Influence of warming on soil water potential controls seedling mortality in perennial but not annual species in a temperate grassland

Title
Influence of warming on soil water potential controls seedling mortality in perennial but not annual species in a temperate grassland
Publication Date
2008
Author(s)
Hovenden, Mark J
Newton, Paul C D
Wills, Karen E
Janes, Jasmine
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4511-2087
Email: jjanes@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:jjanes
Williams, Amity L
Vander Schoor, Jacqueline K
Nolan, Michaela J
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02563.x
UNE publication id
une:22980
Abstract
In a water-limited system, the following hypotheses are proposed: warming will increase seedling mortality; elevated atmospheric CO2 will reduce seedling mortality by reducing transpiration, thereby increasing soil water availability; and longevity (i.e. whether a species is annual or perennial) will affect the response of a species to global changes. Here, these three hypotheses are tested by assessing the impact of elevated CO2 (550 μmol mol-1) and warming (+2°C) on seedling emergence, survivorship and establishment in an Australian temperate grassland from autumn 2004 to autumn 2007. Warming impacts on seedling survivorship were dependent upon species longevity. Warming reduced seedling survivorship of perennials through its effects on soil water potential but the seedling survivorship of annuals was reduced to a greater extent than could be accounted for by treatment effects on soil water potential. Elevated CO2 did not significantly affect seedling survivorship in annuals or perennials. These results show that warming will alter recruitment of perennial species by changing soil water potential but will reduce recruitment of annual species independent of any effects on soil moisture. The results also show that exposure to elevated CO2 does not make seedlings more resistant to dry soils.
Link
Citation
New Phytologist, 180(1), p. 143-152
ISSN
1469-8137
0028-646X
Start page
143
End page
152

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