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Globally consistent influences of seasonal precipitation limit grassland biomass response to elevated CO2

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posted on 2023-05-19, 23:51 authored by Mark HovendenMark Hovenden, Leuzinger, S, Newton, PCD, Fletcher, A, Fatichi, S, Luscher, A, Reich, PB, Andresen, LC, Beier, C, Blumenthal, DM, Chiariello, NR, Dukes, JS, Kellner, J, Hofmockel, K, Niklaus, PA, Song, J, Wan, J, Classen, AT, Langley, A
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) should stimulate biomass production directly via biochemical stimulation of carbon assimilation and indirectly via water savings caused by increased plant water use efficiency. Because of these water savings, the CO2 fertilisation effect should be stronger in drier sites, yet large differences among experiments in grassland biomass response to elevated CO2 appear unrelated to annual precipitation, preventing useful generalisations. Here we show that, as predicted, the impact of elevated CO2 on biomass production in 19 globally-distributed temperate grassland experiments reduces as mean precipitation in seasons other than spring increases but, unexpectedly, rises as mean spring precipitation increases. Moreover, because sites with high spring precipitation also tend to have high precipitation at other times, these effects of spring and non-spring precipitation on the CO2 response offset each other, constraining the response of ecosystem productivity to rising CO2. This explains why previous analyses were unable to discern a reliable trend between site dryness and the CO2 fertilisation effect. Thus, the CO2 fertilisation effect in temperate grasslands worldwide will be constrained by their natural rainfall seasonality such that the stimulation of biomass by rising CO2 could be substantially less than anticipated.

Funding

Australian Research Council

History

Publication title

Nature Plants

Volume

5

Pagination

167-173

ISSN

2055-026X

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright 2019 The Authors, under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. The post-print version of the article is subject to Springer Nature's terms of reuse available at https://www.nature.com/authors/policies/license.html#terms

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences; Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences

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