Comparison of the effect of elevated CO2 on an invasive species (Centaurea solstitialis) in monoculture and community settings

The ongoing increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) is likely to change the species composition of plant communities. To investigate whether growth of a highly invasive plant species, Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle), was affected by elevated [CO₂], and whether the success of this species would increase under CO₂ enrichment, I grew the species in serpentine soil microcosms, both as a monoculture and as a component of a grassland community. Centaurea grown in monoculture responded strongly to [CO₂] enrichment of 350 mol mol^–1, increasing aboveground biomass production by 70%, inflorescence production by 74%, and midday photosynthesis by an average of 132%. When grown in competition with common serpentine grassland species, Centaurea responded to CO₂ enrichment with similar but nonsignificant increases (+69% aboveground biomass, +71% inflorescence production), while total aboveground biomass of the polyculture increased by 28%. Centaurea's positive CO₂ response in monoculture and parallel (but non-significant) response in polyculture provoke questions about possible consequences of increasing CO₂ for more typical California grasslands, where the invader already causes major problems.     

Assessing the biological control of yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L): prospective analysis of the impact of the rosette weevil (Ceratapion basicorne (Illiger))

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CO2-fluxes in different plant communities of a high-Arctic tundra watershed (Western Spitsbergen)

Abstract. There is little information on (1) whether the net carbon balance is positive or negative in different habitats in high Arctic ecosystems such as Spitsbergen today, and (2) what effect a cloudier, cooler summer could have on carbon balance. To provide data on this subject CO₂-flux measurements in different plant communities were made in the high-Arctic coastal tundra of Spitsbergen, using a mobile macro-cuvette system based on infrared gas analysis. The study area was situated on the exposed west coast, where westerly winds produce precipitation daily in the form of rain, drizzle and fog. During the cold and cloudy measurement period in 1996, light and surface temperatures were limiting for primary producers, resulting in low size and low physiological activity of the plants. Net CO₂-flux measurements showed carbon fluxes from soil to atmosphere in most of the communities even during the brightest hours of the day, when mean photon flux density was 325 mmol m^-2 s^-1. Calculations based on spatial distribution of the plant communities and soils in the watershed combined with C-flux measurements revealed information on daily carbon loss. For instance, the Drepanocladus community, covering 21 % of the catchment area, was responsible for 42.6 % of the catchment carbon loss. Only two of nine investigated plant communities, the Racomitrium and a Salix-Saxifraga community on debris, both adapted to frequent fog situations, were able to compensate for respiratory CO₂-losses under the prevailing low light conditions during daytime. Since there were no significant sunny periods in this area in the summer of 1996, the habitats of the investigated coastal tundra finished the season with a marked carbon loss due to increased cloudiness.     

The CO2 sense of the moth Cactoblastis cactorum and its probable role in the biological control of the CAM plant Opuntia stricta

The interaction between the moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, and the cactus, Opuntia stricta, is used as a model to examine the question of whether the CO₂ sense of a herbivorous insect can detect the CO₂ gradients associated with a plant's metabolic activity. Both the anatomical and the electrophysiological characteristics of CO₂-sensitive receptor neurons in C. cactorum indicate an adaptation to the detection of small fluctuations around the atmospheric background. Evidence is provided that further rises in background will impair the function of the sensory organ. In the habitat of the plant, during the diurnal window of the moth's activity, two types of CO₂ gradients occur that are detectable by the moth's sensors. The first gradient, associated with soil respiration, is vertical and extends from the soil surface to an altitude of approximately 1 m. Its magnitude is well above the detectability limit of the sensors. The notion that this gradient provides, to a flying insect, a cue for the maintenance of a flight altitude favourable for host detection is supported by field observations of behaviour. The second gradient, associated with CO₂ fixation by the plant, extends from the surfaces of photosynthetic organs (cladodes) over a boundary layer distance of approximately 5 mm. Again, its magnitude is well above the detectability limit. The notion that this gradient provides, to a walking insect, a cue to the physiological condition of the plant is supported by the observation that females of C. cactorum, prior to oviposition, actively probe the plant surface with their CO₂ sensors. In a simulation of probing, pronounced responses of the sensors to the CO₂-fixing capacity of O. stricta are observed. We propose that by probing the boundary layer, females of C. cactorum can detect the healthiest, most active O. stricta cladodes, accounting for earlier observations that the most vigorous plants attract the greatest density of egg sticks.     

A contribution to the biology ofBangasternus fausti [Col.: Curculionidae], a potential biological control agent of diffuse knapweed,Centaurea diffusa,and its effect on the host plant

The biology of the weevilBangasternus fausti (Reitter), the larvae of which live in the flowerheads ofCentaurea diffusa (De Lamarck) and some relatedCentaurea spp., was studied in the field and in the laboratory in northern Greece and in the laboratory in Rome, Italy. The species is univoltine and overwinters as adults. Under laboratory conditions adults lived up to 90 days and up to 359 eggs were deposited by a single female (n=18). The maximum number of eggs laid by a female per day was 12 and the maximum number of days a female laid eggs was 73. Generally, there is only one larva per seedhead. One-hundred percent seed destruction was recorded in 18.7% of 502 field collected seedheads, each with oneB. fausti egg. The average mortality of the species, from egg to adult, was 94.4% in the field during 1988 (n=200) and 95.8% during 1987 (n=502).      

Effect of elevated CO2 on tropical soda apple and its biological control agent Gratiana boliviana (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Rising atmospheric CO₂ levels could have drastic effects on the performance of invasive weeds and their insect herbivores. Despite the importance of biological control as an effective management tool for environmental weeds, there have been few studies on the potential impact of climate change on the future efficacy of biological control. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of elevated CO₂ on the performance of tropical soda apple Solanum viarum (Solanaceae) and its biological control agent Gratiana boliviana (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). We established three levels of CO₂ in environmental growth chambers: ambient (400 ppm), medium (580 ppm) and high (780 ppm). Plants growing at the high level had greater biomass compared to those growing at the ambient and medium levels of CO₂. Leaf water content and the amount of leaf nitrogen were reduced at high compared to ambient or medium CO₂ levels. G. boliviana immature survival and developmental time were negatively affected at high CO₂ but not at medium or ambient levels. Adults were lighter and smaller when reared at the high CO₂ level compared to ambient and medium treatments, while adult fecundity was higher at the medium CO₂ level. Leaf area consumed by fifth instars was lower when feeding on plants grown at the high CO₂ level either inside a Petri dish or on potted plants. These results suggest that beetle performance may be diminished under future climate. However, further studies should incorporate other factors such as temperature and precipitation as well as the evolutionary potential of herbivores and plants to adapt to a changing climate.     

Elevated CO(2) and elevated temperature have no effect on Douglas-fir fine-root dynamics in nitrogen-poor soil

Here, we investigate fine-root production, mortality and standing crop of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings exposed to elevated atmospheric CO(2) and elevated air temperature. We hypothesized that these treatments would increase fine-root production, but that mortality would be greater under elevated temperature, leading to a smaller increase in standing crop. Seedlings were grown in outdoor, sun-lit controlled-environment chambers containing native soil. They were exposed in a factorial design to two levels of atmospheric CO(2) and two levels of air temperature. Minirhizotron methods were used to measure fine-root length production, mortality and standing crop every 4 wk for 36 months. Neither elevated atmospheric CO(2) nor elevated air temperature affected fine-root production, mortality, or standing crop. Fine roots appeared to root deeper in the soil profile under elevated CO(2) and elevated temperature. Low soil nitrogen (N) levels apparently limited root responses to the treatments. This suggests that forests on nutrient-poor soils may exhibit limited fine-root responses to elevated atmospheric CO(2) and elevated air temperature.     

Influence of free air CO2 enrichment (EUROFACE) and nitrogen fertilisation on the anatomy of juvenile wood of three poplar species after coppicing

Populus × euramericana, P. alba, and P. nigra clones were exposed to ambient or elevated (about 550 ppm) CO₂ concentrations under field conditions (FACE) in central Italy. After three growing seasons, the plantation was coppiced. FACE was continued and in addition, one-half of each experimental plot was fertilised with nitrogen. Growth and anatomical wood properties were analysed in secondary sprouts. In the three poplar clones, most of the growth and anatomical traits showed no uniform response pattern to elevated [CO₂] or N-fertilisation. In cross-sections of young poplar stems, tension wood amounted to 2–10% of the total area and was not affected by elevated CO₂. In P. nigra, N-fertilisation caused an about twofold increase in tension wood, but not in the other clones. The formation of tension wood was not related to diameter or height growth of the shoots. In P. × euramericana N-fertilisation resulted in significant reductions in fibre lengths. In all three genotypes, N-fertilisation caused significant decreases in cell wall thickness. In P. × euramericana and P. alba elevated [CO₂] also caused decreases in wall thickness, but less pronounced than nitrogen. In P. nigra and P. × euramericana elevated [CO₂] induced increases in vessel diameters. These results show that elevated [CO₂] and N-fertilisation affect wood structural development in a clone specific manner. However, the combination of these environmental factors resulted in overall losses in cell wall area of 5–12% in all three clones suggesting that in future climate scenarios negative effects on wood quality are to be anticipated if increases in atmospheric CO₂ concentration were accompanied by increased N availability.     

Constitutive and herbivore-inducible glucosinolate concentrations in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) leaves are not affected by Bt Cry1Ac insertion but change under elevated atmospheric CO2 and O3

Glucosinolates are plant secondary compounds involved in direct chemical defence by cruciferous plants against herbivores. The glucosinolate profile can be affected by abiotic and biotic environmental stimuli. We studied changes in glucosinolate patterns in leaves of non-transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera) under elevated atmospheric CO₂ or ozone (O₃) concentrations and compared them with those from transgenic for herbivore-resistance (Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac endotoxin), to assess herbivory dynamics. Both elevated CO₂ and O₃ levels decreased indolic glucosinolate concentrations in transgenic and non-transgenic lines, whereas O₃ specifically increased the concentration of an aromatic glucosinolate, 2-phenylethylglucosinolate. The herbivore-inducible indolic glucosinolate response was reduced in elevated O₃ whereas elevated CO₂ altered the induction dynamics of indolic and aliphatic glucosinolates. Herbivore-resistant Bt plants experienced minimal leaf damage after target herbivore Plutella xylostella feeding, but exhibited comparatively similar increase in glucosinolate concentrations after herbivory as non-transgenic plants, indicating that the endogenous glucosinolate defence was not severely compromised by transgenic modifications. The observed differences in constitutive and inducible glucosinolate concentrations of oilseed rape under elevated atmospheric CO₂ and O₃ might have implications for plant–herbivore interactions in Brassica crop-ecosystems in future climate scenarios.     

The effect of elevated CO2 and N availability on tissue concentrations and whole plant pools of carbon-based secondary compounds in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)

We examined the extent to which carbon investment into secondary compounds in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is changed by the interactive effect of elevated CO₂ and N availability and whether differences among treatments are the result of size-dependent changes. Seedlings were grown for 138 days at two CO₂ partial pressures (35 and 70 Pa CO₂) and four N solution concentrations (0.5, 1.5, 3.5, and 6.5 mmol l⁻¹ NO₃NH₄) and concentrations of total phenolics and condensed tannins were determined four times during plant development in primary and fascicular needles, stems and lateral and tap roots. Concentrations of total phenolics in lateral roots and condensed tannins in tap roots were relatively high regardless of treatment. In the smallest seedlings secondary compound concentrations were relatively high and decreased in the initial growth phase. Thereafter condensed tannins accumulated strongly during plant maturation in all plant parts except in lateral roots, where concentrations did not change. Concentrations of total phenolics continued to decrease in lateral roots while they remained constant in all other plant parts. At the final harvest plants grown at elevated CO₂ or low N availability showed increased concentrations of condensed tannins in aboveground parts. The CO₂ effect, however, disappeared when size differences were adjusted for, indicating that CO₂ only indirectly affected concentrations of condensed tannins through accelerating growth. Concentrations of total phenolics increased directly in response to low N availability and elevated CO₂ in primary and fascicular needles and in lateral roots, which is consistent with predictions of the carbon-nutrient balance (CNB) hypothesis. The CNB hypothesis is also supported by the strong positive correlations between soluble sugar and total phenolics and between starch and condensed tannins. The results suggest that predictions of the CNB hypothesis could be improved if developmentally induced changes of secondary compounds were included. Received: 27 March 1997 / Accepted: 25 July 1997