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Boosting CO2 Improves Water Efficiency of Plants – Big boost from that?


From MasterThe source

Via Craig D. Idso – May 20, 2022

“Thankfully, nature doesn’t have to wait another century for CO2 concentration doubles before reaping the benefits of improved water use efficiency. It has already begun to profit in the field from an approximately 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 that has been the case since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. ”

in my last article I have written about increasing crop yields as a major ecological benefit of atmospheric CO2 enrich. This article highlights another well-known and almost universal effect of increasing carbon dioxide levels on Earth — plants enhance efficient use of water.

In basic terms, a crop’s water efficiency is the amount of biomass the plant produces per unit of water lost through transpiration. At higher CO2 At the plant level, they don’t normally open stomata in leaves, through which they release water vapor as widely as they would at lower CO levels.2 concentration.

The smaller pores make it harder for water in the cavities under the leaf’s stomata to escape into the air. As a result, CO increases2 not only enhances photosynthesis and plant growth, it also reduces plant water loss due to transpiration, the combination of factors helps to improve plants efficient use of water.

The magnitude of this amazing benefit varies by plant and growing conditions. Most plants, however, achieve water efficiency on the order of 70 to 100% –or more – for a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere.2 (view and read reviews of multiple peer-reviewed studies under the subheadings of Water Efficiency this about me CO2 Science website).

As an example of this phenomenon, Figure 1 shows the effect of elevated CO2 and water plants on the water efficiency of soybeans. Plants were grown in a controlled environment greenhouse for 40 days under ambient or twice ambient CO conditions2 concentration and one of three water treatment methods: good irrigation, moderate or severe drought.

Regardless of water treatment, the scientists who carried out this study found that CO2 doubled2 significantly increased the water efficiency of these plants by a whopping 217 to 247%!

Figure 1. Water use efficiency (WUE) of soybean plants grown for 40 days under different water supply treatments (WW = good irrigation; MD = moderate drought; SD = severe drought) and CO during ozone2 (ambient and overhead, raised = twice around). The numbers in red text indicate the percentage of plant WUE enhancement under elevated CO conditions2 to treat certain water supply. Source: Wang et al. (2017).

Thankfully, nature didn’t have to wait another century for the CO of the air2 concentration doubles before reaping the benefits of improved water use efficiency. It has already begun to profit in the field from an approximately 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 that has been the case since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Evidence of this fact is frequently found in scientific studies using chronological methods and stable isotope analysis on perennial plants from around the world. Figure 2for example, describe the change of CO in the atmosphere2 and water use efficiency for an evergreen conifer species in China. Since 1880, an increase in atmospheric CO2 helped increase the water efficiency of these plants by an astounding 60%.

Figure 2. Annual change in mean internal water use efficiency per tree ring (iWUE) and atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) from 1880 to 2014 for P. Orientalis. Source: Weiwei et al. (2018).

Similar increases in water efficiency have also been observed in Douglas and Ponderosa pine from the United States, Norwegian spruce in Italy and Germany, cypress in southern Chile, juniper, and cypress trees. Acacia and Aleppo pines in northern Africa, as well as a variety of other trees from many other locations (see many examples). this). But perhaps the best evidence of modern water-use efficiency increases due to increased atmospheric CO concentrations2 comes from an important study published by Cheng et al. (2017) in a scientific journal Nature Communications.

Using a combination of ground-based and remotely sensed atmospheric observations, the authors of this particular work performed a series of calculations to estimate changes in land use efficiency. global water use between 1982 and 2011.

The results of their work, as shown in Figure 3revealed that global water efficiency has increased at an average rate of 13.7 milligrams of carbon per millimeter of water per year, an extraordinary 21.6% increase over this three-decade-long period, most of it all of which are thought to be due to increased CO in the atmosphere.2.

Furthermore, the authors report that this increase did Not at the expense of increased global use of terrestrial water. Instead, the CO in the atmosphere increases2 improved global carbon sequestration per unit of water used, which means plants are larger today and produce significantly more biomass than they did 30 years ago without adding water to do soThis finding holds ramifications that are extremely important for the development and future survival of both plants and animals.

Figure 3. Estimated trends in global water use efficiency (WUE) for the period 1982-2011. The mean annual outliers (with a linear trendline) are presented along with the relevant standard deviation of the global WUE. Source: Cheng et al. (2017).

Final, Figure 4 presents a spatial perspective on global water-use efficiency trends reported in Nature Communications learn. As is evident by varying degrees of green shade, 90% of the global vegetated land area shows positive, a growing trend in water efficiency, which is actually quite impressive considering that large-scale disturbances such as heat waves and droughts during the study period would have negatively impacted efficient use of water in many regions. So why don’t they?

Figure 4. Estimation of spatial trends in annual water use efficiency for the period 1982-2011. Source: Cheng et al. (2017).

The reason, as you might have guessed, is because of CO2. Thanks to increased levels of this important trace gas, the world’s vegetation has responded to and largely overcome the debilitating effects that would otherwise have reduced the water use efficiency of plants in many locations. points than the previous map.

And like CO2 As emissions from fossil fuel use continue to increase in the years and decades to come, the positive improvements observed in plant water efficiency will increase even further, according to the author of this. Nature Communications Further studies report a 10% increase in atmospheric CO2 14% increase in global water use efficiency.

So nature actually benefits from increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Not a pollutant, CO in the atmosphere2 is necessary to increase longevity.

Presenter

Cheng, L., Zhang, L., Wang, Y.-P., Canadaell, JG, Chiew, FHS, Beringer, J., Li, L., Miralles, DG, Piao, S. and Zhang, Y. 2017 The recent increase in terrestrial carbon sequestration is less costly for the water cycle. Nature Communications 8: 110, DOI: 10.1038 / s41467-017-00114-5.

Wang, Y., Yan, D., Wang, J., Sing, Y. and Song, X. 2017. The effect of CO is elevated2 and drought on plant physiology, soil carbon and soil enzyme activities. Pedosphere 27: 846-855.

Weiwei, LU, Xinxiao, YU, Guodong, JIA, Hanzhi, LI and Ziqiang, LIU 2018. Responses to intrinsic water use efficiency and plant growth to climate change in semi-arid regions northern China. Scientific reports 8: 308, doi: 10.1038 / s41598-017-18694-z.

[note from Charles]

I understand Craig Idso’s tip jar could use a little love.

http://co2science.org/

[/note]



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