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Partitioning of dry mass and leaf area within plants of three species grown at elevated CO 2
Author(s) -
Gunn S.,
Bailey S. J.,
Farrar J. F.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
functional ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2435
pISSN - 0269-8463
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2435.1999.00002.x
Subject(s) - dry weight , biology , dactylis glomerata , specific leaf area , shoot , allometry , botany , trifolium repens , repens , poaceae , leaf size , agronomy , horticulture , photosynthesis , ecology
1. We tested the hypothesis that the net partitioning of dry mass and dry mass:area relationships is unaltered when plants are grown at elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. 2. The total dry mass of Dactylis glomerata, Bellis perennis and Trifolium repens was higher for plants in 700 compared to 350 μmol CO 2 mol –1 when grown hydroponically in controlled‐environment cabinets. 3. Shoot:root ratios were higher and leaf area ratios and specific leaf areas lower in all species grown at elevated CO 2 . Leaf mass ratio was higher in plants of B. perennis and D. glomerata grown at elevated CO 2 . 4. Whilst these data suggest that CO 2 alters the net partitioning of dry mass and dry mass:leaf area relationships, allometric comparisons of the components of dry mass and leaf area suggest at most a small effect of CO 2 . CO 2 changed only two of a total of 12 allometric coefficients we calculated for the three species: ν relating shoot to root dry mass was higher in D. glomerata , whilst ν relating leaf area to total dry mass was lower in T. repens . 5. CO 2 alone has very little effect on partitioning when the size of the plant is taken into account.