BIOMAT Database Logo BIOMAT Database Logo

Rising atmospheric CO2 reduces sequestration of root-derived soil carbon. 2005

James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK. j.heath@lancaster.ac.uk

Forests have a key role as carbon sinks, which could potentially mitigate the continuing increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and associated climate change. We show that carbon dioxide enrichment, although causing short-term growth stimulation in a range of European tree species, also leads to an increase in soil microbial respiration and a marked decline in sequestration of root-derived carbon in the soil. These findings indicate that, should similar processes operate in forest ecosystems, the size of the annual terrestrial carbon sink may be substantially reduced, resulting in a positive feedback on the rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009584 Nitrogen An element with the atomic symbol N, atomic number 7, and atomic weight [14.00643; 14.00728]. Nitrogen exists as a diatomic gas and makes up about 78% of the earth's atmosphere by volume. It is a constituent of proteins and nucleic acids and found in all living cells.
D010788 Photosynthesis The synthesis by organisms of organic chemical compounds, especially carbohydrates, from carbon dioxide using energy obtained from light rather than from the oxidation of chemical compounds. Photosynthesis comprises two separate processes: the light reactions and the dark reactions. In higher plants; GREEN ALGAE; and CYANOBACTERIA; NADPH and ATP formed by the light reactions drive the dark reactions which result in the fixation of carbon dioxide. (from Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2001) Calvin Cycle,Calvin-Benson Cycle,Calvin-Benson-Bassham Cycle,Carbon Fixation, Photosynthetic,Reductive Pentose Phosphate Cycle,Dark Reactions of Photosynthesis,Calvin Benson Bassham Cycle,Calvin Benson Cycle,Cycle, Calvin,Cycle, Calvin-Benson,Cycle, Calvin-Benson-Bassham,Photosynthesis Dark Reaction,Photosynthesis Dark Reactions,Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation
D002244 Carbon A nonmetallic element with atomic symbol C, atomic number 6, and atomic weight [12.0096; 12.0116]. It may occur as several different allotropes including DIAMOND; CHARCOAL; and GRAPHITE; and as SOOT from incompletely burned fuel. Carbon-12,Vitreous Carbon,Carbon 12,Carbon, Vitreous
D002245 Carbon Dioxide A colorless, odorless gas that can be formed by the body and is necessary for the respiration cycle of plants and animals. Carbonic Anhydride,Anhydride, Carbonic,Dioxide, Carbon
D001272 Atmosphere The gaseous envelope surrounding a planet or similar body. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Atmospheres
D012987 Soil The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants. Peat,Humus,Soils
D012988 Soil Microbiology The presence of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the soil. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms. Microbiology, Soil
D014197 Trees Woody, usually tall, perennial higher plants (Angiosperms, Gymnosperms, and some Pterophyta) having usually a main stem and numerous branches. Tree
D018515 Plant Leaves Expanded structures, usually green, of vascular plants, characteristically consisting of a bladelike expansion attached to a stem, and functioning as the principal organ of photosynthesis and transpiration. (American Heritage Dictionary, 2d ed) Plant Leaf,Leaf, Plant,Leave, Plant,Leaves, Plant,Plant Leave
D018517 Plant Roots The usually underground portions of a plant that serve as support, store food, and through which water and mineral nutrients enter the plant. (From American Heritage Dictionary, 1982; Concise Dictionary of Biology, 1990) Plant Bulbs,Plant Root,Bulb, Plant,Bulbs, Plant,Plant Bulb,Root, Plant,Roots, Plant

Related Publications

James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Potential nitrogen constraints on soil carbon sequestration under low and elevated atmospheric CO2.
January 2006, Ecology,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Soil carbon sequestration by root exudates.
August 2022, Trends in plant science,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Crop quality under rising atmospheric CO2.
October 2018, Current opinion in plant biology,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Woody encroachment reduces nutrient limitation and promotes soil carbon sequestration.
April 2014, Ecology and evolution,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Faster turnover of new soil carbon inputs under increased atmospheric CO2.
October 2017, Global change biology,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Acclimation of photosynthetic proteins to rising atmospheric CO2.
March 1994, Photosynthesis research,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Carbon Fluxes in Plant-Soil Systems at Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Levels.
May 1991, Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
The effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on shoot-root nitrogen and water signaling.
January 2013, Frontiers in plant science,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Acid rain reduces plant-photosynthesized carbon sequestration and soil microbial network complexity.
May 2023, The Science of the total environment,
James Heath, and Edward Ayres, and Malcolm Possell, and Richard D Bardgett, and Helaina I J Black, and Helen Grant, and Phil Ineson, and Gerhard Kerstiens
Soil organic carbon dust emission: an omitted global source of atmospheric CO2.
October 2013, Global change biology,
Copied contents to your clipboard!