Influence of warming on soil water potential controls seedling mortality in perennial but not annual species in a temperate grassland.

In a water-limited system, the following hypotheses are proposed: warming will increase seedling mortality; elevated atmospheric CO2 will reduce seedling mortality by reducing transpiration, thereby increasing soil water availability; and longevity (i.e. whether a species is annual or perennial) will affect the response of a species to global changes. Here, these three hypotheses are tested by assessing the impact of elevated CO2 (550 micromol mol(-1) and warming (+2 degrees C) on seedling emergence, survivorship and establishment in an Australian temperate grassland from autumn 2004 to autumn 2007. Warming impacts on seedling survivorship were dependent upon species longevity. Warming reduced seedling survivorship...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: New Phytologist, climate change and global warming, elevated CO2, emergence, establishment, All tags... free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE), grassland, seedling recruitment, survivorship, Fewer tags