Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide increases soil carbon

The general lack of significant changes in mineral soil C stocks during CO₂‐enrichment experiments has cast doubt on predictions that increased soil C can partially offset rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Here, we show, through meta‐analysis techniques, that these experiments collectively exhibited a 5.6% increase in soil C over 2–9 years, at a median rate of 19 g C m^?2 yr^?1. We also measured C accrual in deciduous forest and grassland soils, at rates exceeding 40 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for 5–8 years, because both systems responded to CO₂ enrichment with large increases in root production. Even though native C stocks were relatively large, over half of the accrued C at both sites was incorporated into microaggregates, which protect C and increase its longevity. Our data, in combination with the meta‐analysis, demonstrate the potential for mineral soils in diverse temperate ecosystems to store additional C in response to CO₂ enrichment.     

Plant responses to carbon dioxide

The average atmospheric concentration of CO₂ will probably double before the end of next century. Many of the consequences for plant growth can and should be determined now. In this review the effects of [CO₂] on a variety of plant processes are summarized: stomatal opening and closing; stomatal density; respiration; root morphogenesis; and flowering. The effects of growth under elevated [CO₂] on crop yield and seed composition are also discussed. Adverse effects on the composition of C₃ cereal grains are clearly indicated.     

二氧化碳人工生物转化

二氧化碳(carbon dioxide, CO₂)资源化利用是全球可持续发展面临的巨大挑战。自然界生物固碳绿色环保,但能效低、速度慢,难以满足工业生产需求;物理化学固碳效率高,但能耗高、产品单一,如何结合生物、物理与化学技术优势,以二氧化碳为原料进行生物转化利用是当前迫切需要解决的科技难题。本文结合中国科学院天津工业生物技术研究所建所10年来的发展,综述了人工固碳元件、途径与系统的设计与构建等前沿基础领域取得的重要进展,特别是首次实现二氧化碳人工合成淀粉,并对建立二氧化碳人工生物转化技术体系进行了展望。相关进展与展望为助力实现“碳达峰、碳中和”目标提供了新思路。     

Channeling of carbon monoxide during anaerobic carbon dioxide fixation

Carbon monoxide is an intermediate in carbon dioxide fixation by diverse microbes that inhabit anaerobic environments including the human colon. These organisms fix CO(2) by the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of acetyl-CoA biosynthesis. The bifunctional CO dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA synthase (CODH/ACS) catalyzes several key steps in this pathway. CO(2) is reduced to CO at a nickel iron-sulfur cluster called cluster C located in the CODH subunit. Then, CO is condensed with a methyl group and coenzyme A at cluster A, another nickel iron-sulfur cluster in the ACS subunit. Spectroscopic studies indicate that clusters A and C are at least 10-15 A apart. To gain a better understanding of how CO production and utilization are coordinated, we have studied an isotopic exchange reaction between labeled CO(2) and the carbonyl group of acetyl-CoA with the CODH/ACS from Clostridium thermoaceticum. When solution CO is provided at saturating levels, only CO(2)-derived CO is incorporated into the carbonyl group of acetyl-CoA. Furthermore, when high levels of hemoglobin or myoglobin are added to remove CO from solution, there is only partial inhibition of the incorporation of CO(2)-derived CO into acetyl-CoA. These results provide strong evidence for the existence of a CO channel between cluster C in the CODH subunit and cluster A in the ACS subunit. The existence of such a channel would tightly couple CO production and utilization and help explain why high levels of this toxic gas do not escape into the environment. Instead, microbes sequester this energy-rich carbon source for metabolic reactions.     

Soil carbon dioxide partial pressure and dissolved inorganic carbonate chemistry under elevated carbon dioxide and ozone

Global emissions of atmospheric CO₂ and tropospheric O₃ are rising and expected to impact large areas of the Earths forests. While CO₂ stimulates net primary production, O₃ reduces photosynthesis, altering plant C allocation and reducing ecosystem C storage. The effects of multiple air pollutants can alter belowground C allocation, leading to changes in the partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) in the soil , chemistry of dissolved inorganic carbonate (DIC) and the rate of mineral weathering. As this system represents a linkage between the long- and short-term C cycles and sequestration of atmospheric CO₂, changes in atmospheric chemistry that affect net primary production may alter the fate of C in these ecosystems. To date, little is known about the combined effects of elevated CO₂ and O₃ on the inorganic C cycle in forest systems. Free air CO₂ and O₃ enrichment (FACE) technology was used at the Aspen FACE project in Rhinelander, Wisconsin to understand how elevated atmospheric CO₂ and O₃ interact to alter pCO₂ and DIC concentrations in the soil. Ambient and elevated CO₂ levels were 360±16 and 542±81 l l^–1, respectively; ambient and elevated O₃ levels were 33±14 and 49±24 nl l^–1, respectively. Measured concentrations of soil CO₂ and calculated concentrations of DIC increased over the growing season by 14 and 22%, respectively, under elevated atmospheric CO₂ and were unaffected by elevated tropospheric O₃. The increased concentration of DIC altered inorganic carbonate chemistry by increasing system total alkalinity by 210%, likely due to enhanced chemical weathering. The study also demonstrated the close coupling between the seasonal ¹³C of soil pCO₂ and DIC, as a mixing model showed that new atmospheric CO₂ accounted for approximately 90% of the C leaving the system as DIC. This study illustrates the potential of using stable isotopic techniques and FACE technology to examine long- and short-term ecosystem C sequestration.     

Effect of carbon dioxide on photorespiration

The isotopic CO₂ technique for measuring photorespiration was shown to be a valid technique for measuring the unidirectional inward and outward fluxes of CO₂ from a sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) leaf in the light. The rate of photorespiration was decreased little as the CO₂ concentration was increased from 20 to 1,150 microliters per liter. This finding contradicts the widely held assumption that photorespiration is suppressed at high CO₂ concentrations. Some discussion regarding this apparent conflict is presented.     

Measurement of dissolved carbon dioxide.

Several probes for measuring dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration were installed in a 68-litre fermentor and their effectiveness compared. Submerged silastic rubber tubing gave reproducible results over a wide range of operating conditions and was generally superior to all other probes evaluated. The silastic rubber probe was used to compare the partial pressure of CO2 in viscous fermentation media with that in the fermentor exhaust gas. No significant difference was found. Results show that determination of the CO2 partial pressure in the exhaust gas gives an excellent approximation of the partial pressure of dissolved CO2 in the liquid medium, eliminating the need for measurement of CO2 concentration in the broth.