Plants reverse warming effect on ecosystem water balance

Erika S. Zavaleta; Brian D. Thomas; Nona R. Chiariello; Gregory P. Asner; M. Rebecca Shaw; Christopher B. Field

doi:10.1073/pnas.1732012100

Plants reverse warming effect on ecosystem water balance

Erika S. Zavaleta, Brian D. Thomas, Nona R. Chiariello, Gregory P. Asner, M. Rebecca Shaw, Christopher B. Field

CLAS-SS: Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, School of (SGSUP)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

107 Scopus citations

Abstract

Models predict that global warming may increase aridity in water-limited ecosystems by accelerating evapotranspiration. We show that interactions between warming and the dominant biota in a grassland ecosystem produced the reverse effect. In a 2-year field experiment, simulated warming increased spring soil moisture by 5-10% under both ambient and elevated CO₂. Warming also accelerated the decline of canopy greenness (normalized difference vegetation index) each spring by 11-17% by inducing earlier plant senescence. Lower transpirational water losses resulting from this earlier senescence provide a mechanism for the unexpected rise in soil moisture. Our findings illustrate the potential for organism-environment interactions to modify the direction as well as the magnitude of global change effects on ecosystem functioning.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	9892-9893
Number of pages	2
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume	100
Issue number	17
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1732012100
State	Published - Aug 19 2003

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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Plants reverse warming effect on ecosystem water balance. / Zavaleta, Erika S.; Thomas, Brian D.; Chiariello, Nona R.; Asner, Gregory P.; Shaw, M. Rebecca; Field, Christopher B.

In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 100, No. 17, 19.08.2003, p. 9892-9893.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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