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NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY OF A CO 2 -ENRICHED DECIDUOUS FOREST AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CARBON STORAGE

NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY OF A CO 2 -ENRICHED DECIDUOUS FOREST AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CARBON... A central question concerning the response of terrestrial ecosystems to a changing atmosphere is whether increased uptake of carbon in response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration results in greater plant biomass and carbon storage or, alternatively, faster cycling of C through the ecosystem. Net primary productivity (NPP) of a closed-canopy Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum) forest stand was assessed for three years in a free-air CO 2 -enrichment (FACE) experiment. NPP increased 21%% in stands exposed to elevated CO 2 , and there was no loss of response over time. Wood increment increased significantly during the first year of exposure, but subsequently most of the extra C was allocated to production of leaves and fine roots. These pools turn over more rapidly than wood, thereby reducing the potential of the forest stand to sequester additional C in response to atmospheric CO 2 enrichment. Hence, while this experiment provides the first evidence that CO 2 enrichment can increase productivity in a closed-canopy deciduous forest, the implications of this result must be tempered because the increase in productivity resulted in faster cycling of C through the system rather than increased C storage in wood. The fate of the additional C entering the soil system and the environmental interactions that influence allocation need further investigation. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ecological Applications Ecological Society of America

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Publisher
Ecological Society of America
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 by the Ecological Society of America
Subject
Communications
ISSN
1051-0761
DOI
10.1890/1051-0761%282002%29012%5B1261:NPPOAC%5D2.0.CO%3B2
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

A central question concerning the response of terrestrial ecosystems to a changing atmosphere is whether increased uptake of carbon in response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration results in greater plant biomass and carbon storage or, alternatively, faster cycling of C through the ecosystem. Net primary productivity (NPP) of a closed-canopy Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum) forest stand was assessed for three years in a free-air CO 2 -enrichment (FACE) experiment. NPP increased 21%% in stands exposed to elevated CO 2 , and there was no loss of response over time. Wood increment increased significantly during the first year of exposure, but subsequently most of the extra C was allocated to production of leaves and fine roots. These pools turn over more rapidly than wood, thereby reducing the potential of the forest stand to sequester additional C in response to atmospheric CO 2 enrichment. Hence, while this experiment provides the first evidence that CO 2 enrichment can increase productivity in a closed-canopy deciduous forest, the implications of this result must be tempered because the increase in productivity resulted in faster cycling of C through the system rather than increased C storage in wood. The fate of the additional C entering the soil system and the environmental interactions that influence allocation need further investigation.

Journal

Ecological ApplicationsEcological Society of America

Published: Oct 1, 2002

Keywords: carbon allocation ; carbon sequestration ; CO 2 enrichment ; FACE (free-air CO 2 -enrichment) experiment ; fine-root productivity ; forest productivity ; global change ; heterotrophic respiration ; Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum) ; net primary productivity

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