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Stomatal behavior moderates water cost of CO 2 acquisition for 21 boreal and temperate species under experimental climate change
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  • Artur Stefanski,
  • Ethan Butler,
  • Raimundo Bermudez,
  • Rebecca Montgomery,
  • Peter Reich
Artur Stefanski
University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources

Corresponding Author:stefa066@umn.edu

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Ethan Butler
University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources
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Raimundo Bermudez
University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources
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Rebecca Montgomery
University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources
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Peter Reich
University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources
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Abstract

The linkage of stomatal behavior with photosynthetic processes is critical to understanding water and carbon cycles under global change. The slope ( g1) of stomatal conductance ( gs) versus CO 2 assimilation ( Anet) serves as a proxy of the marginal water cost of carbon acquisition and the trade-off between carbon gain and water loss. Here we use g1 to assess species differences in the response of stomatal behavior to experimental climate change manipulations, asking whether generalizable patterns exist across species and climate contexts. A total of 17,727 Anet- gs measurements made in a long-term open-air experiment under ambient and +3.3°C warming, and ambient and ~40% summer rainfall reduction provided > 2,700 estimates of g1 across 21 boreal and temperate tree species. All species became more conservative in their water use (lower g1) in warming and/or reduced rainfall treatments because of lower soil moisture. In contrast to these phenotypic responses, species from warmer and drier habitats tended to have slightly higher g1 and to be the least sensitive to the decrease in soil water. Overall, both warming and rainfall reduction consistently made stomatal behavior more conservative in terms of water loss per unit carbon gain across 21 species and a decade of experimental observation.
12 Sep 2022Submitted to Plant, Cell & Environment
14 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
14 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
18 Sep 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
10 Nov 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Nov 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
20 Dec 20221st Revision Received
02 Feb 2023Submission Checks Completed
02 Feb 2023Assigned to Editor
05 Feb 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
08 Feb 2023Editorial Decision: Accept