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Biogeochemistry

Limits on carbon uptake by plants

Nature Climate Change volume 3, pages 184–185 (2013)Cite this article

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Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere support greater plant biomass in grasslands, but this response is constrained in the long term by soil nitrogen availability.

Human activities, including deforestation and burning of fossil fuels, have led to increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere over the past two centuries1. Carbon dioxide is an essential compound for plant growth, but it is also a greenhouse gas, with greater concentrations leading to potentially warmer global temperatures and other consequent changes in climate. Plants convert CO2 to sugars and oxygen during photosynthesis and this process provides the source of energy that most life on our planet relies on. Increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are known to fertilize plants and increase their rates of growth; an outstanding question is whether this 'CO2 fertilization effect' will continue indefinitely, or be limited by the availability of other nutrients essential for plant life, including nitrogen. Nitrogen is an essential constituent of DNA, enzymes and proteins in all living organisms. If the CO2 fertilization effect were to continue indefinitely, the result would be a win-win for the planet. Plants would increase their rates of productivity, humans would have more food to eat and concentrations of CO2 would be diminished in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, a new study by Reich and Hobbie2 in Nature Climate Change indicates that nitrogen availability does indeed constrain the CO2 fertilization effect over the long term, at least for grassland plants.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of some of the environmental controls on plant productivity.

References

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  1. Pamela H. Templer is in the Department of Biology, Boston University, MA 02215, US,

    Pamela H. Templer

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  1. Pamela H. Templer
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Correspondence to Pamela H. Templer.

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Templer, P. Limits on carbon uptake by plants. Nature Clim Change 3, 184–185 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1841

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