Premium
Physiological ecology of desert biocrust moss following 10 years exposure to elevated CO 2 : evidence for enhanced photosynthetic thermotolerance
Author(s) -
Coe Kirsten K.,
Belnap Jayne,
Grote Edmund E.,
Sparks Jed P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2012.01566.x
Subject(s) - moss , photosynthesis , biogeochemistry , biogeochemical cycle , arid , botany , photosystem ii , ecology , ecophysiology , biology , chlorophyll , climate change , photosynthetic efficiency , environmental chemistry , chemistry
In arid regions, biomes particularly responsive to climate change, mosses play an important biogeochemical role as key components of biocrusts. Using the biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis collected from the Nevada Desert Free Air CO 2 Enrichment Facility, we examined the physiological effects of 10 years of exposure to elevated CO 2 , and the effect of high temperature events on the photosynthetic performance of moss grown in CO 2 ‐enriched air. Moss exposed to elevated CO 2 exhibited a 46% decrease in chlorophyll, a 20% increase in carbon and no difference in either nitrogen content or photosynthetic performance. However, when subjected to high temperatures (35–40°C), mosses from the elevated CO 2 environment showed higher photosynthetic performance and photosystem II (PSII) efficiency compared to those grown in ambient conditions, potentially reflective of a shift in nitrogen allocation to components that offer a higher resistance of PSII to heat stress. This result suggests that mosses may respond to climate change in markedly different ways than vascular plants, and observed CO 2 ‐induced photosynthetic thermotolerance in S . caninervis will likely have consequences for future desert biogeochemistry.