Growing seasons stretched by CO_2

摘要

Longer plant-growing seasons in temperate and polar regions in recent years have been attributed to rising temperatures, but the effect on individual species can be to bring the growing season forward without actually lengthening it. In a series of experiments studying warming and carbon dioxide enrichment in temperate Wyoming grasslands, these authors show that temperature increase advances the growing season of early leafing species, whereas late-season species extend their life cycle, leading to a longer growing season. The latter effect is enhanced by elevated C02, particularly when water availability is limited.