Representation of phosphorus cycle in Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (vn5.5_JULES-CNP)

Most Land Surface Models (LSMs), the land components of Earth system models (ESMs), include representation of N limitation on ecosystem productivity. However only few of these models have incorporated phosphorus (P) cycling. In tropical ecosystems, this is likely to be particularly important as N tends to be abundant but the availability of rock-derived elements, such as P, can be very low. Thus, without a representation of P cycling, tropical forest response in areas such as Amazonia to rising atmospheric CO2 conditions remains highly uncertain. In this study, we introduced P dynamics and its interactions with the N and carbon (C) cycles into the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES). The new model (JULES-CNP) includes the representation of P stocks in vegetation and soil pools, as well as key processes controlling fluxes between these pools. We evaluate JULES-CNP at the Amazon nutrient fertilization experiment (AFEX), a low fertility site, representative of about 60 % of Amazon soils. We apply the model under ambient CO2 and elevated CO2. The model is able to reproduce the observed plant and soil P pools and fluxes under ambient CO2. We estimate P to limit net primary productivity (NPP) by 24 % under current CO2 and by 46 % under elevated CO2. Under elevated CO2, biomass in simulations accounting for CNP increase by 10 % relative to at contemporary CO2, although it is 5 % lower compared with CN and C-only simulations. Our results highlight the potential for high P limitation and therefore lower CO2 fertilization capacity in the Amazon forest with low fertility soils.

Effect of elevated CO2 and temperature on growth and yield of winter rice under Jorhat condition

A pot experiment was conducted during kharif, 2018 inside CO2 Temperature Gradient Tunnels (CTGT) to assess the effect of elevated CO2 and temperature [T0: ambient temperature & ambient CO2, T1: elevated temperature (ambient +1°C) & elevated CO2 (ambient+25% of ambient) and T2: elevated temperature (ambient +2°C) & elevated CO2 (ambient + 50% of ambient)] under three different transplanting dates (D1: 25th June, D2: 10th July and D3: 25th July) on growth and yield of rice in Jorhat district of Assam. The result showed that occurrence of different phenological stages was earlier under elevated CO2-Temperature conditions resulting in reduction of crop duration by about 8-15 days. On the other hand,days to tiller initiation increased whereas days to panicle initiation, flowering and physiological maturity reduced with delay in transplanting. Yield attributing parameters were improved under elevated CO2-Temperature condition. With respect to dates of transplanting, D2 recorded higher number of panicles hill-1 (17.9) and higher filled grains panicle-1 (156.6). Higher grain yield (55.9g hill-1) was found under T2 which was at par with T1 and it was significant higher over the ambient. Grain yield was significantly reduced when transplanting was delayed after 10th July. The results revealed that the growth and yield of rice was found to be better under elevated CO2-temperature levels when transplanted on 10th July.

Study of physiological responses of Allium sativum to elevated CO2 and temperature

Aim: The present investigation was undertaken to study the response of some garlic varieties of Allium sativum under different ambient and elevated CO2 and temperature conditions in order to investigate the physiological responses under changing climatic condition. Methodology: A two factorial CRD experiment was conducted for two years with four varieties of Allium sativum (Ekfutia Assam, Assam Local, Bhima Omkar and Bhima Purple) under four atmospheric regimes [T1= Ambient CO2 and temperature; T2= Carbon dioxide Temperature Gradient Tunnel-I (400 ppm CO2 + 2oC higher than ambient); T3 = Carbon dioxide Temperature Gradient Tunnel-II (550 ppm CO2 + 4oC higher than ambient); T4 = Carbon dioxide Temperature Gradient Tunnel-III (700 ppm CO2 + 6oC higher than ambient)]. Major changes in physiological parameters of the varieties were recorded in Carbon dioxide Temperature Gradient Tunnel-II as compared to ambient condition. The rate of photosynthesis was measured on fully expanded youngest leaves of each sample plant using a portable Infrared Gas Analyzer. Results: The mean photosynthetic rate of all four varieties grown over two years was 13.43% higher in Carbon dioxide Temperature Gradient Tunnel-II over varieties grown for two consecutive years under Ambient CO2 and temperature. However, high CO2 concentration and temperature stress significantly reduced the stomatal conductance approximately by 27.48%. Interpretation: The results of this study gives a comprehensive analysis of garlic varieties under four different climatic conditions of CO2 and temperature and revealed that Ekfutia Assam and Assam Local and garlic varieties Bhima Omkar and Bhima Purple were promising varieties as they responded significantly to elevated CO2 and temperature regimes. This may provide some critical inputs for optimizing the strategies in future farming and farming opportunities of this commercially and medicinally important crop under changing climatic conditions.

Modulations in carbon and nitrogen assimilation patterns in rice plants exposed to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations

Aim: To study the influence of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations on the carbon and nitrogen assimilation patterns in rice plants. Methodology: Rice (Oryza sativa) plants were placed in Open Top Chambers (OTCs) and exposed to elevated levels of CO2. The treatments consisted of three levels of CO2 (398, 550 and 750 µmol mol-1) and three levels of nitrogen (0, 150 and 200 kg ha-1) and replicated five times in completely randomized design. Results: Leaf nitrogen was significantly reduced by 10.6 % and 6.5 % during later stages in rice plants exposed to CO2 @ 750 µmol mol-1 and 550 µmol mol-1, respectively over the ambient CO2. Rice plants under elevated CO2 did not exhibit any variations in Nitrate Reductase activity in leaves in comparison to ambient CO2 at tillering stage. Interestingly, NRase activity in leaves decreased at flowering stage whereas NRase activity in roots increased at same stage. The highest mean nitrogen values (0.58, 0.89 and 1.35 %) were observed in Camb (ambient CO2 concentration) and the lowest values (0.51, 0.80 and 1.27 %) in C750 in roots, straw and grains, respectively. Elevated CO2 @ 750 µmol mol-1 significantly increased the above ground biomass (straw and grain) by 15.6 and 40.1 %, respectively, over the ambient CO2 of 398 µmol mol-1. Interpretation: Elevated CO2 enhanced the grain productivity but affected the quality of rice grains. Thus, excessive nitrogen fertilization above the current recommendation is necessary for future high CO2 environments.

Parallel between the isotopic composition of coccolith calcite and carbon levels across Termination II: Developing a new paleo-CO₂ probe

Beyond the pCO2 records provided by ice core measurements, the quantification of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and changes thereof relies on proxy data, the development of which represents a foremost challenge in paleoceanography. In the paleoceanographic toolbox, the coccolithophores occupy a notable place, as the magnitude of the carbon isotopic fractionation between ambient CO2 and a type of organic compounds that these photosynthetic microalgae synthesize (the alkenones) represents a relatively robust proxy to reconstruct past atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the Cenozoic. The isotopic composition of coeval calcite biominerals found in the sediments and also produced by the coccolithophores (the coccoliths) have been found to record an ambient CO2 signal through culture and sediment analyses. These studies have, however, not yet formalized a transfer function that quantitatively ties the isotopic composition of coccolith calcite to the concentrations of aqueous CO2, and, ultimately, to atmospheric CO2 levels. Here, we make use of a micro-separation protocol to compare the isotopic response of two size-restricted coccolith assemblages from the North Atlantic to changes in surface ocean CO2 during Termination II (ca. 130–140 ka). Performing paired measurements of the isotopic composition (δ13C and δ18O) of relatively large and small coccoliths provides an isotopic offset that can be designated as a “differential vital effect”. We find that the evolution of this offset follows that of aqueous CO2 concentrations computed from the ice core CO2 curve and an independent temperature signal. We interpret this biogeochemical feature to be the result of converging carbon fixation strategies between large and small cells as the degree of carbon limitation for cellular growth decreases across the deglaciation. We are therefore able to determine a transfer function between the coccolith differential vital effects and aqueous CO2 in the range of Quaternary CO2 concentrations. We here consolidate a new coccolith ∆δ13C proxy that overtakes the strong assumptions that have to be made pertaining to the chemistry of the carbonate system in seawater, as required in CO2 proxy methods such as the boron isotope and alkenone proxies.

The role of ligand-gated chloride channels in behavioural alterations at elevated CO2 in a cephalopod

Projected future carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the ocean can alter marine animal behaviours. Disrupted functioning of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors (ligand-gated chloride channels) is suggested to underlie CO2-induced behavioural changes in fish. However, the mechanisms underlying behavioural changes in marine invertebrates are poorly understood. We pharmacologically tested the role of GABA-, glutamate-, acetylcholine- and dopamine-gated chloride channels in CO2-induced behavioural changes in a cephalopod, the two-toned pygmy squid (Idiosepius pygmaeus). We exposed squid to ambient (∼450 µatm) or elevated (∼1,000 µatm) CO2 for seven days. Squid were treated with sham, the GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine, or the non-specific GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin, before measurement of conspecific-directed behaviours and activity levels upon mirror exposure. Elevated CO2 increased conspecific-directed attraction and aggression, as well as activity levels. For some CO2-affected behaviours, both gabazine and picrotoxin had a different effect at elevated compared to ambient CO2, providing robust support for the GABA hypothesis within cephalopods. In another behavioural trait, picrotoxin but not gabazine had a different effect in elevated compared to ambient CO2, providing the first pharmacological evidence, in fish and marine invertebrates, for altered functioning of ligand-gated chloride channels, other than the GABAA R, underlying CO2-induced behavioural changes. For some other behaviours, both gabazine and picrotoxin had a similar effect in elevated and ambient CO2, suggesting altered function of ligand-gated chloride channels was not responsible for these CO2-induced changes. Multiple mechanisms may be involved, which could explain the variability in the CO2 and drug treatment effects across behaviours.

Soybean Inoculated With One Bradyrhizobium Strain Isolated at Elevated [CO2] Show an Impaired C and N Metabolism When Grown at Ambient [CO2]

Soybean (Glycine max L.) future response to elevated [CO2] has been shown to differ when inoculated with B. japonicum strains isolated at ambient or elevated [CO2]. Plants, inoculated with three Bradyrhizobium strains isolated at different [CO2], were grown in chambers at current and elevated [CO2] (400 vs. 700 ppm). Together with nodule and leaf metabolomic profile, characterization of nodule N-fixation and exchange between organs were tested through 15N2-labeling analysis. Soybeans inoculated with SFJ14-36 strain (isolated at elevated [CO2]) showed a strong metabolic imbalance, at nodule and leaf levels when grown at ambient [CO2], probably due to an insufficient supply of N by nodules, as shown by 15N2-labeling. In nodules, due to shortage of photoassimilate, C may be diverted to aspartic acid instead of malate in order to improve the efficiency of the C source sustaining N2-fixation. In leaves, photorespiration and respiration were boosted at ambient [CO2] in plants inoculated with this strain. Additionally, free phytol, antioxidants, and fatty acid content could be indicate induced senescence due to oxidative stress and lack of nitrogen. Therefore, plants inoculated with Bradyrhizobium strain isolated at elevated [CO2] may have lost their capacity to form effective symbiosis at ambient [CO2] and that was translated at whole plant level through metabolic impairment.

Concentration matters: different stomatal CO2-responses at sub-ambient and above-ambient CO2 levels

Stomatal pores, formed of paired guard cells, mediate CO2 uptake for photosynthesis and water loss via transpiration in plants. Globally rising atmospheric CO2 concentration triggers stomatal closure, contributing to increased leaf temperature and reduced nutrient uptake due to lower transpiration rate. Hence, it is important to understand the signalling pathways that control elevated CO2-induced stomatal closure to identify targets for breeding climate-ready crops. CO2-induced stomatal closure can be studied by increasing CO2 concentration from ambient to above-ambient concentrations, or elevation of CO2 levels from sub-ambient to above-ambient. Previous experiments comparing ferns with angiosperms suggested that stomatal responses to CO2 may be different, when changing CO2 levels in the sub-ambient or above-ambient ranges. Here, we set out to test this by comparing CO2-induced stomatal closure in key guard cell signalling mutants in response to CO2 elevation from 100 to 400 ppm or 400 to 800 ppm. We show that signalling components that contribute to CO2-induced stomatal closure are different in the sub-ambient and above-ambient CO2 levels, with guard cell slow-type anion channel SLAC1 involved mainly in above-ambient CO2-induced stomatal closure.