Deciduous trees could benefit more from the rise in [CO2] than evergreens in the Brazilian Cerrado

• Published in: Plant ecology 2024-05, Vol.225 (5), p.479-490
• Main Authors: Melo, Nayara Magry Jesus, Maia, Renata Aparecida, Gonçalves, Marina Efigenia, Pereira, Eduardo Gusmão, Souza, João Paulo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied Ecology; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbohydrates; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide concentration; Climate change; Climate prediction; Community & Population Ecology; Deciduous trees; Ecology; Encroachment; Global climate; Grasslands; Leaves; Life Sciences; Plant Ecology; Plants (botany); Roots; Savannahs; Species; Stems; Terrestial Ecology
• ISSN: 1385-0237; 1573-5052
• DOI: 10.1007/s11258-024-01398-6

The Cerrado, a Neotropical savanna, is the second largest vegetation domain in Brazilian territory and presents a gradient of physiognomies. Among the savanna formations, the cerrado stricto sensu stands out. The responses of woody species of the cerrado related to increased CO 2 concentration ([CO 2 ]), as predicted by global climate change, may differ among distinct leaf persistence groups. Elevated [CO 2 ] could enhance the resprouting capacity of woody species, which might intensify encroachment in grasslands, such as the cerrado stricto sensu . We investigated the influence of elevated [CO 2 ] (eCO 2 ) on vegetative growth, root non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), and biomass allocation pattern among roots, stems, and leaves in two deciduous and three evergreen cerrado woody species. We carried out the experiment in open-top chambers with five young individuals of cerrado woody species under ambient [CO 2 ] (aCO 2 ) and eCO 2 of 430 and 700 ppm, respectively. Measurements occurred in young plants with 294, 379, and 466 days old, i.e., after 104, 189, and 276 days of eCO 2 exposition. While the species under aCO 2 decreased the NSC in roots on the 189th day, the plants under eCO 2 did not show a decrease over time. The deciduous species under eCO 2 showed higher RGR at the beginning of the experiment (104 days) than the evergreens species under eCO 2 . Also, the eCO 2 promoted fast leaf development in four out of five studied species (except Anadenanthera peregrina ). The characteristics analyzed among the species could demonstrate that the deciduous grown under eCO 2 presented higher relative growth rate and root/stem ratio than the species with evergreen habit.