Photosynthetic adjustment in field-grown ponderosa pine trees after six years of exposure to elevated CO2

Photosynthesis of tree seedlings is generally enhanced during short-term exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2, but longer-term photosynthetic responses are often more variable because they are affected by morphological, biochemical and physiological feedback mechanisms that regulate carbon assimilation to meet sink demand. To examine biochemical and morphological factors that might regulate the long-term photosynthetic response of field-grown trees to elevated CO2, we grew ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) trees in open-top chambers for six years in native soil at ambient CO2 (35 Pa) and elevated CO2 (70 Pa) at a site near Placerville, CA. Trees were well watered and exposed to natural light and ambient temperature. At the end of the sixth growing season at elevated CO2, net photosynthesis was enhanced 53%, despite reductions in photosynthetic capacity. The positive net photosynthetic response to elevated CO2 reflected greater relative increases in Rubisco sensitivity compared with the decreases resulting from biochemical adjustments. Analyses of net photosynthetic rate versus internal CO2 partial pressure curves indicated that reductions in photosynthetic capacity in response to elevated CO2 were the result of significant reductions in maximum photosynthetic rate (20%), Rubisco carboxylation capacity (36%), and electron transport capacity (21%). Decreased photosynthetic capacity was accompanied by reductions in various photosynthetic components, including total chlorophyll (24%), Rubisco protein content (38%), and mass-based leaf nitrogen concentration (14%). Net photosynthesis was unaffected by morphological adjustments because there was no change in leaf mass per unit area at elevated CO2. An apparent positive response of photosynthetic adjustment in the elevated CO2 treatment was the redistribution of N within the photosynthetic system to balance Rubisco carboxylation and electron transport capacities. We conclude that trees, without apparent limitations to root growth, may exhibit photosynthetic adjustment responses in the field after long-term exposure to elevated CO2.