Elevated carbon dioxide and ozone alter productivity and ecosystem carbon content in northern temperate forests |
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Authors: | Alan F Talhelm Kurt S Pregitzer Mark E Kubiske Donald R Zak Courtney E Campany Andrew J Burton Richard E Dickson George R Hendrey J G Isebrands Keith F Lewin John Nagy David F Karnosky |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Forest, Rangeland, & Fire Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, , Moscow, ID, 83844 USA;2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, , Rhinelander, WI, 54501 USA;3. School of Natural Resources & Environment and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, , Ann Arbor, MI, 48109 USA;4. Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, , Penrith, NSW, 2751 Australia;5. Ecosystem Science Center and School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, , Houghton, MI, 49931 USA;6. School of Earth & Environmental Science, Queens College, City University of New York, , New York, NY, 11367 USA;7. Environmental Forestry Consultants, LLC, , New London, WI, 54961 USA;8. Environmental Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, , Upton, NY, 11973 USA |
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Abstract: | Three young northern temperate forest communities in the north‐central United States were exposed to factorial combinations of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and tropospheric ozone (O3) for 11 years. Here, we report results from an extensive sampling of plant biomass and soil conducted at the conclusion of the experiment that enabled us to estimate ecosystem carbon (C) content and cumulative net primary productivity (NPP). Elevated CO2 enhanced ecosystem C content by 11%, whereas elevated O3 decreased ecosystem C content by 9%. There was little variation in treatment effects on C content across communities and no meaningful interactions between CO2 and O3. Treatment effects on ecosystem C content resulted primarily from changes in the near‐surface mineral soil and tree C, particularly differences in woody tissues. Excluding the mineral soil, cumulative NPP was a strong predictor of ecosystem C content (r2 = 0.96). Elevated CO2 enhanced cumulative NPP by 39%, a consequence of a 28% increase in canopy nitrogen (N) content (g N m?2) and a 28% increase in N productivity (NPP/canopy N). In contrast, elevated O3 lowered NPP by 10% because of a 21% decrease in canopy N, but did not impact N productivity. Consequently, as the marginal impact of canopy N on NPP (?NPP/?N) decreased through time with further canopy development, the O3 effect on NPP dissipated. Within the mineral soil, there was less C in the top 0.1 m of soil under elevated O3 and less soil C from 0.1 to 0.2 m in depth under elevated CO2. Overall, these results suggest that elevated CO2 may create a sustained increase in NPP, whereas the long‐term effect of elevated O3 on NPP will be smaller than expected. However, changes in soil C are not well‐understood and limit our ability to predict changes in ecosystem C content. |
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Keywords: | air pollution carbon sequestration carbon storage elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE) net primary productivity (NPP) nitrogen soil carbon |
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