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Elevated CO 2 enrichment induces a differential biomass response in a mixed species temperate forest plantation
Author(s) -
Smith Andrew R.,
Lukac Martin,
Hood Robin,
Healey John R.,
Miglietta Franco,
Godbold Douglas L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.12136
Subject(s) - fagus sylvatica , monoculture , alnus glutinosa , polyculture , betula pendula , biomass (ecology) , interspecific competition , botany , liquidambar styraciflua , carbon dioxide , temperate forest , competition (biology) , temperate climate , beech , biology , agronomy , alder , ecology , fishery , aquaculture , fish <actinopterygii>
SummaryIn a free‐air carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) enrichment study (Bangor FACE ), Alnus glutinosa , Betula pendula and Fagus sylvatica were planted in areas of one‐, two‐ and three‐species mixtures ( n = 4). The trees were exposed to ambient or elevated CO 2 (580 μmol mol −1 ) for 4 yr, and aboveground growth characteristics were measured. In monoculture, the mean effect of CO 2 enrichment on aboveground woody biomass was + 29, + 22 and + 16% for A. glutinosa, F. sylvatica and B. pendula , respectively. When the same species were grown in polyculture, the response to CO 2 switched to + 10, + 7 and 0% for A. glutinosa, B. pendula and F. sylvatica , respectively. In ambient atmosphere, our species grown in polyculture increased aboveground woody biomass from 12.9 ± 1.4 to 18.9 ± 1.0 kg m −2 , whereas, in an elevated CO 2 atmosphere, aboveground woody biomass increased from 15.2 ± 0.6 to 20.2 ± 0.6 kg m −2 . The overyielding effect of polyculture was smaller (+ 7%) in elevated CO 2 than in an ambient atmosphere (+ 18%). Our results show that the aboveground response to elevated CO 2 is affected significantly by intra‐ and interspecific competition, and that the elevated CO 2 response may be reduced in forest communities comprising tree species with contrasting functional traits.