Plastic and genetic responses of a common sedge to warming have contrasting effects on carbon cycle processes

Climate warming affects plant physiology through genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, but little is known about how these mechanisms influence ecosystem processes. We used three elevation gradients and a reciprocal transplant experiment to show that temperature causes genetic change in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2019-01, Vol.22 (1), p.159-169
Main Authors: Walker, Tom W. N., Weckwerth, Wolfram, Bragazza, Luca, Fragner, Lena, Forde, Brian G., Ostle, Nicholas J., Signarbieux, Constant, Sun, Xiaoliang, Ward, Susan E., Bardgett, Richard D., Penuelas, Josep
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmosphere
Carbon
Carbon Cycle
Carbon Dioxide
Climate Change
climate feedbacks
climate warming
Cyperaceae
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Environmental changes
Environmental impact
Eriophorum vaginatum
Fluxes
genetic adaptation
Global warming
intraspecific variation
Letter
Letters
Metabolism
natural selection
Nitrogen metabolism
Phenotypic plasticity
Photosynthesis
plant ecophysiology
plant metabolism
Plant physiology
Plants
Plastic properties
Plasticity
Plastics
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Summary:Climate warming affects plant physiology through genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, but little is known about how these mechanisms influence ecosystem processes. We used three elevation gradients and a reciprocal transplant experiment to show that temperature causes genetic change in the sedge Eriophorum vaginatum. We demonstrate that plants originating from warmer climate produce fewer secondary compounds, grow faster and accelerate carbon dioxide (CO2) release to the atmosphere. However, warmer climate also caused plasticity in E. vaginatum, inhibiting nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis and growth and slowing CO2 release into the atmosphere. Genetic differentiation and plasticity in E. vaginatum thus had opposing effects on CO2 fluxes, suggesting that warming over many generations may buffer, or reverse, the short‐term influence of this species over carbon cycle processes. Our findings demonstrate the capacity for plant evolution to impact ecosystem processes, and reveal a further mechanism through which plants will shape ecosystem responses to climate change.
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/ele.13178