Abstract
Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to a world undergoing a change in atmospheric CO2 concentration presents a formidable challenge to terrestrial ecosystem scientists. Strong relationships among climate, atmosphere, soils and biota at many different temporal and spatial scales make the understanding and prediction of changes in net ecosystem production (NEP) at a global scale difficult. Global C cycle models have implicitly attempted to account for some of this complexity by adapting lower pool sizes and smaller flux rates representing large regions and long temporal averages than values appropriate for a small area. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that terrestrial ecosystems may be experiencing a strong transient forcing as a result of increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 that will require a finer temporal and spatial representation of terrestrial systems than the parameters for current global C cycle models allow. To adequately represent terrestrial systems in the global C cycle it is necessary to explicitly model the response of terrestrial systems to primary environmental factors. While considerable progress has been made experimentally and conceptually in aspects of photosynthetic responses, and gross and net primary production, the application of this understanding to NEP at individual sites is not well developed. This is an essential step in determining effects of plant physiological responses on the global C cycle. We use a forest stand succession model to explore the effects of several possible plant responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. These simulations show that ecosystem C storage can be increased by increases in individual tree growth rate, reduced transpiration, or increases in fine root production commensurate with experimental observations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aber J. D., Melillo J. M., and Federer C. A. (1982) ‘Predicting the effects of rotation length, harvest intensity, and fertilization on fiber yield from northern hardwood forests in New England’, Forest Science 28,31–45.
Ajtay, G. L., P. Ketner, and P. Duvigneaud. (1979) ‘Terrestrial primary production and phytomass’, in B. Bolin, E. T. Degens, S. Kempe, and P. Ketner (eds.), The Global Carbon Cycle, SCOPE 13, John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 129–181.
Armentano T. V. (ed.) (1980) The role of organic soils in the world carbon cycle CONF-7905135, United States Department of Energy, Washington, D. C.
Barnola J. M., Raynaud D., Korotkevich Y. S., and Lorius C. (1987) ‘Vostok ice core provides 1600,000-year record of atmospheric CO2’, Nature 329,408–414.
Billings W. C., Luken, J. O., Mortensen, D. A., Peterson, K. M. (1983) ‘Increasing carbon dioxide: Possible effects on arctic tundra’, Oecologia 58,286–289.
Billings W. D., Peterson, K. M., Luken, J. O., Mortensen, D. A. (1984) ‘Interaction of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and soil nitrogen on the carbon balance of tundra microcosms’, Oecologia, 65,26–29.
Botkin, D. B., Janak, J. F., and Wallis, J. R. (1973) ‘Estimating effects of carbon fertilization on forest composition by ecosystem simulation’, in G. M. Woodwell and E. V. Pecan (eds.), Carbon and the Biosphere, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington D.C., pp. 328–344.
Carlyle J. C., and Malcolm D. C. (1986) ‘Nitrogen availability beneath pure spruce and mixed Larch + spruce stands growing on a deep peat. 1. Net N mineralization measured by field and laboratory incubations’, Plant and Soil 93,95–113.
Davies R. I., Coulson C. B., and Lewis D. A. (1964) ‘Polyphenols in plant, humus, and soil. Factors leading to increase in biosynthesis of polyphenol in leaves and their relationship to mull and mor formation’, Journal of Soil Science 15,310–318.
Davis M. B., and Botkin D. B. (1985) ‘Sensitivity of cool-temperate forests and their fossil pollen to rapid temperature change’, Quaternary Research 23,327–340.
Dendron Resource Surveys, Ltd. (1985) Impact of acid rain on forest growth in Canada. Report completed for the Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa.
Drake B. G., and Leadley P. W. (1991) ‘Canopy photosynthesis of crops and native plant communities exposed to long-term elevated CO2’ Plant, Cell and Environment 14,853–860.
Eamus D., and Jarvis P. G. (1989) ‘The direct effects of increases in the global atmospheric concentration on natural and commercial temperate trees and forests’, Advances in Ecological Research 19,2–57.
Emanuel W. R., Killough G. G., Post W. M., and Shugart H. H.. (1984) ‘Modeling terrestrial ecosystems in the global carbon cycle with shifts in carbon storage capacity by land-use change’, Ecology 65,970–983.
Esser, G. (1987) ‘Sensitivity of global carbon pools and fluxes to human and potential climatic impacts’, Tellus 39B,245–260.
Flanagan P.W., and Van Cleve K. (1983) ‘Nutrient cycling in relation to decomposition and organic matter quality in tiaga ecosystems’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 13,795–817.
Grulke N. E., Riechers G. H., Oechel W. C., Hjelm U., and Jaeger C. (1990) ‘Carbon balance in tussock tundra under ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2’, Oecologia 83,485–494.
Hare F.K., and Thomas M. K. (1979) Climate Canada. John Wiley and Sons, Toronto, Canada.
Heilman P.A. (1966) ‘Change in distribution and availability of nitrogen with forest succession on north slopes of interior Alaska’, Ecology 47,825–834.
Houghton, R. A. (1987) ‘Terrestrial metabolism and the seasonality of atmospheric CO2 concentrations’, Bioscience 37,672–678.
Houghton, R. A., Hobbie J. E., Melillo J. M., B. Moore, Peterson B. J., Shaver G. R., and Woodwell G. M. (1983) ‘Changes in the carbon content of terrestrial biota and soils between 1860 and 1980: Net release of CO2 to the atmosphere’, Ecological Monographs 53,235–262.
Houghton, R. A., Boone R. D., Fruci J. R., Hobbie J. E., Melillo J. M., Palm C. A., Peterson B. J., Shaver G., Woodwell G. M., Moore B., Skole D. L., and Myers N. (1987) ‘The flux of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere in 1980 due to changes in land use: Geographic distribution of global flux’, Tellus 39B,122–139.
Huston M., DeAngelis D. L., and Post W. M. (1988) ‘New computer models unify ecological theory’, Bioscience 38,682–691.
Krause H. H. (1981) Factorial experiments with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in spruce and fir stands of New Brunswick: 10-year results, Canadian Forest Service Maritime Forest Research Center Information Report M-X-123.
Larsen J.A. (1980) The Boreal Ecosystem, Academic Press, New York.
Lugo A. E., and Brown S. (1986) ‘Steady state terrestrial ecosystems and the global carbon cycle’, Vegetatio 68,83–90.
Luxmoore R. J., Tharp M. L., and West D. C. (1990) ‘Simulating the physiological basis of tree-ring responses to environmental changes’, in R. K. Dixon, R. S. Meldahl, G. A. Ruark, and W. G. Warren (eds.), Process Modeling of Forest Growth Responses to Environmental Stress, Timber press, Portland, pp. 393–401.
Mahendrappa M. K., and Salonius P. O. (1982) ‘Nutrient dynamics and growth response in a fertilized black spruce stand’, Soil Science Society of America, Journal 46,127–133.
Marland G. and Boden T. A. (1991) ‘CO2 Emissions —Modern Record’, in T. A. Boden, R. J. Sepanski, and F. W. Stoss (eds.), Trends 91: A Compendium of Data on Global Change ORNL/CDIAC-46, Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, pp. 386–507.
Matson P. A., and Boone R. D. (1984) ‘Natural disturbance and nitrogen mineralization in wave-form dieback of mountain hemlock in the Oregon Cascades’, Ecology 65,1511–1516.
Matson P. A., and Waring R. H. (1984) ‘Effects of nutrient and light limitations on mountain hemlock: susceptibility to laminated root rot’, Ecology 65,1517–1524.
Maybeck M. (1981) ‘River transport of organic carbon to the ocean’, in G. E. Likens, et al. (eds.), Flux of Organic Carbon by Rivers to the Oceans CONF-8009140, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, pp. 219–269.
McMurtrie R. E., Rook D. A., and Kellher F. M. (1990) ‘Modeling the yield of Pinus’ Ecology and Management 30,381–413.
Melillo J.M., Aber J. D., and Muratore J. F. (1982) ‘Nitrogen and lignin control of hardwood leaf litter decomposition dynamics’, Ecology 63,621–626.
Mitchell J. F. B. (1983) ‘The seasonal response of a general circulation model to changes in CO2 and sea temperature’, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 109,113–152.
Moore T. R. (1984) ‘Litter decomposition in a subarctic spruce-lichen woodland, eastern Canada’, Ecology 65,299–308.
Norby R. (1992) Personal Communication, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.
Oechel W. C., and Strain B. R. (1985) ‘Native species responses to increased carbon dioxide’, in B. R. Strain and J. D. Cure (eds.), Direct Effects of Increasing Carbon Dioxide on Vegetation, National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA, pp. 117–154.
Olson J. S. (1985) ‘Cenozoic fluctuations in biotic parts of the global carbon cycle’, in E. T. Sundquist and W. S. Broecker (eds.), The Carbon Cycle and Atmospheric CO2: Natural Variations Archean to Present, Geophysical Monograph 32, American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C., pp. 377–396.
Olson J. S., Watts J. A., and Allison L. J. (1983) Carbon in live vegetation of major world ecosystems ORNL-5862, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Pastor J., and Post W. M. (1985) Development of a linked forest productivity-soil process model ORNL/TM-9519, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Pastor J., and Post W. M. (1986) ‘Influence of climate, soil moisture, and succession on forest carbon and nitrogen cycles’, Biogeochemistry 2,3–27.
Pastor J., and Post W. M. (1988) ‘Response of northern forests’ to CO2-induced climatic change: Dependence on soil water and nitrogen availabilities’, Nature 334,55–58.
Pastor J., Gardner R. H., Dale V. H., Post W. M. (1987) ‘Successional changes in nitrogen availability as a potential factor contributing to spruce declines in boreal North America’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 17,1394–1400.
Piene H., and Van Cleve K. (1978) ‘Weight loss of litter and cellulose bags in a thinned white spruce forest in interior Alaska’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 8,42–46.
Post W. M., and Pastor, J. (1990) ‘An individual-based forest ecosystem model for projecting forest response to nutrient cycling and climate changes’, in L. Wensel and G. Biging (eds.), Forest Simulation Systems: Proceedings of the IUFRO
Conference, Berkeley, California, November 2–5, 1988, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bulletin 1927, Berkeley, pp. 61–74.
Post, W. M., Peng T.-H., Emanuel W. R., King A. W., Dale V. H., and DeAngelis D. L. (1990) ‘The Global Carbon Cycle’, American Scientist 78,310–326.
Running S. W., and Coughlan J. C. (1988) ‘A general model of forest ecosystem processes for regional applications: I. Hydrologic balance, canopy gas exchange and primary production processes’, Ecological Modelling 42,125–154.
Schlesinger W. H. (1985) ‘The formation of caliche in soils of the Mojave Desert, California’, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 49,57–66.
Schlesinger W. H., and Melack J. M. (1981) ‘Transport of organic carbon in the world's rivers’, Tellus 33,172–187.
Shugart H.H. (1984) A theory of forest dynamics. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Shugart H. H., Antonovsky M. Ya., Jarvis P. J., and Sandford A. P. (1986) ‘CO2, climatic change, and forest ecosystems’, in B. Bolin, B. R. Döös, J. Jæger, and R. A. Warrick (eds.), The Greenhouse Effect, Climatic Change, and Ecosystems SCOPE 29, John Wiley and Sons, New York. pp. 475–521.
Shugart H. H., and Emanuel W. R. (1985) ‘Carbon dioxide increase: the implications at the ecosystem level’, Plant, Cell and Environment 8,381–386.
Solomon A. M. (1986) ‘Transient response of forests to CO2-induced climate change: Simulation modeling experiments in eastern North America’, Oecologia 68,567–579.
Solomon A.M., Tharp M. L., West D. C., Taylor G. E., Webb J. M., and J. M. Trimble. (1984) Responses of unmanaged forests to CO2-induced climatic change: available data, initial tests and data requirements DOE/NDD-0053-TR009, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.
Stewart H., and Swan D. (1970) Relationships Between Nutrient Supply, Growth, and Nutrient Concentrations in the Foliage of Black Spruce and Jack Pine, Pulp and Paper Research Institute Canada Woodlands, Paper Number 19.
Tans P. P., Fung I. Y., and Takahashi T. (1990) ‘Observational constraints on the global atmospheric CO2 budget’, Science 247,1431–1438.
Thornthwaite C. W., and Mather J. R. (1957) ‘Instructions and Tables for Computing Potential Evapotranspiration and the Water Balance’, Publications in Climatology 10,183–311.
Van Cleve K., and Harrison A. F. (1985) ‘Bioassay of forest floor phosphorus supply for plant growth’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 15,156–162.
Van Cleve K., and Oliver L. K. (1982) ‘Growth response of postfire quaking aspen (it Populus tremuloides Michx.) to N, P, and K fertilization’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 12,160–165.
Van Cleve K, and Zasada J. (1976) ‘Response of 70-year old white spruce to thinning and fertilization in interior Alaska’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 6,145–152.
Van Cleve K., Oliver L., Schlenter R., Viereck L. A., and Dryness C. T. (1983) ‘Productivity and nutrient cycling in tiaga forest ecosystems’, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 13,747–766.
Viro, P. (1967) ‘Forest manuring on mineral soils’, Messelser det Norske Skogforsøksvesen 23,113–136.
Weetman, G. F. (1968) The nitrogen fertilization of three black spruce stands, Pulp and Paper Research Institute Canada Woodlands, Paper Number 6.
Weetman G. F., and Nykvist N. B. (1963) ‘Some more humus, regeneration and nutrition problems and practices in north Sweden’, Forest Chronical 39,188–198.
Weinstein D.A., Shugart H. H., and West D. C. (1982) The long-term nutrient retention properties of forest ecosystems: A simulation investigation, ORNL/TM-8472, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Whittaker R. H., and Likens G. E. (1973) ‘Carbon in the biota’, in G. M. Woodwell and E. V. Pecan (eds.), Carbon and the Biosphere, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington D.C., pp. 86–135.
Williams, B. L. (1972) ‘Nitrogen mineralization and organic matter decomposition in Scots pine humus’, Forestry 45,177–188.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Research sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy, Carbon Dioxide Research Program, Atmospheric and Climate Research Division, Office of Health and Environmental Research, under contract DE-AC05-840R21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Post, W.M., Pastor, J., King, A.W. et al. Aspects of the interaction between vegetation and soil under global change. Water Air Soil Pollut 64, 345–363 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00477110
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00477110