Cited by 448Plant responses to elevated CO2Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsSoil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics

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

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Jiang, Mingkai, Medlyn, Belinda E., Drake, John E., Duursma, Remko A., Anderson, Ian C., Barton, Craig V. M., Boer, Matthias M., Carrillo, Yolima +41 more·2020·Nature

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment (eCO 2) can enhance plant carbon uptake and growth 1-5, thereby providing an important negative feedback to climate change by slowing the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO 2 concentration 6. Although evidence gathered from young aggrading forests has generally indicated a strong CO 2 fertilization effect on biomass growth 3-5, it is unclear whether mature forests respond to eCO 2 in a similar way. In mature trees and forest stands 7-10, photosynthetic uptake has been found to increase under eCO 2 without any apparent accompanying growth response, leaving the fate of additional carbon fixed under eCO 2 unclear 4,5,7-11. Here using data from the first ecosystem-scale Free-Air CO 2 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 eCO 2 exposure. We show that, although the eCO 2 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 eCO 2, and challenge the efficacy of climate mitigation strategies that rely on ubiquitous CO 2 fertilization as a driver of increased carbon sinks in global forests.

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Authors
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., Kännaste, A., Macdonald, C. A., Mahmud, K., Moore, B. D., Nazaries, L., Neilson, E. H. J., Nielsen, U. N., Niinemets, Ü., Noh, N. J., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Pathare, V. S., Pendall, E., Pihlblad, J., Piñeiro, J., Powell, J. R., Power, S. A., Reich, P. B., Renchon, A. A., Riegler, M., Rinnan, R., Rymer, P. D., Salomón, R. L., Singh, B. K., Smith, B., Tjoelker, M. G., Walker, J. K. M., Wujeska-Klause, A., Yang, J., Zaehle, S., & Ellsworth, D. S.
Affiliations
  • Western Sydney University (AU)
  • State University of New York (US)
  • Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (AU)
  • CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere (AU)
  • Ikerbasque (ES)
  • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
  • Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE)
  • Indiana University Bloomington (US)
  • University of Copenhagen (DK)
  • National Institute of Forestry Science (KR)
  • West Virginia University (US)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • Ghent University (BE)
  • Lund University (SE)
  • Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (DE)
Corresponding author
  • Jiang, Mingkai
  • Medlyn, Belinda E.
Venue
Nature
Published
2020-04-08
Volume
580
Issue
7802
Pages
227-231
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W3015299597
Cited by
448
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 62 · 2023: 77 · 2022: 86 · 2021: 79 · 2020: 46 · 2019: 1
FWCI
46.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Communities in ADDI (University of the Basque Country) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion)
  • Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
  • Hispana (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Villum Fonden (00013167)
  • Australian Government (CE170100023)
  • European Commission (647204, 665501, HORIZON2020)
  • Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (665501)
  • Vlaamse regering
  • Climate Extremes (CE170100023)
  • Western Sydney University
  • Australian Research Council (DP170102766, DP190101823, DP160102452, DP170104634, DP110105102, DP130102501)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant responses to elevated CO2
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Keywords
elevated CO2, mature forest, ecosystem carbon budget, CO2 fertilization, carbon sequestration, soil respiration, ecosystem respiration, gross primary productivity, carbon sink, climate change mitigation, free-air CO2 enrichment
MeSH terms
Atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide, Eucalyptus, Models, Biological, New South Wales, Photosynthesis, Soil, Trees, Biomass, Global Warming, Carbon Sequestration, Forests

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