Carbon balance in a monospecific stand of an annual herb <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chenopodium album</Emphasis> at an elevated CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> concentration

Elevated CO₂ enhances carbon uptake of a plant stand, but the magnitude of the increase varies among growth stages. We studied the relative contribution of structural and physiological factors to the CO₂ effect on the carbon balance during stand development. Stands of an annual herb Chenopodium album were established in open-top chambers at ambient and elevated CO₂ concentrations (370 and 700 μmol mol⁻¹). Plant biomass growth, canopy structural traits (leaf area, leaf nitrogen distribution, and light gradient in the canopy), and physiological characteristics (leaf photosynthesis and respiration of organs) were studied through the growing season. CO₂ exchange of the stand was estimated with a canopy photosynthesis model. Rates of light-saturated photosynthesis and dark respiration of leaves as related with nitrogen content per unit leaf area and time-dependent reduction in specific respiration rates of stems and roots were incorporated into the model. Daily canopy carbon balance, calculated as an integration of leaf photosynthesis minus stem and root respiration, well explained biomass growth determined by harvests (r ² = 0.98). The increase of canopy photosynthesis with elevated CO₂ was 80% at an early stage and decreased to 55% at flowering. Sensitivity analyses suggested that an alteration in leaf photosynthetic traits enhanced canopy photosynthesis by 40–60% throughout the experiment period, whereas altered canopy structure contributed to the increase at the early stage only. Thus, both physiological and structural factors are involved in the increase of carbon balance and growth rate of C. album stands at elevated CO₂. However, their contributions were not constant, but changed with stand development.     

Global terrestrial carbon storage and uncertainties in its temperature sensitivity examined with a simple model

The future of the land carbon sink is a significant uncertainty in global change projections. Here, key controls on global terrestrial carbon storage are examined using a simple model of vegetation and soil. Equilibrium solutions are derived as a function of atmospheric CO₂ and global temperature, these environmental variables are then linked in an idealized global change trajectory, and the lag between the dynamic and equilibrium solutions is derived for different linear rates of increase in atmospheric CO₂. Terrestrial carbon storage is departing significantly from equilibrium because CO₂ and temperature are increasing on a similar timescale to ecosystem change, and the lag is found to be proportional to the rate of forcing. Thus peak sizes of the land carbon sink, and any future land carbon source, are proportional to the rate of increase of CO₂. A switch from a land carbon sink to a source occurs at a higher CO₂ and temperature under more rapid forcing. The effects of parameter uncertainty in temperature sensitivities of photosynthesis, plant respiration and soil respiration, and structural uncertainty through the effect of fixing the ratio of plant respiration to photosynthesis are explored. In each case, the CO₂ fertilization effect on photosynthesis is constrained to reproduce the 1990 atmospheric CO₂ concentration within a closed global model. New literature compilations are presented for the temperature sensitivities of plant and soil respiration. A lower limit, Q₁₀=1.29, for soil respiration significantly increases future land carbon storage. An upper limit, Q₁₀=3.63, for soil respiration underpredicts the increase in carbon storage since the Last Glacial Maximum. Fixing the ratio of plant respiration to photosynthesis (R/P) at 0.5 generates the largest and most persistent land carbon sink, followed by the weakest land carbon source.     

Leaf Photosynthesis and Respiration of High CO(2)-Grown Tobacco Plants Selected for Survival under CO(2) Compensation Point Conditions

Four self-pollinated, doubled-haploid tobacco, (Nicotiana tabacum L.) lines (SP422, SP432, SP435, and SP451), selected as haploids by survival in a low CO₂ atmosphere, and the parental cv Wisconsin-38 were grown from seed in a growth room kept at high CO₂ levels (600-700 parts per million). The selected plants were much larger (especially SP422, SP432, and SP451) than Wisconsin-38 nine weeks after planting. The specific leaf dry weight and the carbon (but not nitrogen and sulfur) content per unit area were also higher in the selected plants. However, the chlorophyll, carotenoid, and alkaloid contents and the chlorophyll a/b ratio varied little. The net CO₂ assimilation rate per unit area measured in the growth room at high CO₂ was not higher in the selected plants. The CO₂ assimilation rate versus intercellular CO₂ curve and the CO₂ compensation point showed no substantial differences among the different lines, even though these plants were selected for survival under CO₂ compensation point conditions. Adult leaf respiration rates were similar when expressed per unit area but were lower in the selected lines when expressed per unit dry weight. Leaf respiration rates were negatively correlated with specific leaf dry weight and with the carbon content per unit area and were positively correlated with nitrogen and sulfur content of the dry matter. The alternative pathway was not involved in respiration in the dark in these leaves. The better carbon economy of tobacco lines selected for low CO₂ survival was not apparently related to an improvement of photosynthesis rate but could be related, at least partially, to a significantly reduced respiration (mainly cytochrome pathway) rate per unit carbon.     

Water stress impacts on respiratory rate, efficiency and substrates, in growing and mature foliage of Eucalyptus spp

In previous studies, water stress has induced variable and sometimes contradictory changes in respiration. We used isothermal calorimetry to measure the response of foliar respiration to water deficit in nine eucalypt genotypes. Specific growth rates (R _SG) of shoots and leaves of variable age were measured independently, and the data were applied to both the growth-maintenance and enthalpy balance models. We calculated the oxidation state of respiratory substrate and the enthalpy change for the conversion of substrate carbon to biomass (ΔH _B). Moderate water stress reduced the R _SG of shoots by 38% (P<0.01) and carbon conversion efficiency by 15% (P<0.05). The relationship between carbon conversion efficiency and R _SG was not affected by water deficit for shoots, but was significantly altered for leaves. Water deficit increased maintenance respiration by about 23% (P<0.001). The growth coefficient of respiration was not significantly altered. However, changes in oxidation states of substrate and biomass suggest that the energy requirements of biosynthesis were increased under water stress. Our results confirm that carbohydrates are the major respiratory substrates in growing tissues, though mature leaves utilized a substantial component of more reduced substrate. Mature leaves had variable oxidation states for respiration substrate, which indicates a variable relationship between CO₂ evolution and ATP production. Measured ΔH _B in shoots and leaves were too small for reliable estimation of R _SG by the enthalpy balance model. We also found significant effects of water stress on the oxidation state of substrate and ΔH _B.     

Effects of CO2 enrichment on whole-plant carbon budget of seedlings of Fagus grandifolia and Acer saccharum in low irradiance

Carbon exchange rates (CER) and whole-plant carbon balances of beech (Fagus grandifolia) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) were compared for seedlings grown under low irradiance to determine the effects of atmospheric CO₂ enrichment on shade-tolerant seedlings of co-dominant species. Under contemporary atmospheric CO₂, photosynthetic rate per unit mass of beech was lower than for sugar maple, and atmospheric CO₂ enrich ment enhanced photosynthesis for beech only. Aboveground respiration per unit mass decreased with CO₂ enrichment for both species while root respiration per unitmass decreased for sugar maple only. Under contemporary atmoapheric CO₂, beech had lower C uptake per plant than sugar maple, while C losses per plant to nocturnal aboveground and root respiration were similar for both species. Under elevated CO₂, C uptake per plant was similar for both species, indicating a significant relative increase in whole-seedling CER with CO₂ enrich ment for beech but not for sugar maple. Total C loss per plant to aboveground respiration was decreased for beech only because increase in sugar maple leaf mass counterbalanced a reduction in respiration rates. Carbon loss to root respiration per plant was not changed by CO₂ enrichment for either species. However, changes in maintenance respiration cost and nitrogen level suggest changes in tissue composition with elevated CO₂. Beech had a greater net daily C gain with CO₂ enrichment than did sugar maple in contrast to a lower one under contemporary CO₂. Elevated CO₂ preferentially enhances the net C balance of beech by increasing photosynthesis and reducing respiration cost. In all cases, the greatest C lost was by roots, indicating the importance of belowground biomass in net C gain. Relative growth rate estimated from biomass accumulation was not affected by CO₂ enrichment for either species possibly because of slow growth under low light. This study indicates the importance of direct effects of CO₂ enrichment when predicting potential change in species distribution with global climate change.     

Studies on the Biochemistry and Fine Structure of Silica Shell Formation in Diatoms. Photosynthesis and Respiration in Silicon-Starvation Synchrony of Navicula pelliculosa

Rates of photosynthesis, measured by oxygen electrode or by ¹⁴CO₂ fixation, dark respiration and ³²P-phosphate incorporation are reported for the silicon-starvation synchrony of the fresh water diatom Navicula pelliculosa. During late exponential growth the rates were consistent with increase in carbon mass. During silicon starvation, rates of carbon dioxide fixation, oxygen evolution and ³²P incorporation fell, and the saturating light intensity decreased from 27,000 lux to 5000 lux. Reintroduction of silicon led to immediate transients in all parameters studied, followed by a prolonged increase in rate of dark respiration and a gradual increase in apparent photosynthesis. During release of daughter cells, the rates of dark respiration decreased as photosynthesis and ³²P incorporation increased. These results are discussed in relation to effects of silicon on the energy metabolism of the diatom.     

The Effect of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Elevation on Plant Growth in Freshwater Ecosystems

We developed a dynamic model to investigate the effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) increase on plant growth in freshwater ecosystems. Steady-state simulations were performed to analyze the response of phytoplankton and submerged macrophytes to atmospheric CO₂ elevation from 350 to 700 ppm. We studied various conditions that may affect this response, such as alkalinity, the air–water exchange rate of CO₂, the community respiration rate, and the phosphorus (P) supply rate. The increase in atmospheric CO₂ could affect submerged plant growth only under relatively eutrophic conditions and at a low community respiration rate. Alkalinity had little effect on the response of the different species. When the air–water exchange was low, the proportional effect of the CO₂ increase on plant growth was higher. Under eutrophic conditions, algae and macrophytes using CO₂ and HCO₃^– may double their growth rate due to atmospheric CO₂ elevation, while the growth of macrophytes restricted to CO₂ assimilation may be threefold. The differences in response of the species under various conditions indicate that the elevation of atmospheric CO₂ may induce drastic changes in the productivity and species dominance in freshwater systems.     

Respiratory Behaviour of Young Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) Trees under Field Conditions

Night-time respiration rates of aerial parts of six sample trees in a 9-year-old hinoki cypress [Chamaecyparis obtusa(Sieb. et Zucc.) Endl.] stand were measured at monthly intervals over a 1-year period, by an enclosed whole-tree method. When the relationships between annual respiration rate and mean phytomass, and between annual respiration rate and annual phytomass increment were examined, one sample tree, which was under stress, did not follow the trend of the rest, indicating that its lower respiration rate did not correspond to its size because of its negligible phytomass increment. Respiration was partitioned into maintenance and growth respiration to explain this phenomenon. The maintenance coefficients were 0.0345, 0.0373, 0.0352, 0.0211, 0.0316 and 0.0200g CO₂g^-1month^-1, in decreasing order of tree size. The maintenance coefficients of the stressed (i.e. 0.0211g CO₂g^-1month^-1) and suppressed (i.e. 0.0200g CO₂g^-1month^-1) trees were similar and smaller than those of the rest which were larger and alike, indicating that stress and suppression reduced the coefficient. The growth coefficients were 1.45, 1.51, 1.28, 1.80, 1.45 and 1.64g CO₂g^-1, in decreasing order of tree size. The growth coefficient of the stressed tree (i.e. 1.80g CO₂g^-1) was the largest followed by that of the smallest and suppressed tree (i.e. 1.64g CO₂g^-1), suggesting that stress and suppression reduced the efficiency of conversion of substrate into new structural phytomass. The stressed tree respired mainly to maintain itself. The respiratory behaviour of the sample trees, including the stressed tree, was compatible with the concept of growth and maintenance respiration.     

Carbon dioxide enrichment does not reduce leaf longevity or alter accumulation of carbon reserves in the woodland spring ephemeral Erythronium americanum

Background and Aims

Woodland spring ephemerals exhibit a relatively short epigeous growth period prior to canopy closure. However, it has been suggested that leaf senescence is induced by a reduction in the carbohydrate sink demand, rather than by changes in light availability. To ascertain whether a potentially higher net carbon (C) assimilation rate could shorten leaf lifespan due to an accelerated rate of storage, Erythronium americanum plants were grown under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (1100 ppm) CO₂ concentrations.

Methods

During this growth-chamber experiment, plant biomass, bulb starch concentration and cell size, leaf phenology, gas exchange rates and nutrient concentrations were monitored.

Key Results

Plants grown at 1100 ppm CO₂ had greater net C assimilation rates than those grown at 400 ppm CO₂. However, plant size, final bulb mass, bulb filling rate and timing of leaf senescence did not differ.

Conclusions

Erythronium americanum fixed more C under elevated than under ambient CO₂ conditions, but produced plants of similar size. The similar bulb growth rates under both CO₂ concentrations suggest that the bulb filling rate is dependant on bulb cell elongation rate, rather than on C availability. Elevated CO₂ stimulated leaf and bulb respiratory rates; this might reduce feed-back inhibition of photosynthesis and avoid inducing premature leaf senescence.Key words: Source–sink relations, assimilation rates, growth rates, CO₂ enrichment, respiration, spring ephemeral, leaf senescence, bulbous plant, carbohydrate storage, Erythronium americanum     

Effects of elevated pressure on rate of photosynthesis during plant growth

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of an artificially controlled environment, particularly elevated total pressure, on net photosynthesis and respiration during plant growth. Pressure directly affects not only cells and organelles in leaves but also the diffusion coefficients and degrees of solubility of CO₂ and O₂. In this study, the effects of elevated total pressure on the rates of net photosynthesis and respiration of a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, were investigated in a chamber that newly developed in this study to control the total pressure. The results clearly showed that the rate of respiration decreased linearly with increasing total pressure at a high humidity. The rate of respiration decreased linearly with increasing total pressure up to 0.2 MPa, and increased with increasing total pressure from 0.3 to 0.5 MPa at a low humidity. The rate of net photosynthesis decreased linearly with increasing total pressure under a constant partial pressure of CO₂ at 40 Pa. On the other hand, the rate of net photosynthesis was clearly increased by up to 1.6-fold with increasing total pressure and partial pressure of CO₂.     

Modeling soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions from ecosystems

We present a new soil respiration model, describe a formal model testing procedure, and compare our model with five alternative models using an extensive data set of observed soil respiration. Gas flux data from rangeland soils that included a large number of measurements at low temperatures were used to model soil CO₂ emissions as a function of soil temperature and water content. Our arctangent temperature function predicts that Q₁₀ values vary inversely with temperature and that CO₂ fluxes are significant below 0 °C. Independent data representing a broad range of ecosystems and temperature values were used for model testing. The effects of plant phenology, differences in substrate availability among sites, and water limitation were accounted for so that the temperature equations could be fairly evaluated. Four of the six tested models did equally well at simulating the observed soil CO₂ respiration rates. However, the arctangent variable Q₁₀ model agreed closely with observed Q₁₀ values over a wide range of temperatures (r² = 0.94) and was superior to published variable Q₁₀ equations using the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The arctangent temperature equation explained 16–85% of the observed intra-site variability in CO₂ flux rates. Including a water stress factor yielded a stronger correlation than temperature alone only in the dryland soils. The observed change in Q₁₀ with increasing temperature was the same for data sets that included only heterotrophic respiration and data sets that included both heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration.     

Atmospheric CO2 mole fraction affects stand‐scale carbon use efficiency of sunflower by stimulating respiration in light

Plant carbon‐use‐efficiency (CUE), a key parameter in carbon cycle and plant growth models, quantifies the fraction of fixed carbon that is converted into net primary production rather than respired. CUE has not been directly measured, partly because of the difficulty of measuring respiration in light. Here, we explore if CUE is affected by atmospheric CO₂. Sunflower stands were grown at low (200 μmol mol^?1) or high CO₂ (1000 μmol mol^?1) in controlled environment mesocosms. CUE of stands was measured by dynamic stand‐scale ¹³C labelling and partitioning of photosynthesis and respiration. At the same plant age, growth at high CO₂ (compared with low CO₂) led to 91% higher rates of apparent photosynthesis, 97% higher respiration in the dark, yet 143% higher respiration in light. Thus, CUE was significantly lower at high (0.65) than at low CO₂ (0.71). Compartmental analysis of isotopic tracer kinetics demonstrated a greater commitment of carbon reserves in stand‐scale respiratory metabolism at high CO₂. Two main processes contributed to the reduction of CUE at high CO₂: a reduced inhibition of leaf respiration by light and a diminished leaf mass ratio. This work highlights the relevance of measuring respiration in light and assessment of the CUE response to environment conditions.     

Root respiration and its importance for the carbon balance of beech saplings (Fagus sylvatica L.) in a montane beech forest

Root respiration of 10-year-old beech saplings (Fagus sylvatica L.) grown in the understorey (UND) and in a natural gap (GAP) of a mature beech forest in the Solling mountains, FRG, was investigated from April until December, 1990. Respiration rates of fine, medium and coarse roots were measured in situ by a PC-controlled cuvette system. Fine root respiration rates were in the range of 0.5–9.8 nmol CO₂ gDW^–1 s^–1 at both sites, but respiration rates of UND saplings were higher, compared to those of GAP saplings. The dependence of respiratory activity on soil temperature proved to be highly significant (p<0.001) for both plots, following a quasi-Arrhenius type curve. Fine root respiration rates of UND saplings were highly significantly, negatively correlated with the water content of the attached organic material, whereas respiration rates of GAP saplings did not show such a correlation. Further, a significant correlation (p<0.01) between mycorrhizal biomass and respiration rate was detected at the UND site, but not at the GAP site. Medium and coarse root respiration rates were very similar and no significant differences between the two sites were detected. Maximum respiration rates of 3.1 nmol CO₂ gDW^–1 s^–1 were reached in the middle of July. Due to low light intensities in the under storey, daily net CO₂ assimilation rates of UND saplings were much smaller than those of GAP saplings. At both sites, net CO₂ assimilation rates varied more than respiration rates and thus the carbon balance of beech saplings was more affected by the rate of carbon fixation than by the rate of respiratory carbon loss.     

Growth and maintenance components of leaf respiration of cotton grown in elevated carbon dioxide partial pressure

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressures have been shown to have variable direct and indirect effects on plant respiration rates. In this study, growth, leaf respiration, and leaf nitrogen and carbohydrate partitioning were measured in Gossypium hirsutum L. grown in 35 and 65 Pa CO₂ for 30d. Growth and maintenance coefficients of leaf respiration were estimated using gas exchange techniques both at night and during the day. Elevated CO₂ stimulated biomass production (107%) and net photo-synthetic rates (35–50%). Total day-time respiration (R_d) was not significantly affected by growth CO₂ partial pressure. However, night respiration (R_n) of leaves grown in 65 Pa CO₂ was significantly greater than that of plants grown in 35 Pa CO₂. Correlation of R_d and R_n with leaf expansion rates indicated that plants in both CO₂ treatments had equivalent growth respiration coefficients but maintenance respiration was significantly greater in elevated CO₂. Increased maintenance coefficients in elevated CO₂ appeared to be related to increased starch accumulation rather than to changes in leaf nitrogen.     

Effect of carbon:nitrogen ratio on kinetics of phenol biodegradation byAcinetobacter johnsonii in saturated sand

In polluted soil or ground water, inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen may be limiting, so that Monod kinetics for carbon limitation may not describe microbial growth and contaminant biodegradation rates. To test this hypothesis we measured¹⁴CO₂ evolved by a pure culture ofAcinetobacter johnsonii degrading 120 µg¹⁴C-phenol per ml in saturated sand with molar carbon:nitrogen (CN) ratios ranging from 1.5 to 560. We fit kinetics models to the data using non-linear least squares regression. Phenol disappearance and population growth were also measured at CN1.5 and CN560.After a 5- to 10-hour lag period, most of the¹⁴CO₂ evolution curves at all CN ratios displayed a sigmoidal shape, suggesting that the microbial populations grew. As CN ratio increased, the initial rate of¹⁴CO₂ evolution decreased. Cell growth and phenol consumption occurred at both CN1.5 and CN560, and showed the same trends as the¹⁴CO₂ data. A kinetics model assuming population growth limited by a single substrate best fit the¹⁴CO₂ evolution data for CN1.5. At intermediate to high CN ratios, the data were best fit by a model originally formulated to describe no-growth metabolism of one substrate coupled with microbial growth on a second substrate. We suggest that this dual-substrate model describes linear growth on phenol while nitrogen is available and first-order metabolism of phenol without growth after nitrogen is depleted.     

Metabolism of <Superscript>14</Superscript>C-glycine as a substrate for photorespiration of the leaf at different developmental stages of ephemeroides

The metabolism of ¹⁴C-glycine (a substrate for photorespiration) was studied in the light and in darkness under natural CO₂ concentration (0.03%) in the leaves of ephemeroides Scilla sibirica Haw. and Ficaria verna Huds. at different developmental stages. Using one and the same sample, potential photosynthesis (at 1% CO₂), true photosynthesis (at 0.03% CO₂), and leaf respiratory capacity were measured by the radiometric and manometric methods, respectively. All measurements were performed at 15°C, an average temperature during ephemer growth. It was found that, in the white zone of the Scilla leaf, the rate of CO₂ evolution resulting from metabolization of exogenous ¹⁴C-glycine was similar in the light and in darkness. In the green zone of the Scilla leaf and in the green leaf of Ficaria, both ¹⁴C-glycine absorption and ¹⁴CO₂ evolution were lower in the light as compared with darkness, which is explained by CO₂ reassimilation. In all treatments of both plant species, a specific inhibitor of glycine decarboxylase complex (GDC), aminoacetonitrile (5 mM) suppressed CO₂ evolution by 20–40%. It was concluded that in ephemeroides mitochondrial GDC, responsible for CO₂ evolution in photorespiration, is formed at the earliest stage of leaf development. This indicates that photorespiration can occur simultaneously with the development of the leaf photosynthetic activity. On the basis of the assumption that carbon losses in the form of CO₂ evolved during photorespiration comprise 25% of true photosynthesis, it was calculated that, in ephemer leaves, the highest rates of photorespiration and photosynthesis were attained during flowering when the leaf area was the largest and the rate of dark respiration was reduced by 1.5–2.0 times. The highest rates of dark respiration were observed in the beginning of growth. In senescing leaves by the end of the plant vegetation, potential photosynthesis and true photosynthesis were reduced, whereas dark respiration remained essentially unchanged. It is concluded that the high rates of potential and true photosynthesis are characteristic of ephemeroides when they complete their short developmental program in early spring (at 15°C); theoretically, photorespiration also occurs at a high rate during this period, when this process provides for a defense against the threat of photoinhibition at low temperature and high insolation.     

The effect of carbon dioxide concentration on respiration of growing and mature soybean leaves

Soybean plants were grown continuously at 350 and 700cm³m^?3 CO₂ at constant temperature. Respiration rates of third trifoliolate leaves were measured at the growth CO₂ concentration for the whole dark period from 5d before through to 5d after full area expansion. The short-term response of respiration rate to the measurement CO₂ concentration was also determined at each age. Respiration rates per unit of dry mass declined with age and were significantly less at a given age or RGR in leaves grown and measured at the elevated CO₂. The difference in respiration rate was largest in mature leaves and resulted from the different measurement CO₂ concentrations. The respiratory costs of the tissue synthesis, estimated from the elemental composition of the tissue, did not differ substantially between CO₂ treatments. The response of respiration rate to carbon dioxide concentration was not strongly affected by the form of nitrogen supplied. Maintenance respiration calculated by subtracting growth respiration from total respiration was negative in rapidly growing leaves for both CO₂ treatments. This indicates that CO₂ efflux in the dark does not accurately reflect the average 24 h rate of energy expenditure on growth and maintenance for soybean leaves.     

The influence of increasing growth temperature and CO2 concentration on the ratio of respiration to photosynthesis in soybean seedlings

Using controlled environmental growth chambers, whole plants of soybean, cv. ‘Clark’, were examined during early development (7–20 days after sowing) at both ambient (≈ 350 μL L^–1) and elevated (≈ 700 μL L^–1) carbon dioxide and a range of air temperatures (20, 25, 30, and 35 °C) to determine if future climatic change (temperature or CO₂ concentration) could alter the ratio of carbon lost by dark respiration to that gained via photosynthesis. Although whole-plant respiration increased with short-term increases in the measurement temperature, respiration acclimated to increasing growth temperature. Respiration, on a dry weight basis, was either unchanged or lower for the elevated CO₂ grown plants, relative to ambient CO₂ concentration, over the range of growth temperatures. Levels of both starch and sucrose increased with elevated CO₂ concentration, but no interaction between CO₂ and growth temperature was observed. Relative growth rate increased with elevated CO₂ concentration up to a growth temperature of 35 °C. The ratio of respiration to photosynthesis rate over a 24-h period during early development was not altered over the growth temperatures (20–35 °C) and was consistently less at the elevated relative to the ambient CO₂ concentration. The current experiment does not support the proposition that global increases in carbon dioxide and temperature will increase the ratio of respiration to photosynthesis; rather, the data suggest that some plant species may continue to act as a sink for carbon even if carbon dioxide and temperature increase simultaneously.     

Carbon dioxide assimilation in the flowerhead of Arctium

Summary The gas exchange of flowerheads was determined in Arctium tomentosum and A. lappa during their development. The light, temperature and CO₂ responses were used to estimate flowerhead photosynthesis and the in situ contribution of carbon assimilation to the carbon requirement of the plant for supporting a flowerhead. Changes in vapour pressure deficit had no effect on flowerhead photosynthesis rates and were not included in the model.In both species assimilatory capacity correlated with total bract chlorophyll content. Light, temperature and CO₂ response curves were very similar in form between species, differing only in absolute rates. During all stages of development, flowerheads always exhibited a net carbon loss, which was mainly determined by temperature. The respiration rate decreased in the light, the difference of CO₂ exchange in the dark and in the light was interpreted as photosynthesis. This rate was larger in A. lappa than in A. tomentosum. 30% of the total C requirement of A. lappa flowerheads was photosynthesized by its bracts, the total contribution offlowerhead photosynthesis in A. tomentosum was only 15%. The potential competitive advantages of variation in flowerhead photosynthesis are discussed.