Interannual climatic variation mediates elevated CO2 and O3 effects on forest growth |
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Authors: | MARK E KUBISKE VANESSA S QUINN WARREN E HEILMAN† EVAN P McDONALD PAULA E MARQUARDT RON M TECLAW ALEXANDER L FRIEND‡ DAVID F KARNOSKY§ |
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Institution: | USDA Forest Service, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 5985 Hwy. K, Rhinelander, WI 54501, USA,;USDA Forest Service, 1407 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA,;USDA Forest Service, 410 MacInnes Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, USA,;School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA |
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Abstract: | We analyzed growth data from model aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forest ecosystems grown in elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2]; 518 μL L?1) and ozone concentrations (O3]; 1.5 × background of 30–40 nL L?1 during daylight hours) for 7 years using free‐air CO2 enrichment technology to determine how interannual variability in present‐day climate might affect growth responses to either gas. We also tested whether growth effects of those gasses were sustained over time. Elevated CO2] increased tree heights, diameters, and main stem volumes by 11%, 16%, and 20%, respectively, whereas elevated ozone O3] decreased them by 11%, 8%, and 29%, respectively. Responses similar to these were found for stand volume and basal area. There were no growth responses to the combination of elevated CO2+O3]. The elevated CO2] growth stimulation was found to be decreasing, but relative growth rates varied considerably from year to year. Neither the variation in annual relative growth rates nor the apparent decline in CO2 growth response could be explained in terms of nitrogen or water limitations. Instead, growth responses to elevated CO2] and O3] interacted strongly with present‐day interannual variability in climatic conditions. The amount of photosynthetically active radiation and temperature during specific times of the year coinciding with growth phenology explained 20–63% of the annual variation in growth response to elevated CO2] and O3]. Years with higher photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) during the month of July resulted in more positive growth responses to elevated CO2] and more negative growth responses to elevated O3]. Mean daily temperatures during the month of October affected growth in a similar fashion the following year. These results indicate that a several‐year trend of increasingly cloudy summers and cool autumns were responsible for the decrease in CO2 growth response. |
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Keywords: | air pollution carbon dioxide FACE global change ozone Populus tremuloides relative growth rate trembling aspen |
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