MORE EFFICIENT PLANTS: A Consequence of Rising Atmospheric CO₂?

TLDR

The primary effect of plants responding to rising atmospheric CO₂ is to increase resource use efficiency. Elevated CO₂ reduces stomatal conductance and transpiration, improving water use efficiency while stimulating higher photosynthetic rates and light‑use efficiency; long‑term acclimation lowers key photosynthetic enzymes, further enhancing nutrient use efficiency. Field studies show improved soil‑water balance, increased carbon uptake in shade, higher carbon‑to‑nitrogen ratios, and reduced nutrient quality for grazers, with major consequences for agriculture and native ecosystems amid rising CO₂ and climate change.

Abstract

The primary effect of the response of plants to rising atmospheric CO2 (Ca) is to increase resource use efficiency. Elevated Ca reduces stomatal conductance and transpiration and improves water use efficiency, and at the same time it stimulates higher rates of photosynthesis and increases light-use efficiency. Acclimation of photosynthesis during long-term exposure to elevated Ca reduces key enzymes of the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle, and this increases nutrient use efficiency. Improved soil-water balance, increased carbon uptake in the shade, greater carbon to nitrogen ratio, and reduced nutrient quality for insect and animal grazers are all possibilities that have been observed in field studies of the effects of elevated Ca. These effects have major consequences for agriculture and native ecosystems in a world of rising atmospheric Ca and climate change.