title: Does a decade of elevated [CO2] affect a desert perennial plant community?
abstract: Understanding the effects of elevated [CO2 ] on plant community structure is crucial to predicting ecosystem responses to global change. Early predictions suggested that productivity in deserts would increase via enhanced water-use efficiency under elevated [CO2], but the response of intact arid plant communities to elevated [CO2 ] is largely unknown. We measured changes in perennial plant community characteristics (cover, species richness and diversity) after 10 yr of elevated [CO2] exposure in an intact Mojave Desert community at the Nevada Desert Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) Facility. Contrary to expectations, total cover, species richness, and diversity were not affected by elevated [CO2]. Over the course of the experiment, elevated [CO2] had no effect on changes in cover of the evergreen C3 shrub, Larrea tridentata; alleviated decreases in cover of the C4 bunchgrass, Pleuraphis rigida; and slightly reduced the cover of C3 drought-deciduous shrubs. Thus, we generally found no effect of elevated [CO2] on plant communities in this arid ecosystem. Extended drought, slow plant growth rates, and highly episodic germination and recruitment of new individuals explain the lack of strong perennial plant community shifts after a decade of elevated [CO2].
authors.affiliation: College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, PO Box 441133, Moscow, ID, 83844-1133, USA.|School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4004, USA.
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Newingham
authors.affiliation: Public Lands Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-2040, USA.
authors.forename: Cheryl H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Vanier
authors.affiliation: College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, PO Box 441133, Moscow, ID, 83844-1133, USA.|School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4004, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4004, USA.
authors.forename: Therese N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Charlet
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4004, USA.
authors.forename: Stanley D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D057231:Climate Change; D003889:Desert Climate; D055864:Droughts; D018525:Germination; D032442:Larrea / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009505:Nevada; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D006109:Poaceae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: Ambrosia; C
  3; C
  4; Larrea; Lycium; Pleuraphis; diversity; functional group