Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Sites of naturally elevated carbon dioxide
- Migration in the ground of CO2 and other volatile contaminants. Theory and survey
- Levels of CO2 leakage in relation to geology
- CO2 emission in volcanic areas: case histories and hazards
- Controlled degassing of lakes with high CO2 content in Cameroon: an opportunity for ecosystem CO2-enrichment experiments
- Burning coal seams in southern Utah: a natural system for studies of plant responses to elevated CO2
- Long-term effects of enhanced CO2 concentrations on leaf gas exchange: research opportunities using CO2 springs
- Using Icelandic CO2 springs to understand the long-term effects of elevated atmospheric CO2
- Plant CO2 responses in the long term: plants from CO2 springs in Florida and tombs in Egypt
- Acidophilic grass communities of CO2 springs in central Italy: composition, structure and ecology
- Studying morpho-physiological responses of Scirpus lacustris from naturally CO2-enriched environments
- Carbon physiology of Quercus pubescens Wild, growing at the Bossoleto CO2 spring in central Italy
- Preliminary results on dissolved inorganic 13C and 14C content of a CO2-rich mineral spring of Catalonia (NE Spain) and of plants growing in its surroundings
- The impact of elevated CO2 on the growth of Agrostis canina and Plantago major adapted to contrasting CO2 concentrations
- Stomatal numbers in holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) leaves grown in naturally and artificially CO2-enriched environments
- Effects of CO2 on NH4+ assimilation by Cyanidium caldarium, an acidophilic hot springs and hot soils unicellular alga
- Can rising CO2 alleviate oxidative risk for the plant cell? Testing the hypothesis under natural CO2 enrichment
- Increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and decomposition processes in forest ecosystems
- Index
Long-term effects of enhanced CO2 concentrations on leaf gas exchange: research opportunities using CO2 springs
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Sites of naturally elevated carbon dioxide
- Migration in the ground of CO2 and other volatile contaminants. Theory and survey
- Levels of CO2 leakage in relation to geology
- CO2 emission in volcanic areas: case histories and hazards
- Controlled degassing of lakes with high CO2 content in Cameroon: an opportunity for ecosystem CO2-enrichment experiments
- Burning coal seams in southern Utah: a natural system for studies of plant responses to elevated CO2
- Long-term effects of enhanced CO2 concentrations on leaf gas exchange: research opportunities using CO2 springs
- Using Icelandic CO2 springs to understand the long-term effects of elevated atmospheric CO2
- Plant CO2 responses in the long term: plants from CO2 springs in Florida and tombs in Egypt
- Acidophilic grass communities of CO2 springs in central Italy: composition, structure and ecology
- Studying morpho-physiological responses of Scirpus lacustris from naturally CO2-enriched environments
- Carbon physiology of Quercus pubescens Wild, growing at the Bossoleto CO2 spring in central Italy
- Preliminary results on dissolved inorganic 13C and 14C content of a CO2-rich mineral spring of Catalonia (NE Spain) and of plants growing in its surroundings
- The impact of elevated CO2 on the growth of Agrostis canina and Plantago major adapted to contrasting CO2 concentrations
- Stomatal numbers in holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) leaves grown in naturally and artificially CO2-enriched environments
- Effects of CO2 on NH4+ assimilation by Cyanidium caldarium, an acidophilic hot springs and hot soils unicellular alga
- Can rising CO2 alleviate oxidative risk for the plant cell? Testing the hypothesis under natural CO2 enrichment
- Increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and decomposition processes in forest ecosystems
- Index
Summary
SUMMARY
The Bossoleto site in Tuscany, central Italy has been the location of a two year research programme investigating the long-term effects of enhanced CO2 concentrations on natural vegetation. Research has investigated the effects of CO2 on leaf gas exchange on a grass Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel and the tree species Quercus pubescens Willd. Preliminary results for P. australis demonstrate reductions in stomatal density, stomatal conductance, and maximum photosynthetic rates when compared with nearby control sites. In contrast, work with Q. pubescens showed no evidence of photosynthetic acclimation. The responses observed in plants growing at the Bossoleto site are consistent with results from short-term experiments, providing some confidence in this approach. The characteristics of CO2 springs can add to the challenge of designing effective experiments. It is difficult to locate control sites that have similar vegetation, soil type and environmental characteristics. When working with natural vegetation, variability in characteristics within and between populations, can exceed any response to CO2. Atmospheric concentrations can vary at time scales ranging from the order of seconds through to seasons. High CO2 concentrations at some sites may be associated with pollutants that can affect plant growth. These potential problems influence the possible types of experimental approaches. This paper uses preliminary analysis of leaf gas exchange data from the Bossoleto site, to examine how natural sources of CO2 enrichment can be used in biological research.
INTRODUCTION
How can natural sources of CO2 be used in biological research? The likely effects of enhanced atmospheric CO2 concentrations on vegetation have been the subject of intensive research for over a decade.
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- Plant Responses to Elevated CO2Evidence from Natural Springs, pp. 69 - 86Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1997
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