J. Patrick Megonigal1, Bert G. Drake1, Frank P. Day2, P. Dijkstra3, Lee-Ann C. Hayek4, C. Ross Hinkle5, Bruce A. Hungate3, David P. Johnson6, Jia Hong Li7, Gary Peresta4, Troy Seiler1, and Daniel B. Stover8. (1) Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, (2) Old Dominion University, (3) Northern Arizona University, (4) Smithsonian Institution, (5) University of Central Florida, (6) LI-COR Biosciences, (7) University of Centeral Florida, (8) Earthwatch Institute
Background/Question/Methods We tested the hypothesis that native plants acclimate to elevated CO2 resulting in no additional growth and no additional carbon assimilation by the ecosystem. Open top chambers (OTC, 0.5m by 1.0m) were established in stands dominated by C3, C4 and mixed stands of these in a tidal marsh at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD in 1987. Large OTCs (3.0m by 2.8m) were established in scrub oak forest on the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Kennedy Space Center, FL(1996-2007). There were 5 plots of each CO2 treatment (ambient , ambient + 340ppm, and unchambered) in Maryland and 8 plots for each treatment (ambient and ambient + 350 ppm) in Florida. Non-destructive estimates of standing shoot biomass were made in the marsh at peak growing season (August) and in January of in the forest using allometric relationships. Gas exchange studies were made periodically in each study. Results/Conclusions In the tidal wetland, shoot number, above and belowground biomass increased at elevated compared with plants at ambient CO2 each year throughout the study. However, large inter-annual variation was observed and was mostly attributable to variation in precipitation. Nitrogen concentration of shoots and roots declined throughout the study with a large inverse relationship to inter-annual variation in precipitation. In the scrub oak ecosystem, we saw a 70% stimulation of shoot growth and a 60% stimulation of coarse root biomass in 10 years. Overall, scrub oak biomass increased (18%) throughout the study. In both studies,Ecosystem gas exchange showed a consistent increase in both studies (ca 35% increase in the tidal marsh and more than 50% increase in the scrub oak forest), with a strong interaction between carbon assimilation and precipitation. Evapotranspiration was reduced by the CO2 treatment in the Florida study resulting in a near doubling of ecosystem water use efficiency (carbon gain/water loss). We will review evidence for a decline in measured plant (growth and photosynthesis) or ecosystem responses (NEE, NEP, and ET) to elevated CO2. We noted a strong inter-annual variation in all responses to elevated CO2, mainly attributable to variation in available precipitation but there was also some evidence for N limitation.