Soh, Wuu Kuang and Yiotis, Charilaos and Murray, Michelle and Parnell, Andrew and Wright, Ian J. and Spicer, Robert A. and Lawson, Tracy and Caballero, Rodrigo and McElwain, Jennifer C. (2019) Rising CO2 drives divergence in water use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants. Science Advances, 5 (12). ISSN 2375-2548

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Abstract

Intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), defined as the ratio of photosynthesis to stomatal conductance, is a key variable in plant physiology and ecology. Yet, how rising atmospheric CO2 concentration affects iWUE at broad species and ecosystem scales is poorly understood. In a field-based study of 244 woody angiosperm species across eight biomes over the past 25 years of increasing atmospheric CO2 (~45 ppm), we show that iWUE in evergreen species has increased more rapidly than in deciduous species. Specifically, the difference in iWUE gain between evergreen and deciduous taxa diverges along a mean annual temperature gradient from tropical to boreal forests and follows similar observed trends in leaf functional traits such as leaf mass per area. Synthesis of multiple lines of evidence supports our findings. This study provides timely insights into the impact of Anthropocene climate change on forest ecosystems and will aid the development of next-generation trait-based vegetation models.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Cite as: Rising CO2 drives divergence in water use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants BY WUU KUANG SOH, CHARILAOS YIOTIS, MICHELLE MURRAY, ANDREW PARNELL, IAN J. WRIGHT, ROBERT A. SPICER, TRACY LAWSON, RODRIGO CABALLERO, JENNIFER C. MCELWAIN. SCIENCE ADVANCES 11 DEC 2019 : EAAX7906
Keywords:	Rising; CO2; drives; divergence; water; efficiency; evergreen; deciduous plants;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Hamilton Institute Faculty of Science and Engineering > Mathematics and Statistics
Item ID:	14032
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax7906
Depositing User:	Andrew Parnell
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2021 16:20
Journal or Publication Title:	Science Advances
Publisher:	American Association for the Advancement of Science
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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