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C4 grasses prosper as carbon dioxide eliminates desiccation in warmed semi-arid grassland

Author

Listed:
  • Jack A. Morgan

    (USDA-ARS, Rangeland Resources Research Unit and Northern Plains Area)

  • Daniel R. LeCain

    (USDA-ARS, Rangeland Resources Research Unit and Northern Plains Area)

  • Elise Pendall

    (University of Wyoming)

  • Dana M. Blumenthal

    (USDA-ARS, Rangeland Resources Research Unit and Northern Plains Area)

  • Bruce A. Kimball

    (US Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Maricopa, Arizona 85238, USA)

  • Yolima Carrillo

    (University of Wyoming)

  • David G. Williams

    (Renewable Resources, and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming)

  • Jana Heisler-White

    (Renewable Resources, and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming)

  • Feike A. Dijkstra

    (USDA-ARS, Rangeland Resources Research Unit and Northern Plains Area
    Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, The University of Sydney)

  • Mark West

    (USDA-ARS, Rangeland Resources Research Unit and Northern Plains Area)

Abstract

Grassland responses to carbon dioxide Elevated carbon dioxide and elevated temperature, the cause and consequence of climate change, are predicted to have opposing effects on plant productivity, with temperature increasing desiccation but CO2 increasing the efficiency of water use. The relative strengths of the two effects are, however, hard to predict. This experimental warming and elevated CO2 study shows that in semi-arid grassland, the CO2 effect can completely counter the warming effect. These findings have particular relevance to semi-arid and seasonally dry regions, which are expected to become even drier under climate change, and suggest that it is precisely these regions where elevated CO2 will do most to ameliorate the desiccating effects of climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Jack A. Morgan & Daniel R. LeCain & Elise Pendall & Dana M. Blumenthal & Bruce A. Kimball & Yolima Carrillo & David G. Williams & Jana Heisler-White & Feike A. Dijkstra & Mark West, 2011. "C4 grasses prosper as carbon dioxide eliminates desiccation in warmed semi-arid grassland," Nature, Nature, vol. 476(7359), pages 202-205, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:476:y:2011:i:7359:d:10.1038_nature10274
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10274
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Pazzagli, Pietro T. & Weiner, Jacob & Liu, Fulai, 2016. "Effects of CO2 elevation and irrigation regimes on leaf gas exchange, plant water relations, and water use efficiency of two tomato cultivars," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 26-33.
    2. Kaiqiang Bao & Haifeng Tian & Min Su & Liping Qiu & Xiaorong Wei & Yanjiang Zhang & Jian Liu & Hailong Gao & Jimin Cheng, 2019. "Stability of Ecosystem CO 2 Flux in Response to Changes in Precipitation in a Semiarid Grassland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Chen, Xiaoping & Qi, Zhiming & Gui, Dongwei & Gu, Zhe & Ma, Liwang & Zeng, Fanjiang & Li, Lanhai, 2019. "Simulating impacts of climate change on cotton yield and water requirement using RZWQM2," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 231-241.
    4. Zhang, Jien & Felzer, Benjamin S. & Troy, Tara J., 2020. "Projected changes of carbon balance in mesic grassland ecosystems in response to warming and elevated CO2 using CMIP5 GCM results in the Central Great Plains, USA," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 434(C).
    5. Wei, Zhenhua & Abdelhakim, Lamis Osama Anwar & Fang, Liang & Peng, Xiaoying & Liu, Jie & Liu, Fulai, 2022. "Elevated CO2 effect on the response of stomatal control and water use efficiency in amaranth and maize plants to progressive drought stress," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    6. Senthold Asseng & David Pannell, 2013. "Adapting dryland agriculture to climate change: Farming implications and research and development needs in Western Australia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 167-181, May.
    7. Zhang, Dongsheng & Li, Ali & Lam, Shu Kee & Li, Ping & Zong, Yuzheng & Gao, Zhiqiang & Hao, Xingyu, 2021. "Increased carbon uptake under elevated CO2 concentration enhances water-use efficiency of C4 broomcorn millet under drought," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    8. Luyun Chen & Yongheng Gao, 2022. "Global Climate Change Effects on Soil Microbial Biomass Stoichiometry in Alpine Ecosystems," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, September.
    9. G. Cornelis van Kooten, 2020. "Climate Change and Agriculture," Working Papers 2020-01, University of Victoria, Department of Economics, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group.
    10. Edward Amara & Hari Adhikari & Janne Heiskanen & Mika Siljander & Martha Munyao & Patrick Omondi & Petri Pellikka, 2020. "Aboveground Biomass Distribution in a Multi-Use Savannah Landscape in Southeastern Kenya: Impact of Land Use and Fences," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-24, October.
    11. Yao Zhang & Pierre Gentine & Xiangzhong Luo & Xu Lian & Yanlan Liu & Sha Zhou & Anna M. Michalak & Wu Sun & Joshua B. Fisher & Shilong Piao & Trevor F. Keenan, 2022. "Increasing sensitivity of dryland vegetation greenness to precipitation due to rising atmospheric CO2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    12. Matthew Reeves & Adam Moreno & Karen Bagne & Steven Running, 2014. "Estimating climate change effects on net primary production of rangelands in the United States," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 429-442, October.
    13. King, David A. & Bachelet, Dominique M. & Symstad, Amy J. & Ferschweiler, Ken & Hobbins, Michael, 2015. "Estimation of potential evapotranspiration from extraterrestrial radiation, air temperature and humidity to assess future climate change effects on the vegetation of the Northern Great Plains, USA," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 297(C), pages 86-97.
    14. Hertel, Thomas W. & Lobell, David B., 2014. "Agricultural adaptation to climate change in rich and poor countries: Current modeling practice and potential for empirical contributions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 562-575.
    15. Xiangzhong Luo & Haoran Zhou & Tin W. Satriawan & Jiaqi Tian & Ruiying Zhao & Trevor F. Keenan & Daniel M. Griffith & Stephen Sitch & Nicholas G. Smith & Christopher J. Still, 2024. "Mapping the global distribution of C4 vegetation using observations and optimality theory," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

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