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Does a decade of elevated [ CO 2 ] affect a desert perennial plant community?
Author(s) -
Newingham Beth A.,
Vanier Cheryl H.,
Kelly Lauren J.,
Charlet Therese N.,
Smith Stanley D.
Publication year - 2014
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.12546
Subject(s) - perennial plant , plant community , evergreen , species richness , tussock , shrub , arid , ecosystem , deciduous , biology , plant cover , ecology , agronomy
Summary Understanding the effects of elevated [ CO 2 ] on plant community structure is crucial to predicting ecosystem responses to global change. Early predictions suggested that productivity in deserts would increase via enhanced water‐use efficiency under elevated [ CO 2 ], but the response of intact arid plant communities to elevated [ CO 2 ] is largely unknown. We measured changes in perennial plant community characteristics (cover, species richness and diversity) after 10 yr of elevated [ CO 2 ] exposure in an intact M ojave D esert community at the N evada D esert F ree‐ A ir CO 2 E nrichment ( FACE ) F acility. Contrary to expectations, total cover, species richness, and diversity were not affected by elevated [ CO 2 ]. Over the course of the experiment, elevated [ CO 2 ] had no effect on changes in cover of the evergreen C 3 shrub, L arrea tridentata ; alleviated decreases in cover of the C 4 bunchgrass, P leuraphis rigida ; and slightly reduced the cover of C 3 drought‐deciduous shrubs. Thus, we generally found no effect of elevated [ CO 2 ] on plant communities in this arid ecosystem. Extended drought, slow plant growth rates, and highly episodic germination and recruitment of new individuals explain the lack of strong perennial plant community shifts after a decade of elevated [ CO 2 ].