During the last ice age, CO2 concentration （[CO2]） was 180-200 umol/mol compared with the modern value of 380 umol/mol, and global temperatures were -8 ℃ cooler. Relatively little is known about the responses of C3...During the last ice age, CO2 concentration （[CO2]） was 180-200 umol/mol compared with the modern value of 380 umol/mol, and global temperatures were -8 ℃ cooler. Relatively little is known about the responses of C3 and C4 species to longterm exposure to glacial conditions. Here Abutilon theophrasti Medik. （C3） and Amaranthus retroflexus L. （C4） were grown at 200 umol/mol CO2 with current （30/24℃） and glacial （22/16℃） temperatures for 22d. Overall, the C4 species exhibited a large growth advantage over the C3 species at low [CO2]. However, this advantage was reduced at low temperature, where the C4 species produced 5x the total mass of the C3 species versus 14x at the high temperature. This difference was due to a reduction in C4 growth at low temperature, since the C3 species exhibited similar growth between temperatures. Physiological differences between temperatures were not detected for either species, although photorespiration/net photosynthesis was reduced in the C3 species grown at low temperature, suggesting evidence of improved carbon balance at this treatment. This system suggests that C4 species had a growth advantage over C3 species during low [CO2] of the last ice age, although concurrent reductions in temperatures may have reduced this advantage.展开更多
基金Supported by the US Department of Energy (DE-FG02-95ER62124)the US National Science Foundation (0517668 and 0746822)an American Fellowship to JK Ward from the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.
文摘During the last ice age, CO2 concentration （[CO2]） was 180-200 umol/mol compared with the modern value of 380 umol/mol, and global temperatures were -8 ℃ cooler. Relatively little is known about the responses of C3 and C4 species to longterm exposure to glacial conditions. Here Abutilon theophrasti Medik. （C3） and Amaranthus retroflexus L. （C4） were grown at 200 umol/mol CO2 with current （30/24℃） and glacial （22/16℃） temperatures for 22d. Overall, the C4 species exhibited a large growth advantage over the C3 species at low [CO2]. However, this advantage was reduced at low temperature, where the C4 species produced 5x the total mass of the C3 species versus 14x at the high temperature. This difference was due to a reduction in C4 growth at low temperature, since the C3 species exhibited similar growth between temperatures. Physiological differences between temperatures were not detected for either species, although photorespiration/net photosynthesis was reduced in the C3 species grown at low temperature, suggesting evidence of improved carbon balance at this treatment. This system suggests that C4 species had a growth advantage over C3 species during low [CO2] of the last ice age, although concurrent reductions in temperatures may have reduced this advantage.
