Rising CO2 drives divergence in water use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants
![Thumbnail](/themes/Mirage2/images/white_rectangle.jpeg)
File Type:
PDFItem Type:
Journal ArticleDate:
2019Access:
openAccessCitation:
Soh, W.K., Yiotis, C., Murray, M., Parnell, A., Wright, I.J., Spicer, R.A., Lawson, T., Caballero, R., McElwain, J.C., Rising CO2 drives divergence in water use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants, Science Advances, 2019 Dec 11;5(12):eaax7906Download Item:
Abstract:
Intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), defined as the ratio of photosynthesis to stomatal conductance, is a key variable in plant physiology and ecology. Yet, how rising atmospheric CO2 concentration affects iWUE at broad species and ecosystem scales is poorly understood. In a field-based study of 244 woody angiosperm species across eight biomes over the past 25 years of increasing atmospheric CO2 (~45 ppm), we show that iWUE in evergreen species has increased more rapidly than in deciduous species. Specifically, the difference in iWUE gain between evergreen and deciduous taxa diverges along a mean annual temperature gradient from tropical to boreal forests and follows similar observed trends in leaf functional traits such as leaf mass per area. Synthesis of multiple lines of evidence supports our findings. This study provides timely insights into the impact of Anthropocene climate change on forest ecosystems and will aid the development of next-generation trait-based vegetation models.
Sponsor
Grant Number
Science Foundation Ireland
17/CDA/4695
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/jmcelwaihttp://people.tcd.ie/yiotisc
Description:
PUBLISHED
Author: Yiotis, Charilaos; Mc Elwain, Jennifer
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Type of material:
Journal ArticleCollections
Series/Report no:
Science Advances;5;
12;
Availability:
Full text availableDOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax7906ISSN:
2375-2548Metadata
Show full item recordLicences: