Plastic and genetic responses of a common sedge to warming have contrasting effects on carbon cycle processes

Walker, Tom W.N. and Weckwerth, Wolfram and Bragazza, Luca and Fragner, Lena and Forde, Brian G. and Ostle, Nicholas J. and Signarbieux, Constant and Sun, Xiaoliang and Ward, Susan E. and Bardgett, Richard D. (2019) Plastic and genetic responses of a common sedge to warming have contrasting effects on carbon cycle processes. Ecology Letters, 22 (1). pp. 159-169. ISSN 1461-023X

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Climate warming affects plant physiology through genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, but little is known about how these mechanisms influence ecosystem processes. We used three elevation gradients and a reciprocal transplant experiment to show that temperature causes genetic change in the sedge Eriophorum vaginatum. We demonstrate that plants originating from warmer climate produce fewer secondary compounds, grow faster and accelerate carbon dioxide (CO2) release to the atmosphere. However, warmer climate also caused plasticity in E. vaginatum, inhibiting nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis and growth and slowing CO2 release into the atmosphere. Genetic differentiation and plasticity in E. vaginatum thus had opposing effects on CO2 fluxes, suggesting that warming over many generations may buffer, or reverse, the short-term influence of this species over carbon cycle processes. Our findings demonstrate the capacity for plant evolution to impact ecosystem processes, and reveal a further mechanism through which plants will shape ecosystem responses to climate change.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Ecology Letters
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
Subjects:
?? CARBON CYCLECLIMATE FEEDBACKSCLIMATE WARMINGERIOPHORUM VAGINATUMGENETIC ADAPTATIONINTRASPECIFIC VARIATIONNATURAL SELECTIONPHENOTYPIC PLASTICITYPLANT ECOPHYSIOLOGYPLANT METABOLISMECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, BEHAVIOR AND SYSTEMATICS ??
ID Code:
130480
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
16 Jan 2019 10:35
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
19 Oct 2023 10:24