Biotic, abiotic and performance aspects of the Nevada Desert Free‐Air CO<sub>2</sub> Enrichment (FACE) Facility

Jordan, Dean N.; Zitzer, Stephen F.; Hendrey, George R.; Lewin, Keith F.; Nagy, J.; Nowak, Robert S.; Smith, Stanley D.; Coleman, James S.; Seemann, Jeffrey R.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2486.1999.00255.x

Cited by 105 publications

(154 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…On 22-23 June and 8-9 September 1999, measurements were conducted at the Nevada Desert Free Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) Exchange Facility (NDFF) near Mercury, NV in the Mojave Desert (361E49 0 N, 1151E55 0 W, 965-970 m ASL). The shrub community was characterized as a Larrea-Ambrosia-Lycium species complex (Jordan et al, 1999). Annual precipitation is $8 cm, and occurs mostly as rainfall during the winter months.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Arid and semi-arid ecosystems (those receiving o30 cm of precipitation yr À1 ), on the other hand, have received very little study. Although foliar biomass density of arid ecosystems is low compared to forest systems (Box, 1981), they occupy $40% of the Earth's terrestrial surface area (Jordan et al, 1999) and typically receive abundant sunshine and warm temperatures throughout much of the year. Here, we present BVOC emission measurements from the most abundant plant species near Tucson, AZ and Mercury, NV, USA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from desert vegetation of the southwestern US

Geron

Guenther

Greenberg

et al. 2006

Atmospheric Environment

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Thirteen common plant species in the Mojave and Sonoran Desert regions of the western US were tested for emissions of biogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Only two of the species examined emitted isoprene at rates of 10 mg C g À1 h À1 or greater. These species accounted for o10% of the estimated vegetative biomass in these arid regions of low biomass density, indicating that these ecosystems are not likely a strong source of isoprene. However, isoprene emissions from these species continued to increase at much higher leaf temperatures than is observed from species in other ecosystems. Five species, including members of the Ambrosia genus, emitted monoterpenes at rates exceeding 2 mg C g À1 h À1 . Emissions of oxygenated compounds, such as methanol, ethanol, acetone/propanal, and hexanol, from cut branches of several species exceeded 10 mg C g À1 h À1 , warranting further investigation in these ecosystems. Model extrapolation of isoprene emission measurements verifies recently published observations that desert vegetation is a small source of isoprene relative to forests. Annual and daily total model isoprene emission estimates from an eastern US mixed forest landscape were 10-30 times greater than isoprene emissions estimated from the Mojave site. Monoterpene (and possibly oxygenated terpene and sesquiterpene) emissions may be more comparable, as annual forest terpene emission model estimates were 3-8 times greater than those from the Mojave Desert, and were within a factor of 2 for peak summertime fluxes. Primary productivity and leaf biomass of desert ecosystems are very dependent on annual precipitation, and our model results indicate that there can be at least a three-fold difference in total annual BVOC emissions between dry and wet years. We recommend additional studies of desert plant BVOC emissions, especially those that focus on sesquiterpenes, oxygenated compounds, and the effects of soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and seasonality. Landscape flux studies are needed to test BVOC model estimates and to verify BVOC influences on regional atmospheric chemistry. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from desert vegetation of the southwestern US

Geron

Guenther

Greenberg

et al. 2006

Atmospheric Environment

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“…Precipitation during the study is shown in Fig. 1 sparse with < 20% of surface area covered by shrubs and perennial plants (Jordan et al, 1999). The NDFF data used in this study consists of six plots, each a ring of 23 m diameter.…”

Section: Field Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal dynamics of fine roots under long‐term exposure to elevated CO₂ in the Mojave Desert

et al. 2013

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SummaryDeserts are considered 'below-ground dominated', yet little is known about the impact of rising CO 2 in combination with natural weather cycles on long-term dynamics of root biomass. This study quantifies the temporal dynamics of fine-root production, loss and standing crop in an intact desert ecosystem exposed to 10 yr of elevated CO 2 .We used monthly minirhizotron observations from 4 yr (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007) for two dominant shrub species and along community transects at the Nevada Desert free-air CO 2 enrichment Facility. Data were synthesized within a Bayesian framework that included effects of CO 2 concentration, cover type, phenological period, antecedent soil water and biological inertia (i.e. the influence of prior root production and loss).Elevated CO 2 treatment interacted with antecedent soil moisture and had significantly greater effects on fine-root dynamics during certain phenological periods. With respect to biological inertia, plants under elevated CO 2 tended to initiate fine-root growth sooner and sustain growth longer, with the net effect of increasing the magnitude of production and mortality cycles.Elevated CO 2 interacts with past environmental (e.g. antecedent soil water) and biological (e.g. biological inertia) factors to affect fine-root dynamics, and such interactions are expected to be important for predicting future soil carbon pools.

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“…It is also one of only two operational FACE experiments in a natural, unmanaged ecosystem (Nowak et al 2004). The experiment is composed of three 25-m diameter plots maintained at a CO 2 set point of 550 ppm, three plots with the FACE apparatus but maintained at ambient CO 2 (blower controls), and three plots without the FACE apparatus (non-blower controls) (Jordan et al 1999). The vegetation of the NDFF is characteristic of the Mojave Desert and is dominated by the xerophytic shrubs Ambrosia dumosa (bur-sage) and Larrea tridentata (creosote bush).…”

Section: The Nevada Desert Face Facilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Elevated Co2 on Root Function and Soil Respiration in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem

Nowak¹

2007

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SUMMARYKey results from our research on responses of plants to elevated atmospheric CO 2 at the Nevada Desert FACE Facility (NDFF) and under controlled environment conditions include: Root Structure and FunctionMeasurements of root physiological characteristics and of arbuscular mycorrhizae indicate that:• Root respiration rates of two Mojave Desert shrubs, Ambrosia dumosa and Larrea tridentata, at the Nevada Desert FACE Facility (NDFF) over five growing seasons and L. tridentata seedlings in a greenhouse experiment were not significantly affected by elevated CO 2 .• The combination of elevated CO 2 and phosphorus reduction in greenhouse studies did not affect root growth or activity.• Specific root length was not significantly affected by CO 2 .• Extraradical hyphae (ERH) of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) varied seasonally, with ERH significantly lower at the end of the year. However, percent root colonization was not affected by sample date. These seasonal patterns of AMF are likely due to greater shrub demands for nutrients early in the year rather than changes in soil moisture.• AMF root colonization or ERH did not vary among soils beneath two shrubs, Ambrosia dumosa and Larrea tridentata, and their associated interspaces.• Beneath L. tridentata, immunoreactive glomalin related soil protein (IRSP) concentrations were significantly greater than all other microsites, and IRSP declined significantly over the year in L. tridentata soils. Significantly higher IRSP concentrations in the spring under L. tridentata may be due to turnover of residual ERH produced in the preceding wet year.• AMF root colonization, ERH lengths, and IRSP concentrations were not different between CO 2 treatments after 9 years of CO 2 treatment for samples collected in the spring and fall from three microsites: beneath Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa canopies and within shrub interspaces. Thus, our results from both the greenhouse and field experiment suggest that root systems of these species have not altered carbon use for respiration processes on a root length basis, nor have they grown in size to compensate for any nutrient limitations imposed by carbon fertilization. Furthermore, neither species showed increased allocation to arbuscular mycorrhizae under elevated CO 2 . AMF appear to explore all areas of the Mojave Desert equally even though nutrient availability varies considerably among microsites. Stimulated nitrogen cycling by other soil microbes in elevated CO 2 plots may eliminate the need for greater production of AMF by increasing nutrient availability in this system. Root GrowthMinirhizotron measurements of root growth reveal that:• Fine roots accumulate over long time periods in the Mojave Desert.• Elevated CO 2 had transitory effects on the accumulation of fine roots, where standing crop of fine roots accumulated to a larger extent under elevated CO 2 for up to 5 months. 1• The transitory greater accumulation of fine roots under elevated CO 2 was primarily due to lower rates of root loss through time.• After a we...

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Biotic, abiotic and performance aspects of the Nevada Desert Free‐Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) Facility

Cited by 105 publications

References 20 publications

Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from desert vegetation of the southwestern US

Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from desert vegetation of the southwestern US

Temporal dynamics of fine roots under long‐term exposure to elevated CO₂ in the Mojave Desert

Effects of Elevated Co2 on Root Function and Soil Respiration in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem

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Biotic, abiotic and performance aspects of the Nevada Desert Free‐Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) Facility

Cited by 105 publications

References 20 publications

Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from desert vegetation of the southwestern US

Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from desert vegetation of the southwestern US

Temporal dynamics of fine roots under long‐term exposure to elevated CO2 in the Mojave Desert

Effects of Elevated Co2 on Root Function and Soil Respiration in a Mojave Desert Ecosystem

Contact Info

Product

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Biotic, abiotic and performance aspects of the Nevada Desert Free‐Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) Facility

Temporal dynamics of fine roots under long‐term exposure to elevated CO₂ in the Mojave Desert