). We examine the productivity of ecosystems, expressed as positive rate when the amount of carbon in the ecosystem increases, while (following micrometeorological convention) downward fluxes from the atmosphere to the vegetation (NEE = Net Ecosystem Exchange) are expressed as negative numbers. Productivity parameters are Net Primary Productivity (NPP=whole plant growth), Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP = CO2 assimilation minus ecosystem respiration), and Net Biome Productivity (NBP = NEP minus carbon losses through disturbances bypassing respiration, e.g. by fire and logging). Based on chronosequence studies and national forestry statistics we estimate a low average NPP for boreal forests in Siberia: 123 gC m–2 y–1. This contrasts with a similar calculation for Europe which suggests a much higher average NPP of 460 gC m–2 y–1 for the forests there. Despite a smaller area, European forests have a higher total NPP than Siberia (1.2–1.6 vs. 0.6–0.9 × 1015 gC region–1 y–1). This arises as a consequence of differences in growing season length, climate and nutrition. For a chronosequence of Pinus sylvestris stands studied in central Siberia during summer, NEE was most negative in a 67-y old stand regenerating after fire (– 192 mmol m–2 d–1) which is close to NEE in a cultivated forest of Germany (– 210 mmol m–2 d–1). Considerable net ecosystem CO2-uptake was also measured in Siberia in 200- and 215-y old stands (NEE:174 and – 63 mmol m–2 d–1) while NEP of 7- and 13-y old logging areas were close to the ecosystem compensation point. Two Siberian bogs and a bog in European Russia were also significant carbon sinks (– 102 to – 104 mmol m–2 d–1). Integrated over a growing season (June to September) we measured a total growing season NEE of – 14 mol m–2 summer–1 (– 168 gC m–2 summer–1) in a 200-y Siberian pine stand and – 5 mol m–2 summer–1 (– 60 gC m–2 summer–1) in Siberian and European Russian bogs. By contrast, over the same period, a spruce forest in European Russia was a carbon source to the atmosphere of (NEE: + 7 mol m–2 summer–1 = + 84 gC m–2 summer–1). Two years after a windthrow in European Russia, with all trees being uplifted and few successional species, lost 16 mol C m–2 to the atmosphere over a 3-month in summer, compared to the cumulative NEE over a growing season in a German forest of – 15.5 mol m–2 summer–1 (– 186 gC m–2 summer–1; European flux network annual averaged – 205 gC m–2 y–1). Differences in CO2-exchange rates coincided with differences in the Bowen ratio, with logging areas partitioning most incoming radiation into sensible heat whereas bogs partitioned most into evaporation (latent heat). Effects of these different surface energy exchanges on local climate (convective storms and fires) and comparisons with the Canadian BOREAS experiment are discussed. Following a classification of disturbances and their effects on ecosystem carbon balances, fire and logging are discussed as the main processes causing carbon losses that bypass heterotrophic respiration in Siberia. Following two approaches, NBP was estimated to be only about 13–16 mmol m–2 y–1 for Siberia. It may reach 67 mmol m–2 y–1 in North America, and about 140–400 mmol m–2 y–1 in Scandinavia. We conclude that fire speeds up the carbon cycle, but that it results also in long-term carbon sequestration by charcoal formation. For at least 14 years after logging, regrowth forests remain net sources of CO2 to the atmosphere. This has important implications regarding the effects of Siberian forest management on atmospheric concentrations. For many years after logging has taken place, regrowth forests remain weaker sinks for atmospheric CO2 than are nearby old-growth forests.

Notes: To determine the long-term impact of elevated CO2 on primary production of native tallgrass prairie, we compared the responses of tallgrass prairie at ambient and twice-ambient atmospheric CO2 levels over an 8-year period. Plots in open-top chambers (4.5 m diameter) were exposed continuously (24 h) to ambient and elevated CO2 from early April to late October each year. Unchambered plots were monitored also. Above-ground peak biomass was determined by clipping each year in early August, and root growth was estimated by harvesting roots from root ingrowth bags. Plant community composition was censused each year in early June. In the last 2 years of the study, subplots were clipped on 1 June or 1 July, and regrowth was harvested on 1 October. Volumetric soil water content of the 0–100 cm soil layer was determined using neutron scattering, and was generally higher in elevated CO2 plots than ambient. Peak above-ground biomass was greater on elevated CO2 plots than ambient CO2 plots with or without chambers during years with significant plant water stress. Above-ground regrowth biomass was greater under elevated CO2 than under ambient CO2 in a year with late-season water stress, but did not differ in a wetter year. Root ingrowth biomass was also greater in elevated CO2 plots than ambient CO2 plots when water stress occurred during the growing season. The basal cover and relative amount of warm-season perennial grasses (C4) in the stand changed little during the 8-year period, but basal cover and relative amount of cool-season perennial grasses (C3) in the stand declined in the elevated CO2 plots and in ambient CO2 plots with chambers. Forbs (C3) and members of the Cyperaceae (C3) increased in basal cover and relative amount in the stand at elevated compared to ambient CO2. Greater biomass production under elevated CO2 in C4-dominated grasslands may lead to a greater carbon sequestration by those ecosystems and reduce peak atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the future.

Notes: Increased levels of atmospheric CO2 may alter the structure and composition of plant communities by affecting how species respond to their physical and biological environment. We investigated how elevated CO2 influenced the response of paper birch ( Betula papyrifera Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) seedlings to variation in soil moisture. Seedlings were grown for four months on a soil moisture gradient, individually and in mixed species stands, in controlled environment facilities at ambient (375 μL L–1) and elevated (700 μL L–1) atmospheric CO2. For both individually and competitively grown paper birch seedlings, there was a greater CO2 growth enhancement for seedlings watered less frequently than for well-watered seedlings. This differential change in CO2 responsiveness across the moisture gradient reduced the difference in seedling growth between high and low water levels and effectively broadened the regeneration niche of paper birch. In contrast, for yellow birch seedlings, elevated CO2 only produced a significant growth enhancement at the wet end of the soil moisture gradient, and increased the size difference between seedlings at the two ends of the gradient. Gas exchange measurements showed that paper birch seedlings were more sensitive than yellow birch seedlings to declines in soil moisture, and that elevated CO2 reduced this sensitivity. Additionally, elevated CO2 improved survival of yellow birch seedlings growing in competition with paper birch in dry stands. Thus, elevated CO2 may influence regeneration patterns of paper birch and yellow birch on sites of differing soil moisture. In the future, as atmospheric CO2 levels rise, growth of paper birch seedlings and survival of yellow birch seedlings may be enhanced on xeric sites, while yellow birch may show improved growth on mesic sites.

Notes: We used a combination of eddy flux, chamber and environmental measurements with an integrated suite of models to analyse the seasonality of net ecosystem carbon uptake (FCO2) in an 8-year-old, closed canopy Pinus radiata D.Don plantation in New Zealand (42°52′ S, 172°45′ E). The analyses utilized a biochemically based, big-leaf model of tree canopy photosynthesis (Ac), coupled to multiplicative environmental-constraint functions of canopy stomatal conductance (Gc) via environmental measurements, a temperature-dependent model of ecosystem respiration (Reco), and a soil water balance model. Available root zone water storage capacity at the measurement site is limited to about 50 mm for the very stony soil, and annual precipitation is only 660 mm, distributed evenly throughout the year. Accordingly the site is prone to soil moisture deficit throughout the summer. G c and Ac obtained maximum rates early in the growing season when plentiful soil water supply was associated with sufficient quantum irradiance (Qabs), and moderate air saturation deficit (D) and temperature (T). From late spring onwards, soil water deficit and D confined Gc and Ac congruously, which together with the solely temperature dependency of Reco resulted in the pronounced seasonality in FCO2. Reflecting a light-limitation of Ac in the closed canopy, modelled annual carbon (C) uptake was most sensitive to changes in Qabs. However, Qabs did not vary significantly between years, and changes in annual FCO2 were mostly due to variability in summer rainfall and D. Annual C-uptake of the forest was 717 g C m–2 in a near-average rainfall year, exceeding by one third the net uptake in a year with 20% less than average rainfall (515 g C m–2).

Notes: The high-arctic environment is an environment where the consequences of global warming may be significant. In this paper we report on findings on carbon dioxide and water vapour fluxes above a sedge-dominated fen at Zackenberg (74°28′N, 20°34′ W) in The National Park of North and East Greenland. Eddy covariance measurements were initiated at the start of the growing season and terminated shortly before its end lasting 45 days. The net CO2 flux during daytime reaches a high of 10 μmol m–2s–1, and around the summer solstice, net CO2 assimilation occurred at midnight, resulting in net carbon gain during the night. The measured carbon dioxide fluxes compare well to estimates based on the photosynthesis model byCollatz et al. (1991). The total growing-season net ecosystem CO2 exchange was estimated to be 96 g C m–2 based on the carbon dioxide model and micrometeorological data. Finally, the combined CO2 assimilation and soil respiration models are used for examining the dependence of the carbon dioxide budget on temperature. The ecosystem is found to function optimally given the present temperature conditions whereas either an increase or a decrease in temperature would reduce the ecosystem CO2 accumulation. An increase in temperature by 5 °C would turn the ecosystem into a carbon dioxide source.

Notes: Winter wheat was grown at ambient and elevated (ambient plus 350 μL L–1) CO2 concentrations in open top chambers and in field-tracking sun-lit climatized enclosures (elevated is 718 μL L–1). There was no significant effect of CO2 concentration on sheath, leaf and root biomass and leaf area in the early spring (January to April). 24-h canopy CO2 exchange rate (CCER) was not significantly affected either. However, elevated CO2 concentration increased CCER at midday, decreased evapotranspiration rate and increased instantaneous water-use-efficiency during early spring. Leaf, sheath and root nitrogen concentration per unit dry weight decreased and nonstructural carbohydrate concentration increased under elevated CO2, and N-uptake per unit ground area decreased significantly (– 22%) towards the end of this period.These results contrast with results from the final harvest, when grain yield and biomass were increased by 19% under elevated CO2. N concentration per dry weight was reduced by 5%, but N-uptake per unit ground area was significantly higher (+ 11%) for the elevated CO2 treatment. 24-h and midday-CCER increased significantly more in late spring (period of 21 April to 30 May) (respectively by + 40% and 53%) than in the early spring (respectively 5% and 19%) in response to elevated CO2. Midday evapotranspiration rate was reduced less by elevated CO2 in the late spring (– 13%) than in early spring (– 21%). The CO2 response of midday and 24-h CCER decreased again (+ 27% and + 23% resp.) towards the end of the growing season.We conclude that the low response to CO2 concentration during the early spring was associated with a growth-restriction, caused by low temperature and irradiance levels. The reduction of nitrogen concentration, the increase of nonstructural carbohydrate, and the lower evapotranspiration indicated that CO2 did have an effect towards the end of early spring, but not on biomass accumulation. Regression analysis showed that both irradiance and temperature affected the response to CO2.

Notes: Arbuscular mycorrhizae, ubiquitous mutualistic symbioses between plant roots and fungi in the order Glomales, are believed to be important controllers of plant responses to global change, in particular to elevated atmospheric CO2. In order to test if any effects on the symbiosis can persist after long-term treatment, we examined root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and other fungi of several plant species from two grassland communities after continuous exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2 for six growing seasons in the field. For plant species from both a sandstone and a serpentine annual grassland there was evidence for changes in fungal root colonization, with changes occurring as a function of plant host species. We documented decreases in percentage nonmycorrhizal fungal root colonization in elevated CO2 for several plant species. Total AM root colonization (%) only increased significantly for one out of the five plant species in each grassland. However, when dividing AM fungal hyphae into two groups of hyphae (fine endophyte and coarse endophyte), we could document significant responses of AM fungi that were hidden when only total percentage colonization was measured. We also documented changes in elevated CO2 in the percentage of root colonized by both AM hyphal types simultaneously. Our results demonstrate that changes in fungal root colonization can occur after long-term CO2 enrichment, and that the level of resolution of the study of AM fungal responses may have to be increased to uncover significant changes to the CO2 treatment. This study is also one of the first to document compositional changes in the AM fungi colonizing roots of plants grown in elevated CO2. Although it is difficult to relate the structural data directly to functional changes, possible implications of the observed changes for plant communities are discussed.

Notes: Methane emissions from rice grown within Temperature Gradient Greenhouse Tunnels under doubled CO2 concentrations were 10–45 times less than emissions from control plants grown under ambient CO2. For two cultivars of rice (cvs. Lemont and IR-72), methane emissions increased with a temperature increase of 2°, from outdoor ambient temperatures to the first cell of the ambient CO2 tunnel (ambient temperature + 2 °C). Within both tunnels and for both cultivars methane emissions decreased with further temperature increases (from 2° to 5 °C above ambient). Carbon dioxide enrichment stimulated both above- and below-ground production. Our original hypothesis was that increased CO2 would stimulate plant productivity and therefore stimulate methane emission, since direct linkages between these parameters have been observed. We hypothesize that CO2 enrichment led to the attenuation of methane production due to increased delivery of oxygen to the rhizosphere because of increased root biomass and porosity. The increased root biomass due to elevated CO2 may have more effectively aerated the soil, suppressing methane production. However, this study may be unique because the low organic content (〈 1%) of the sandy soils in which the rice was grown created very little oxygen demand.

Notes: Based on short-term experiments, many plant growth models – including those used in global change research – assume that an increase in temperature stimulates plant respiration (R) more than photosynthesis (P), leading to an increase in the R/P ratio. Longer-term experiments, however, have demonstrated that R/P is relatively insensitive to growth temperature. We show that both types of temperature response may be reconciled within a simple substrate-based model of plant acclimation to temperature, in which respiration is effectively limited by the supply of carbohydrates fixed through photosynthesis. The short-term, positive temperature response of R/P reflects the transient dynamics of the nonstructural carbohydrate and protein pools; the insensitivity of R/P to temperature on longer time-scales reflects the steady-state behaviour of these pools. Thus the substrate approach may provide a basis for predicting plant respiration responses to temperature that is more robust than the current modelling paradigm based on the extrapolation of results from short-term experiments. The present model predicts that the acclimated R/P depends mainly on the internal allocation of carbohydrates to protein synthesis, a better understanding of which is therefore required to underpin the wider use of a constant R/P as an alternative modelling paradigm in global change research.

Notes: Experimental grassland communities (turves) were exposed to supplemental levels of UV-B radiation (280–315 nm) at an outdoor facility, under treatment arrays of cellulose diacetate-filtered fluorescent lamps which also produce UV-A radiation (315–400 nm). Control treatments consisted of arrays of polyester-filtered lamps, which allowed for exposure to UV-A radiation alone, and arrays of unenergized lamps allowing for exposure to ambient levels of solar radiation.

Notes: Although elevated atmospheric CO2 has been shown to increase growth of tree seedlings and saplings, the response of intact forest ecosystems and established trees is unclear. We report results from the first large-scale experimental system designed to study the effects of elevated CO2 on an intact forest with the full complement of species interactions and environmental stresses. During the first year of exposure to ^ 1.5 Ë ambient CO2, canopy loblolly pine (Pinus taeda, L.) trees increased basal area growth rate by 24% but understorey trees of loblolly pine, sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.), and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) did not respond. Winged elm (Ulmus alata Michx.) had a marginally significant increase in growth rate (P = 0.069). These data suggest that this ecosystem has the capacity to respond immediately to a step increase in atmospheric CO2; however, as exposure time increases, nutrient limitations may reduce this initial growth stimulation.

Notes: We examined whether the exposure of Quercus robur L. to elevated UV-B radiation (280–315 nm) during growth would influence leaf decomposition rate through effects on litter quality. Saplings were exposed for eight months at an outdoor facility in the UK to a 30% elevation above the ambient level of erythemally weighted UV-B radiation under UV-B treatment arrays of fluorescent lamps filtered with cellulose diacetate, which transmitted both UV-B and UV-A (315–400 nm) radiation. Saplings were exposed to elevated UV-A alone under control arrays of lamps filtered with polyester and to ambient radiation under unenergised arrays of lamps. Abscised leaves from saplings were enclosed in 1 mm2 mesh nylon bags, placed in a Quercus–Fraxinus woodland and were sampled at 0.11, 0.53, 1.10 and 1.33 years for dry weight loss, chemical composition and saprotrophic fungal colonization.At abscission, litters from UV-A control arrays had ≈ 7.5% higher lignin/nitrogen ratios than those from UV-B treatment and ambient arrays (P 〈 0.06). Dry weight loss of leaves treated with elevated UV-B radiation during growth was 2.5% and 5% greater than that of leaves from UV-A control arrays at 0.53 and 1.33 years, respectively. Litter samples from UV-B treatment arrays lost more nitrogen and phosphorus than samples from ambient arrays and more carbon than samples from UV-A control arrays. The annual fractional weight loss of litter from UV-B treatment arrays was 8% and 6% greater than that of litter from UV-A control and ambient arrays, respectively. Regression analyses indicated that the increased decomposition rate of UV-B treated litters was associated with enhanced colonization of leaves by basidiomycete fungi, the most active members of the soil fungal community, and that the frequency of these fungi was negatively associated with the initial lignin/nitrogen ratio of leaves.

Notes: The effect of climate change on biologically mediated soil processes is likely to be complex and difficult to predict. The direct effect of changes in soil moisture and temperature may be obscured or even reversed by changes in the return of organic substrates to the soil. This paper is the first in a series reporting the results from a medium-term investigation into the effect of simulated climate change on soil N mineralization in a seminatural calcareous grassland in southern England. Gross rates of N mineralization were determined by isotope dilution in plots subjected to winter warming (3 °C above ambient), enhanced or decreased summer rainfall and combinations of these treatments. The results from the control treatment, reported here, show a strong seasonality of gross N mineralization with rates highest in the Spring and Autumn and lowest in Summer. They indicate that water availability is the main restraint on microbial processes and plant growth and that, in the short term, enhanced summer rainfall is likely to be the main factor influencing nutrient turnover. Further papers will report the results from the imposed treatments.

Notes: To provide a common currency for model comparison, validation and manipulation, we suggest and describe the use of impulse response functions, a concept well-developed in other fields, but only partially developed for use in terrestrial carbon cycle modelling. In this paper, we describe the derivation of impulse response functions, and then examine (i) the dynamics of a simple five-box biosphere carbon model; (ii) the dynamics of the CASA biosphere model, a spatially explicit NPP and soil carbon biogeochemistry model; and (iii) various diagnostics of the two models, including the latitudinal distribution of mean age, mean residence time and turnover time. We also (i) deconvolve the past history of terrestrial NPP from an estimate of past carbon sequestration using a derived impulse response function to test the performance of impulse response functions during periods of historical climate change; (ii) convolve impulse response functions from both the simple five-box model and the CASA model against a historical record of atmospheric δ13C to estimate the size of the terrestrial 13C isotopic disequilibrium; and (iii) convolve the same impulse response functions against a historical record of atmospheric 14C to estimate the 14C content and isotopic disequilibrium of the terrestrial biosphere at the 1° × 1° scale. Given their utility in model comparison, and the fact that they facilitate a number of numerical calculations that are difficult to perform with the complex carbon turnover models from which they are derived, we strongly urge the inclusion of impulse response functions as a diagnostic of the perturbation response of terrestrial carbon cycle models.

Notes: The microclimate in facilities for studying effects of elevated CO2 on crops differs from ambient conditions. Open-top chambers (OTCs) increase temperature by 1–3 °C. If temperature and CO2 interact in their effect on crops, this would limit the value of OTC experiments. Furthermore, interaction of CO2 and temperature deserves study because increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration are expected to cause global warming.This paper describes two experiments in which a recently developed cooling system for OTCs was used to analyse the effects of temperature on photosynthesis, growth and yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Minaret). Two levels of CO2 were used (350 and 700 ppm), and two levels of temperature, with cooled OTCs being 1.6–2.4 °C colder than noncooled OTCs.Photosynthetic rates were increased by elevated CO2, but no effect of temperature was found. Cross-switching CO2 concentrations as well as determination of A–Ci curves showed that plant photosynthetic capacity after anthesis acclimated to elevated CO2. The acclimation may be related to the effects of CO2 on tissue composition: elevated CO2 decreased leaf nitrogen concentrations and increased sugar content. Calculations of the seasonal mean crop light-use efficiency (LUE) were consistent with the photosynthesis data in that CO2 increased LUE by 20% on average whereas temperature had no effect. Both elevating CO2 and cooling increased grain yield, by an average of 11% and 23%, respectively. CO2 and temperature stimulated yield via different mechanisms: CO2 increased photosynthetic rate, but decreased crop light interception capacity (LAI), whereas cooling increased grain yield by increasing LAI and extending the growing season with 10 days. The effects of CO2 and temperature were not additive: the CO2 effect was about doubled in the noncooled open-top chambers. In most cases, effects on yield were mediated through increased grain density rather than increased individual grain weights.The higher growth response to elevated CO2 in noncooled vs. cooled OTCs shows that a cooling system may remove a bias towards overestimating crop growth response to CO2 in open-top chambers.

Notes: A population of the xylem-feeding spittlebug, Neophilaenus lineatus, on blocks of natural vegetation transferred to large hemispherical chambers was studied over two generations with continuous exposure to elevated CO2 (600 ppm). The third generation was transferred from the blocks to potted Juncus squarrosus to enable measurements of fecundity. The principal food plant throughout was Juncus squarrosus. Survival of the nymphs was reduced by more than 20% in elevated CO2 relative to ambient (350 ppm) in both years of the main experiment. Elevated CO2 also delayed development by one or more nymphal instars in each year. Fecundity was not significantly affected.The C/N ratio of whole Juncus leaves was increased in elevated CO2 and the transpiration rates of the plants were reduced. These changes may have been responsible for the effect of elevated CO2 on spittlebug performance. However, other factors such as plant architecture and microclimate may also be important.

Notes: The eddy covariance technique was employed with a tunable diode laser spectrometer to quantify methane flux from a prairie marsh dominated by Phragmites australis in north-central Nebraska, USA. The observations spanned the entire growing season (April to October) and a wide range of weather conditions, allowing a quantitative assessment of the physical and biological controls of methane emission in this ecosystem. Diel patterns in methane emission varied markedly depending on plant growth stage. Prior to plant emergence above water, the rate of methane emission from the marsh was fairly constant throughout the day. After emergence above water, there was a gradual increase in methane emission after sunrise with a peak in late afternoon. Significant changes in diel patterns were observed after tillering. Then, the diel pattern was characterized by a mid- to late-morning peak and a 2-to 4-fold increase in methane emissions from night to daytime. In early stages of plant growth, molecular diffusion through dead/live plants and the standing water column seemed to be the primary transport mechanism. After tillering, a transition occurred in the transport mechanism from a molecular diffusion to a convective throughflow, which is a rapid and active gas transport driven by pressure differences. The role of convective throughflow became less important as the plants senesced. Integrated methane emission over the six-month measurement period (April–October) was about 64 g CH4 m–2. On an annual basis, we estimate the annual methane emission from this ecosystem to be ≈ 80 g CH4 m–2 and that about 80% of the total methane emission occurred between late April and late October.

Notes: The net emissions of carbon from forestry and changes in land use in south and southeast Asia were calculated here with a book-keeping model that used rates of land-use change and associated per hectare changes in vegetation and soil to calculate changes in the amount of carbon held in terrestrial ecosystems and wood products. The total release of carbon to the atmosphere over the period 1850–1995 was 43.5 PgC. The clearing of forests for permanent croplands released 33.5 PgC, about 75% of the total. The reduction of biomass in the remaining forests, as a result of shifting cultivation, logging, fuelwood extraction, and associated regrowth, was responsible for a net loss of 11.5 PgC, and the establishment of plantations withdrew from the atmosphere 1.5 PgC, most of it since 1980. Based on comparisons with other estimates, the uncertainty of this long-term flux is estimated to be within ±30%. Reducing this uncertainty will be difficult because of the difficulty of documenting the biomass of forests in existence 〉40 years ago. For the 15-y period 1981–1995, annual emissions averaged 1.07 PgC y–1, about 50% higher than reported for the 1980s in an earlier study. The uncertainty of recent emissions is probably within ± 50% but could be reduced significantly with systematic use of satellite data on changes in forest area. In tropical Asia, the emissions of carbon from land-use change in the 1980s accounted for approximately 75% of the region’s total carbon emissions. Since 1990 rates of deforestation and their associated emissions have declined, while emissions of carbon from combustion of fossil fuels have increased. The net effect has been a reduction in emissions of CO2 from this region since 1990.

Notes: The effect of soil thawing and soil temperature on postwinter recovery of photosynthetic capacity was studied, during late spring and early summer, in Norway spruce stands in northern Sweden. Soil temperature was manipulated by means of buried heating cables. The warming treatment was applied to stands with low (natural) and high (fertilized) availability of nutrients. Soil thawing, expressed as water availability, was followed by means of sapflow in stems, and shoot water potentials. The recovery of photosynthetic capacity was assessed by measuring the rate of light-saturated photosynthesis (Amax), and maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II in detached shoots, and chlorophyll a fluorescence. Accumulation of starch reserves in the needles was followed as an independent indicator of photosynthetic performance in situ. Snowmelt and soil thawing occurred more than one month earlier in heated than in unheated plots. This was expressed both as sapflow and as differences in shoot water potential between treatments. During May, the rates of Amax were significantly higher on heated than on control plots. The effect of soil warming on Amax was, however, not reflected in chlorophyll fluorescence or needle starch content. The time course of the recovery of photosynthetic capacity was mainly controlled by mean air temperature and by the frequency of severe night frosts, and to a lesser extent by earlier soil thawing and higher soil temperatures.

Notes: Leaf gas-exchange and chemical composition were investigated in seedlings of Quercus suber L. grown for 21 months either at elevated (700 μmol mol–1) or normal (350 μmol mol–1) ambient atmospheric CO2 concentrations, [CO2], in a sandy nutrient-poor soil with either ‘high’ N (0.3 mol N m–3 in the irrigation solution) or with ‘low’ N (0.05 mol N m–3) and with a constant suboptimal concentration of the other macro- and micronutrients. Although elevated [CO2] yielded the greatest total plant biomass in ‘high’ nitrogen treatment, it resulted in lower leaf nutrient concentrations in all cases, independent of the nutrient addition regime, and in greater nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations. By contrast, nitrogen treatment did not affect foliar N concentrations, but resulted in lower phosphorus concentrations, suggesting that under lower N, P use-efficiency in foliar biomass production was lower. Phosphorus deficiency was evident in all treatments, as photosynthesis became CO2 insensitive at intercellular CO2 concentrations larger than ≈ 300 μmol mol–1, and net assimilation rates measured at an ambient [CO2] of 350 μmol mol–1 or at 700 μmol mol–1 were not significantly different. Moreover, there was a positive correlation of foliar P with maximum Rubisco (Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) carboxylase activity (Vcmax), which potentially limits photosynthesis at low [CO2], and the capacities of photosynthetic electron transport (Jmax) and phosphate utilization (Pmax), which are potentially limiting at high [CO2]. None of these potential limits was correlated with foliar nitrogen concentration, indicating that photosynthetic N use-efficiency was directly dependent on foliar P availability. Though the tendencies were towards lower capacities of potential limitations of photosynthesis in high [CO2] grown specimens, the effects were statistically insignificant, because of (i) large within-treatment variability related to foliar P, and (ii) small decreases in P/N ratio with increasing [CO2], resulting in balanced changes in other foliar compounds potentially limiting carbon acquisition. The results of the current study indicate that under P-deficiency, the down-regulation of excess biochemical capacities proceeds in a similar manner in leaves grown under normal and elevated [CO2], and also that foliar P/N ratios for optimum photosynthesis are likely to increase with increasing growth CO2 concentrations. Symbols: A, net assimilation rate (μmol m–2 s–1); Amax, light-saturated A (μmol m–2 s–1); α, initial quantum yield at saturating [CO2] and for an incident Q (mol mol–1); [CO2], atmospheric CO2 concentration (μmol mol–1); Ci, intercellular CO2 concentration (μmol mol–1); Ca, CO2 concentration in the gas-exchange cuvette (μmol mol–1); FB, fraction of leaf N in ‘photoenergetics’; FL, fraction of leaf N in light harvesting; FR, fraction of leaf N in Rubisco; Γ*, CO2 compensation concentration in the absence of Rd (μmol mol–1); Jmax*, capacity for photosynthetic electron transport; Jmc, capacity for photosynthetic electron transport per unit cytochrome f (mol e–[mol cyt f]–1 s–1); Kc, Michaelis-Menten constant for carboxylation (μmol mol–1); Ko, Michaelis-Menten constant for oxygenation (mmol mol–1); MA, leaf dry mass per area (g m–2); O, intercellular oxygen concentration (mmol mol–1); [Pi], concentration of inorganic phosphate (mM); Pmax*, capacity for phosphate utilization; Q, photosynthetically active quantum flux density (μmol m–2 s–1); Rd*, day respiration (CO2 evolution from nonphotorespiratory processes continuing in the light); Rubisco, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; RUBP, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate; Tl, leaf temperature (°C); UTPU*, rate of triose phosphate utilization; Vcmax*, maximum Rubisco carboxylase activity; Vcr, specific activity of Rubisco (μmol CO2[g Rubisco]–1 s–1]*given in either μmol m–2 s–1 or in μmol g–1 s–1 as described in the text.

Notes: This study was conducted to determine the response in leaf growth and gas exchange of soybean (Glycine max Merr.) to the combined effects of water deficits and carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment. Plants grown in pots were allowed to develop initially in a glasshouse under ambient CO2 and well-watered conditions. Four-week old plants were transferred into two different glasshouses with either ambient (360 μmol mol-1) or elevated (700 μmol mol-1) CO2. Following a 2-day acclimation period, the soil of the drought-stressed pots was allowed to dry slowly over a 2-week period. The stressed pots were watered daily so that the soil dried at an equivalent rate under the two CO2 levels. Elevated [CO2] decreased water loss rate and increased leaf area development and photosynthetic rate under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. There was, however, no significant effect of [CO2] in the response relative to soil water content of normalized leaf gas exchange and leaf area. The drought response based on soil water content for transpiration, leaf area, and photosynthesis provide an effective method for describing the responses of soybean physiological processes to the available soil water, independent of [CO2].

Notes: Local effects of climate change (CC) and elevated CO2 (2 × CO2, 660 μmol mol–1) on managed temperate grasslands were assessed by forcing a dynamic ecosystem model with weather scenarios. The aims of the study were to compare the relative importance of individual and combined effects of CC, 2 × CO2, and photosynthetic acclimation, and to assess the importance of local site conditions. The model was driven by hourly means for temperature (T), precipitation (P), global radiation (G), vapour pressure (VP), and wind speed (U). Local climate scenarios were derived by statistical downscaling techniques from a 2 × CO2 simulation with the General Circulation Model of the Canadian Climate Centre (CCC-GCMII). Simulations over 14 growing seasons to account for year-to-year variability of climate were carried out for a low, relatively dry site, and a high, more humid site.At both sites, shoot dry matter responded positively to 2 × CO2 with the site at low elevation being more sensitive than the higher site. The effect of assumed changes in climate was negative at the lower, but positive at the higher site. Shoot dry matter was more sensitive to the effects of 2 × CO2 than to CC. Both effects combined increased shoot dry matter by up to 20%. This was attributed to direct effects of 2 × CO2 and increased T, and indirect stimulation via increased soil N availability. Biomass partitioning to roots increased with 2 × CO2 but decreased with CC, while an intermediate response resulted from the combination. Leaf area index (LAI) increased under 2 × CO2, but not enough to compensate fully for a decrease in leaf conductance. Under the 2 × CO2 scenario evapotranspiration (ET) decreased, but increased under CC. Photosynthetic acclimation reduced the effect of 2 × CO2 on shoot growth, but had little effect on ET. The seasonal water use efficiency (WUE) was improved under 2 × CO2, and reduced under CC. With the combination of both factors, the change was small but still positive, especially at the high elevation site with more favourable soil water conditions. This reflects the stronger positive yield response in combination with a smaller increase in ET under cooler, more humid conditions.The results for the combination of factors suggest that except for shoot growth, effects of 2 × CO2 and CC tend to offset each other. While CC determines the sign of the ET response, the sign of the biomass response is determined by 2 × CO2. The results highlight the importance of a site-specific analysis of ecosystem responses by using a flexible approach based on a combination of state-of-the-art downscaling, spatially resolved data sets, and a mechanistic model to obtain quantitative and reproducible assessments of climate change impacts at the ecosystem level.

Notes: Stratospheric ozone depletion occurs over Tierra del Fuego, southern Argentina and Chile, in the austral spring and summer due to the precession of the Antarctic ‘ozone hole’ and the general erosion of the ozone layer. Plots receiving either near-ambient or reduced UV-B radiation were established using different louvered plastic film filters over Sphagnum bog and Carex fen ecosystems in October 1996. In the Sphagnum bog system, growth measurements during the late spring and summer showed no significant differences in the moss Sphagnum magellanicum, or the vascular plants (Empetrum rubrum, Nothofagus antarctica, and Tetroncium magellanicum) between near-ambient and attenuated UV-B radiation treatments. In the Carex fen system, leaf length and spike height did not differ in the two dominant species, Carex decidua and C. curta, between UV-B radiation treatments. The length of individual spikelets of C. curta under near-ambient UV-B radiation was less than under the reduced UV-B radiation treatment, but this was not evident in C. decidua. No differences in seed number, seed mass, or viability were seen in either Carex species between the UV-B treatments. Two important constituents of the microfauna that inhabit the Sphagnum bog are testate amoebae and rotifers. These both appeared to be more numerous under near-ambient UV-B radiation than under reduced UV-B radiation. The subtle responses of the Sphagnum and Carex ecosystems may become more apparent in subsequent years as the treatments are continued. Trophic-level changes, such as the differences in number of amoebae and rotifers, may be more sensitive to solar UV-B radiation than growth and productivity of the vegetation.

Notes: It has been suggested that field experiments which increase UV-B irradiation by a fixed amount irrespective of ambient light conditions (‘square-wave’), may overestimate the response of photosynthesis to UV-B irradiation. In this study, pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants were grown in the field and subjected to a modulated 30% increase in ambient UK summer UV-B radiation (weighted with an erythemal action spectrum) and a mild drought treatment. UV-A and ambient UV control treatments were also studied. There were no significant effects of the UV-B treatment on the in situ CO2 assimilation rate throughout the day or on the light-saturated steady-state photosynthesis. This was confirmed by an absence of UV-B effects on the major components contributing to CO2 assimilation; photosystem II electron transport, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regeneration, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase carboxylation, and stomatal conductance. In addition to the absence of an effect on photosynthetic activities, UV-B had no significant impact on plant biomass, leaf area or partitioning. UV-B exposure increased leaf flavonoid content. The UV-A treatment had no observable effect on photosynthesis or productivity. Mild drought resulted in reduced biomass, a change in partitioning away from shoots to roots whilst maintaining leaf area, but had no observable effect on photosynthetic competence. No UV-B and drought treatment interactions were observed on photosynthesis or plant biomass. In conclusion, a 30% increase in UV-B had no effects on photosynthetic performance or productivity in well-watered or droughted pea plants in the field.

Notes: Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer has been of increased concern due to correlated increases in ambient ultraviolet radiation. Our research investigated the diel response of the motile behaviour of Nitzschia lineariz in both natural (freshwater stream) and experimental conditions. We classified the behaviour of individual diatom cells as gliding, immobile and oscillating. The experimental conditions were of simultaneous exposure either to net ambient solar radiation (control) or to ambient plus enhanced UV-B levels (treatment). UV-B for the control condition was filtered out using polyester filters; cells exposed to UV-B were irradiated through cellulose diacetate filters. UVB-313 levels were augmented to 33% (290 mW m–2) and 66% (365 mW m–2) above the local average ambient levels (220 mW m–2) for 10 h. The mobile behaviour of cells was examined and quantified every 2 consecutive hours from dawn to dusk in subsampled populations. The number of gliding cells in subsample populations declined on overcast days at both the 33 and 66% UV-B enhancement levels, whereas the number of immobile and oscillating cells increased with increased UV-B exposure. On sunny days, mobile behaviour was not affected at either enhancement level, which suggests that cellular repair mechanisms may be activated during sunny conditions.