The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment. / Jiang, Mingkai; Medlyn, Belinda E.; Drake, John E.; Duursma, Remko A.; Anderson, Ian C.; Barton, Craig V. M.; Boer, Matthias M.; Carrillo, Yolima; Castañeda-Gómez, Laura; Collins, Luke; Crous, Kristine Y.; De Kauwe, Martin G.; dos Santos, Bruna M.; Emmerson, Kathryn M.; Facey, Sarah L.; Gherlenda, Andrew N.; Gimeno, Teresa E.; Hasegawa, Shun; Johnson, Scott N.; Kännaste, Astrid; Macdonald, Catriona A.; Mahmud, Kashif; Moore, Ben D.; Nazaries, Loïc; Neilson, Elizabeth H. J.; Nielsen, Uffe N.; Niinemets, Ülo; Noh, Nam Jin; Ochoa-Hueso, Raúl; Pathare, Varsha S.; Pendall, Elise; Pihlblad, Johanna; Piñeiro, Juan; Powell, Jeff R.; Power, Sally A.; Reich, Peter B.; Renchon, Alexandre A.; Riegler, Markus; Rinnan, Riikka; Rymer, Paul D.; Salomón, Roberto L.; Singh, Brajesh K.; Smith, Benjamin; Tjoelker, Mark G.; Walker, Jennifer K. M.; Wujeska-Klause, Agnieszka; Yang, Jinyan; Zaehle, Sönke; Ellsworth, David S.

In: Nature, Vol. 580, No. 7802, 2020, p. 227-231.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Jiang, M, Medlyn, BE, Drake, JE, Duursma, RA, Anderson, IC, Barton, CVM, Boer, MM, Carrillo, Y, Castañeda-Gómez, L, Collins, L, Crous, KY, De Kauwe, MG, dos Santos, BM, Emmerson, KM, Facey, SL, Gherlenda, AN, Gimeno, TE, Hasegawa, S, Johnson, SN, Kännaste, A, Macdonald, CA, Mahmud, K, Moore, BD, Nazaries, L, Neilson, EHJ, Nielsen, UN, Niinemets, Ü, Noh, NJ, Ochoa-Hueso, R, Pathare, VS, Pendall, E, Pihlblad, J, Piñeiro, J, Powell, JR, Power, SA, Reich, PB, Renchon, AA, Riegler, M, Rinnan, R, Rymer, PD, Salomón, RL, Singh, BK, Smith, B, Tjoelker, MG, Walker, JKM, Wujeska-Klause, A, Yang, J, Zaehle, S & Ellsworth, DS 2020, 'The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment', Nature, vol. 580, no. 7802, pp. 227-231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2128-9

APA

Jiang, M., Medlyn, B. E., Drake, J. E., Duursma, R. A., Anderson, I. C., Barton, C. V. M., Boer, M. M., Carrillo, Y., Castañeda-Gómez, L., Collins, L., Crous, K. Y., De Kauwe, M. G., dos Santos, B. M., Emmerson, K. M., Facey, S. L., Gherlenda, A. N., Gimeno, T. E., Hasegawa, S., Johnson, S. N., ... Ellsworth, D. S. (2020). The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment. Nature, 580(7802), 227-231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2128-9

Vancouver

Jiang M, Medlyn BE, Drake JE, Duursma RA, Anderson IC, Barton CVM et al. The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment. Nature. 2020;580(7802):227-231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2128-9

Author

Jiang, Mingkai ; Medlyn, Belinda E. ; Drake, John E. ; Duursma, Remko A. ; Anderson, Ian C. ; Barton, Craig V. M. ; Boer, Matthias M. ; Carrillo, Yolima ; Castañeda-Gómez, Laura ; Collins, Luke ; Crous, Kristine Y. ; De Kauwe, Martin G. ; dos Santos, Bruna M. ; Emmerson, Kathryn M. ; Facey, Sarah L. ; Gherlenda, Andrew N. ; Gimeno, Teresa E. ; Hasegawa, Shun ; Johnson, Scott N. ; Kännaste, Astrid ; Macdonald, Catriona A. ; Mahmud, Kashif ; Moore, Ben D. ; Nazaries, Loïc ; Neilson, Elizabeth H. J. ; Nielsen, Uffe N. ; Niinemets, Ülo ; Noh, Nam Jin ; Ochoa-Hueso, Raúl ; Pathare, Varsha S. ; Pendall, Elise ; Pihlblad, Johanna ; Piñeiro, Juan ; Powell, Jeff R. ; Power, Sally A. ; Reich, Peter B. ; Renchon, Alexandre A. ; Riegler, Markus ; Rinnan, Riikka ; Rymer, Paul D. ; Salomón, Roberto L. ; Singh, Brajesh K. ; Smith, Benjamin ; Tjoelker, Mark G. ; Walker, Jennifer K. M. ; Wujeska-Klause, Agnieszka ; Yang, Jinyan ; Zaehle, Sönke ; Ellsworth, David S. / The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment. In: Nature. 2020 ; Vol. 580, No. 7802. pp. 227-231.

Bibtex

@article{64d92630ba6d438ab02cfe41eb2694ea,
title = "The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment",
abstract = "Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment (eCO2) can enhance plant carbon uptake and growth1,2,3,4,5, thereby providing an important negative feedback to climate change by slowing the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration6. Although evidence gathered from young aggrading forests has generally indicated a strong CO2 fertilization effect on biomass growth3,4,5, it is unclear whether mature forests respond to eCO2 in a similar way. In mature trees and forest stands7,8,9,10, photosynthetic uptake has been found to increase under eCO2 without any apparent accompanying growth response, leaving the fate of additional carbon fixed under eCO2 unclear4,5,7,8,9,10,11. Here using data from the first ecosystem-scale Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment in a mature forest, we constructed a comprehensive ecosystem carbon budget to track the fate of carbon as the forest responded to four years of eCO2 exposure. We show that, although the eCO2 treatment of +150 parts per million (+38 per cent) above ambient levels induced a 12 per cent (+247 grams of carbon per square metre per year) increase in carbon uptake through gross primary production, this additional carbon uptake did not lead to increased carbon sequestration at the ecosystem level. Instead, the majority of the extra carbon was emitted back into the atmosphere via several respiratory fluxes, with increased soil respiration alone accounting for half of the total uptake surplus. Our results call into question the predominant thinking that the capacity of forests to act as carbon sinks will be generally enhanced under eCO2, and challenge the efficacy of climate mitigation strategies that rely on ubiquitous CO2 fertilization as a driver of increased carbon sinks in global forests.",
author = "Mingkai Jiang and Medlyn, {Belinda E.} and Drake, {John E.} and Duursma, {Remko A.} and Anderson, {Ian C.} and Barton, {Craig V. M.} and Boer, {Matthias M.} and Yolima Carrillo and Laura Casta{\~n}eda-G{\'o}mez and Luke Collins and Crous, {Kristine Y.} and {De Kauwe}, {Martin G.} and {dos Santos}, {Bruna M.} and Emmerson, {Kathryn M.} and Facey, {Sarah L.} and Gherlenda, {Andrew N.} and Gimeno, {Teresa E.} and Shun Hasegawa and Johnson, {Scott N.} and Astrid K{\"a}nnaste and Macdonald, {Catriona A.} and Kashif Mahmud and Moore, {Ben D.} and Lo{\"i}c Nazaries and Neilson, {Elizabeth H. J.} and Nielsen, {Uffe N.} and {\"U}lo Niinemets and Noh, {Nam Jin} and Ra{\'u}l Ochoa-Hueso and Pathare, {Varsha S.} and Elise Pendall and Johanna Pihlblad and Juan Pi{\~n}eiro and Powell, {Jeff R.} and Power, {Sally A.} and Reich, {Peter B.} and Renchon, {Alexandre A.} and Markus Riegler and Riikka Rinnan and Rymer, {Paul D.} and Salom{\'o}n, {Roberto L.} and Singh, {Brajesh K.} and Benjamin Smith and Tjoelker, {Mark G.} and Walker, {Jennifer K. M.} and Agnieszka Wujeska-Klause and Jinyan Yang and S{\"o}nke Zaehle and Ellsworth, {David S.}",
year = "2020",
doi = "10.1038/s41586-020-2128-9",
language = "English",
volume = "580",
pages = "227--231",
journal = "Nature",
issn = "0028-0836",
publisher = "nature publishing group",
number = "7802",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment

AU - Jiang, Mingkai

AU - Medlyn, Belinda E.

AU - Drake, John E.

AU - Duursma, Remko A.

AU - Anderson, Ian C.

AU - Barton, Craig V. M.

AU - Boer, Matthias M.

AU - Carrillo, Yolima

AU - Castañeda-Gómez, Laura

AU - Collins, Luke

AU - Crous, Kristine Y.

AU - De Kauwe, Martin G.

AU - dos Santos, Bruna M.

AU - Emmerson, Kathryn M.

AU - Facey, Sarah L.

AU - Gherlenda, Andrew N.

AU - Gimeno, Teresa E.

AU - Hasegawa, Shun

AU - Johnson, Scott N.

AU - Kännaste, Astrid

AU - Macdonald, Catriona A.

AU - Mahmud, Kashif

AU - Moore, Ben D.

AU - Nazaries, Loïc

AU - Neilson, Elizabeth H. J.

AU - Nielsen, Uffe N.

AU - Niinemets, Ülo

AU - Noh, Nam Jin

AU - Ochoa-Hueso, Raúl

AU - Pathare, Varsha S.

AU - Pendall, Elise

AU - Pihlblad, Johanna

AU - Piñeiro, Juan

AU - Powell, Jeff R.

AU - Power, Sally A.

AU - Reich, Peter B.

AU - Renchon, Alexandre A.

AU - Riegler, Markus

AU - Rinnan, Riikka

AU - Rymer, Paul D.

AU - Salomón, Roberto L.

AU - Singh, Brajesh K.

AU - Smith, Benjamin

AU - Tjoelker, Mark G.

AU - Walker, Jennifer K. M.

AU - Wujeska-Klause, Agnieszka

AU - Yang, Jinyan

AU - Zaehle, Sönke

AU - Ellsworth, David S.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment (eCO2) can enhance plant carbon uptake and growth1,2,3,4,5, thereby providing an important negative feedback to climate change by slowing the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration6. Although evidence gathered from young aggrading forests has generally indicated a strong CO2 fertilization effect on biomass growth3,4,5, it is unclear whether mature forests respond to eCO2 in a similar way. In mature trees and forest stands7,8,9,10, photosynthetic uptake has been found to increase under eCO2 without any apparent accompanying growth response, leaving the fate of additional carbon fixed under eCO2 unclear4,5,7,8,9,10,11. Here using data from the first ecosystem-scale Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment in a mature forest, we constructed a comprehensive ecosystem carbon budget to track the fate of carbon as the forest responded to four years of eCO2 exposure. We show that, although the eCO2 treatment of +150 parts per million (+38 per cent) above ambient levels induced a 12 per cent (+247 grams of carbon per square metre per year) increase in carbon uptake through gross primary production, this additional carbon uptake did not lead to increased carbon sequestration at the ecosystem level. Instead, the majority of the extra carbon was emitted back into the atmosphere via several respiratory fluxes, with increased soil respiration alone accounting for half of the total uptake surplus. Our results call into question the predominant thinking that the capacity of forests to act as carbon sinks will be generally enhanced under eCO2, and challenge the efficacy of climate mitigation strategies that rely on ubiquitous CO2 fertilization as a driver of increased carbon sinks in global forests.

AB - Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment (eCO2) can enhance plant carbon uptake and growth1,2,3,4,5, thereby providing an important negative feedback to climate change by slowing the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration6. Although evidence gathered from young aggrading forests has generally indicated a strong CO2 fertilization effect on biomass growth3,4,5, it is unclear whether mature forests respond to eCO2 in a similar way. In mature trees and forest stands7,8,9,10, photosynthetic uptake has been found to increase under eCO2 without any apparent accompanying growth response, leaving the fate of additional carbon fixed under eCO2 unclear4,5,7,8,9,10,11. Here using data from the first ecosystem-scale Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment in a mature forest, we constructed a comprehensive ecosystem carbon budget to track the fate of carbon as the forest responded to four years of eCO2 exposure. We show that, although the eCO2 treatment of +150 parts per million (+38 per cent) above ambient levels induced a 12 per cent (+247 grams of carbon per square metre per year) increase in carbon uptake through gross primary production, this additional carbon uptake did not lead to increased carbon sequestration at the ecosystem level. Instead, the majority of the extra carbon was emitted back into the atmosphere via several respiratory fluxes, with increased soil respiration alone accounting for half of the total uptake surplus. Our results call into question the predominant thinking that the capacity of forests to act as carbon sinks will be generally enhanced under eCO2, and challenge the efficacy of climate mitigation strategies that rely on ubiquitous CO2 fertilization as a driver of increased carbon sinks in global forests.

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-020-2128-9

DO - 10.1038/s41586-020-2128-9

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32269351

VL - 580

SP - 227

EP - 231

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

SN - 0028-0836

IS - 7802

ER -

ID: 239808722