Plant Growth and Climate Change (Biological Sciences Series)

Plant Growth and Climate Change......Page 1
Contents......Page 7
List of Contributors......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
1.1 Introduction......Page 17
1.2 The climate system......Page 18
1.3 Mechanisms of anthropogenic climate change......Page 19
1.4 Recent climate changes......Page 21
1.5.1 Future global climate scenarios......Page 24
1.5.2 Future regional climate scenarios......Page 26
1.6 Concluding comments......Page 28
References......Page 29
2.1.1 Overview of plant biology......Page 33
2.2 Gene expression and carbon dioxide......Page 35
2.3.2 C4 photosynthesis......Page 36
2.3.4 Photosynthetic acclimation to rising CO2......Page 37
2.5.1 Leaf carbon dynamics......Page 38
2.5.3 Leaf chemistry......Page 39
2.5.4 Stomatal response and CO2......Page 40
2.6.1 Plant development......Page 41
2.6.2 Carbon dynamics......Page 42
2.6.3 Stomatal regulation and water use......Page 44
2.7.1 Plant competition: managed systems......Page 45
2.7.3 How does CO2 alter plant-to-plant interactions?......Page 47
2.8.2 Water use in managed systems......Page 48
2.8.4 Water use in unmanaged plant systems......Page 49
2.8.5 Other trophic levels......Page 50
2.9.2 Global impacts......Page 51
2.10 Uncertainties and limitations......Page 52
References......Page 54
3.1.2 Paradox 2......Page 64
3.2 Baseline responses of plant metabolism to temperature......Page 65
3.2.1 Photosynthesis......Page 66
3.2.2 Dark respiration......Page 67
3.3 Thermal acclimation of metabolism......Page 68
3.4 Growth response to temperature......Page 71
3.5 Temperature extremes and temperature thresholds......Page 74
3.6 The temperatures experienced by plants......Page 76
3.7 Temperature and plant development......Page 77
3.8 The challenge of testing plant responses to temperature......Page 81
References......Page 82
4.1 The origins of phenology......Page 86
4.2 Recent changes in phenology......Page 90
4.3.1 Detection of phenological change......Page 96
4.3.2 Attribution of year-to-year changes in phenology to temperature and other factors......Page 99
4.3.3 Confounding factors......Page 103
4.4 Evidence from continuous phenological measures......Page 104
4.5 Possible consequences......Page 108
References......Page 109
5.1 Introduction: a changing climate and its effects on plant growth and functioning......Page 112
5.2.1 Hydraulic regulation of growth......Page 113
5.3.1 Water movement into and through the plant......Page 116
5.3.2 Control of gas exchange by stomata under drought......Page 118
5.4 Water relation targets for plant improvement in water scarce environments......Page 120
5.5.1 Interactions between different environmental factors......Page 122
5.5.2 Measuring the water availability in the soil: long-distance chemical signalling......Page 124
5.5.3 The integrated response to the environment......Page 126
5.6 Conclusions: a strategy for plant improvement and management to exploit the plant’s drought response capacity......Page 127
References......Page 130
6.1 Introduction......Page 134
6.2.1 Net primary productivity......Page 135
6.2.2 Water-use efficiency......Page 137
6.3.1 Temporal variability in water resources......Page 139
6.3.2 Variability in space......Page 141
6.3.3 In situ water redistribution – hydraulic redistribution......Page 142
6.4.1 Species interactions with limiting water resources......Page 143
6.4.2 Vegetation change and drought: is there an arid zone ‘treeline’?......Page 146
6.5 Droughts and wildfires......Page 147
6.6.1 Agriculture......Page 149
6.6.2 Forestry......Page 152
References......Page 154
7.1 Introduction......Page 162
7.2 Methodology......Page 164
7.3.1 Direct effects of climate......Page 166
7.3.2 Interspecific differences in growth responses to climate......Page 168
7.3.3 Competition and facilitation......Page 169
7.3.4 Changing water availability and interactions between climate variables......Page 170
7.3.5 Interactions between climate and nutrient cycling......Page 171
7.3.6 Role of extreme events......Page 172
7.3.7 Dispersal constraints......Page 174
7.4 Is community change already happening?......Page 175
References......Page 177
8.1.1 Modelling challenges......Page 181
8.1.2 Chapter aims......Page 182
8.2.1 Overview of ecosystem models......Page 183
8.2.2 Modelling nitrogen cycling......Page 184
8.2.3 Major uncertainties......Page 185
8.3 How uncertain assumptions affect model predictions......Page 186
8.3.1 Scenario 1 (base case): increased litter quantity and decreased litter quality......Page 187
8.3.2 Scenario 2: Scenario 1 + higher litter N/C ratio......Page 190
8.3.5 Scenario 5: Scenario 1 + decreased N/C ratio of new active SOM......Page 191
8.3.7 Scenario 7: Scenario 2 + 3 + 4 + 6 + decreased slope of relation between maximum leaf potential photosynthetic electron transport rate and leaf N/C ratio......Page 192
8.4 Model–data fusion techniques......Page 193
8.5 Discussion......Page 198
References......Page 199
9.1 Introduction......Page 203
9.2 Definitions and conceptual framework......Page 204
9.3.1 NPP......Page 206
9.3.2 NEP and NEE......Page 207
9.3.3 GPP and NPP by remote sensing......Page 209
9.3.4 Use of models to predict changes in plant growth and carbon fluxes at the large scale......Page 210
9.4.1 Photosynthesis......Page 211
9.4.2 Autotrophic respiration......Page 213
9.4.4 Ecosystem models......Page 214
9.5 Conclusions......Page 218
References......Page 219
Index......Page 225
The colour plate section......Page 231