title: CO2studies remain key to understanding a future world.
abstract: Contents 34 I. 34 II. 36 III. 37 IV. 37 V. 38 38 References 38 SUMMARY: Characterizing plant responses to past, present and future changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) is critical for understanding and predicting the consequences of global change over evolutionary and ecological timescales. Previous CO2studies have provided great insights into the effects of rising [CO2] on leaf-level gas exchange, carbohydrate dynamics and plant growth. However, scaling CO2effects across biological levels, especially in field settings, has proved challenging. Moreover, many questions remain about the fundamental molecular mechanisms driving plant responses to [CO2] and other global change factors. Here we discuss three examples of topics in which significant questions in CO2research remain unresolved: (1) mechanisms of CO2effects on plant developmental transitions; (2) implications of rising [CO2] for integrated plant-water dynamics and drought tolerance; and (3) CO2effects on symbiotic interactions and eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Addressing these and other key questions in CO2research will require collaborations across scientific disciplines and new approaches that link molecular mechanisms to complex physiological and ecological interactions across spatiotemporal scales.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
authors.forename: Katie M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Becklin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
authors.forename: S Michael
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7.|Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Way
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Kansas University, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
authors.forename: Joy K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology; D063245:Plant Development; D014867:Water / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: atmospheric carbon dioxide; climate change; eco-evolutionary feedbacks; flowering time; leaf gas exchange; plant hydraulics; plant-microbe interactions