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Title: Multiple constraints cause positive and negative feedbacks limiting grassland soil CO 2 efflux under CO 2 enrichment
Terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly enriched with resources such as atmospheric CO 2 that limit ecosystem processes. The consequences for ecosystem carbon cycling depend on the feedbacks from other limiting resources and plant community change, which remain poorly understood for soil CO 2 efflux, J CO2 , a primary carbon flux from the biosphere to the atmosphere. We applied a unique CO 2 enrichment gradient (250 to 500 µL L −1 ) for eight years to grassland plant communities on soils from different landscape positions. We identified the trajectory of J CO2 responses and feedbacks from other resources, plant diversity [effective species richness, exp(H)], and community change (plant species turnover). We found linear increases in J CO2 on an alluvial sandy loam and a lowland clay soil, and an asymptotic increase on an upland silty clay soil. Structural equation modeling identified CO 2 as the dominant limitation on J CO2 on the clay soil. In contrast with theory predicting limitation from a single limiting factor, the linear J CO2 response on the sandy loam was reinforced by positive feedbacks from aboveground net primary productivity and exp(H), while the asymptotic J CO2 response on the silty clay arose from a net negative feedback among exp(H), species turnover, and soil water potential. These findings support a multiple resource limitation view of the effects of global change drivers on grassland ecosystem carbon cycling and highlight a crucial role for positive or negative feedbacks between limiting resources and plant community structure. Incorporating these feedbacks will improve models of terrestrial carbon sequestration and ecosystem services.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2000058 1919897
NSF-PAR ID:
10231475
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume:
118
Issue:
2
ISSN:
0027-8424
Page Range / eLocation ID:
e2008284117
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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