Rise in CO2 ups Water-use Efficiency of Trees

The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has led to trees using their available water resources more efficiently, says a new research

Increased atmospheric CO2concentrations have already caused large-scale physiological responses of European forests. In particular, the efficiency of water-use of trees, which is coupled to the uptake of CO2during photosynthesis of leaves and needles has changed significantly. According to the study of a large, interdisciplinary team of researchers, European broadleaf and coniferous trees have increased their water-use efficiency since the beginning of the 20th century by 14% and 22%, respectively.

During photosynthesis trees take up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. In return they loose water vapor (H2O) through tiny pores of their leaves or needles, so-called stomata. This gas exchange between trees and the atmosphere is regulated through the opening widths (aperture) of their stomata. Wider apertures of the stomata allow the uptake of higher numbers of CO2molecules, but promote an increased loss of water vapor (transpiration) into the atmosphere. The opposite holds for narrowed stomatal apertures.

The results are important for better estimates of the impact of forests on climate, improved model scenarios of future climate development and more reliable assessment of the global water cycle. Furthermore, ecological consequences might evolve because of the significantly different responses to increased atmospheric CO2of broadleaf and needleleafed species.

The data set utilized in this study has been established from a tree-ring based network (ISONET) funded by the EU that aims at the analysis of carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C). ISONET was initiated and coordinated by GFZ-scientists Gerhard H. Schleser (presently also FZ-Jülich) and Gerhard Helle.

Source: GFZ

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