TITLE:
Assessing the Potential Impacts of Elevated Temperature and CO2 on Growth and Health of Nine Non-Vascular Epiphytes: A Manipulation Experiment
AUTHORS:
Liang Song, Wenyao Liu, Yongjiang Zhang, Zhenghong Tan, Su Li, Jinhua Qi, Yuanlin Yao
KEYWORDS:
Bryophyte, Climate Change, Lichen, Global Warming, Transplantation
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.11,
May
19,
2014
ABSTRACT:
The consequences of sharp
rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentration ([CO2]) and global warming on vascular plants have
raised great concerns, but researches focusing on non-vascular epiphytes remain
sparse. We transplanted nine common cryptogamic epiphyte species (3 bryophytes,
6 lichens) from field sites to growth chambers (control, elevated [CO2],
elevated temperature, elevated [CO2] and temperature) and monitored
their growth and health at regular intervals in a subtropical montane forest in
Ailao Mountains in southwestern China. Our results implied a dim future for
nonvascular epiphytes, especially lichens, in a warming world. The initial rise
in temperature and decrease in water availability from field sites to the
control chamber had remarkable negative impacts on growth and health of nonvascular epiphytes, many of which
turned brown or died back. Although elevated [CO2] in chambers had no significant
effects on growth of any of the experimental species, further warming caused significant negative impacts on growth of Lobaria retigera (Bory) Trev. In
addition, elevated [CO2] and temperature have a significant interaction
on growth of four experimental lichens. Considering
the ecological importance of epiphytic bryophytes and lichens for the
subtropical montane forest ecosystems and high sensitivity to environmental
changes, people may underestimate global change impacts to nonvascular
epiphytes, or even the whole forest ecosystems.