Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (ca) will undoubtedly affect the metabolism of tropical forests worldwide; however, critical aspects of how tropical forests will respond remain largely unknown. Here, we review the current state of knowledge about physiological and ecological responses, with the aim of providing a framework that can help to guide future experimental research. Modelling s...

It has been hypothesized that elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) may facilitate the encroachment of woody plants into grasslands by reducing water stress. In eastcentral Minnesota, sandy soils frequently create drought conditions for plants, and water limitation inhibits the establishment of oaks into old fields situated on these soils. Some have argued that eCO2 should slow secondary su...

It has been hypothesized that elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) may facilitate the encroachment of woody plants into grasslands by reducing water stress. In eastcentral Minnesota, sandy soils frequently create drought conditions for plants, and water limitation inhibits the establishment of oaks into old fields situated on these soils. Some have argued that eCO2 should slow secondary su...

Indiahas the largest area under onion (Allium cepa) crop but its average productivity (14.21 t ha-1) is considerably lower than the world’s average of 19.4 t ha-1. Besides low productivity, irrigation efficiencies are also very low i.e. 30-35% in India. Managing onion crop with less than adequate irrigation water availability is a challenge in several parts of the country. Options of i) deficit...

Understanding the influences of climatic changes on water use efficiency (WUE) of Tibetan alpine meadows is important for predicting their long-term net primary productivity (NPP) because they are considered very sensitive to climate change. Here, we collected wool materials produced from 1962 to 2010 and investigated the long-term WUE of an alpine meadow in Tibet on basis of the carbon isotope...

The oxygen isotope composition of CO2 respired by Ricinus communis leaves (d OR) was measured under non-steady-state conditions with a temporal resolution of 3 min using a tunable diode laser (TDL) absorption spectrometer coupled to a portable gas exchange system. The SD of d 18O measurement by the TDL was 0.2‰ and close to that of traditional mass spectrometers. Further, d OR values at isotopi...

The present study was undertaken to study different methodological aspects of quantifying CO2 production and milk intake of suckling piglets using the doubly labelled water (DLW) technique. In total, 37 piglets were enriched intraperitoneally with DLW to study equilibration time of 18O (n = 3), to validate the estimation of milk intake and CO2 production (n = 10) of piglets fed milk replacer an...

The composition and successional status of a forest affect carbon storage and net ecosystem productivity, yet it remains unclear whether elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) will impact rates and trajectories of forest succession. We examined how CO2 enrichment (+200 microL CO2/L air differential) affects forest succession through growth and survivorship of tree seedlings, as part of the D...

brassinosteroids are phytohormones possessing a wide spectrum of antistress activity. to seewhether this hormone is able to ameliorate the effects of water stress, the effects of 24-epibrassinolise onplant growth, accumulation of osmolytes (proline, sugars and ions), lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakagewere investigated in colza (brassica napus l. cv. fusia) plants which were under water ...

Fine root longevity, measured using minirhizotrons, range from days to years (Hendrick & Pregitzer, 1992; Eissenstat et al., 2000). Although there are several hypotheses that relate to root tissue lifespan (Ryser, 1996), very few long-term studies have examined the factors that may be directly related to survivorship of individual roots. It is known that atmospheric CO2, which is the major gree...