TY - JOUR
T1 - Nitrogen and water availability control plant carbon storage with warming
AU - Zhou, Guiyao
AU - Terrer, Cesar
AU - Huang, An
AU - Hungate, Bruce A.
AU - van Gestel, Natasja
AU - Zhou, Xuhui
AU - van Groenigen, Kees Jan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/12/10
Y1 - 2022/12/10
N2 - Plants may slow global warming through enhanced growth, because increased levels of photosynthesis stimulate the land carbon (C) sink. However, how climate warming affects plant C storage globally and key drivers determining the response of plant C storage to climate warming remains unclear, causing uncertainty in climate projections. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis, compiling 393 observations from 99 warming studies to examine the global patterns of plant C storage responses to climate warming and explore the key drivers. Warming significantly increased total biomass (+8.4 %), aboveground biomass (+12.6 %) and belowground biomass (+10.1 %). The effect of experimental warming on plant biomass was best explained by the availability of soil nitrogen (N) and water. Across the entire dataset, warming-induced changes in total, aboveground and belowground biomass all positively correlated with soil C:N ratio, an indicator of soil N availability. In addition, warming stimulated plant biomass more strongly in humid than in dry ecosystems, and warming tended to decrease root:shoot ratios at high soil C:N ratios. Together, these results suggest dual controls of warming effects on plant C storage; warming increases plant growth in ecosystems where N is limiting plant growth, but it reduces plant growth where water availability is limiting plant growth.
AB - Plants may slow global warming through enhanced growth, because increased levels of photosynthesis stimulate the land carbon (C) sink. However, how climate warming affects plant C storage globally and key drivers determining the response of plant C storage to climate warming remains unclear, causing uncertainty in climate projections. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis, compiling 393 observations from 99 warming studies to examine the global patterns of plant C storage responses to climate warming and explore the key drivers. Warming significantly increased total biomass (+8.4 %), aboveground biomass (+12.6 %) and belowground biomass (+10.1 %). The effect of experimental warming on plant biomass was best explained by the availability of soil nitrogen (N) and water. Across the entire dataset, warming-induced changes in total, aboveground and belowground biomass all positively correlated with soil C:N ratio, an indicator of soil N availability. In addition, warming stimulated plant biomass more strongly in humid than in dry ecosystems, and warming tended to decrease root:shoot ratios at high soil C:N ratios. Together, these results suggest dual controls of warming effects on plant C storage; warming increases plant growth in ecosystems where N is limiting plant growth, but it reduces plant growth where water availability is limiting plant growth.
KW - C-climate feedback
KW - Climate warming
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Mycorrhizal association
KW - Nitrogen availability
KW - Plant biomass
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136588675&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85136588675&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158243
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158243
M3 - Article
C2 - 36007637
AN - SCOPUS:85136588675
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 851
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 158243
ER -