Evidence of enhanced freezing damage in treeline plants during six years of CO2 enrichment and soil warming

• Published in: Oikos Vol. 121; no. 10; pp. 1532 - 1543
• Main Authors: Rixen, Christian, Dawes, Melissa A., Wipf, Sonja, Hagedorn, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2012; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Climate change; Empetrum hermaphroditum; Freezing; Frost; Frost damage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Greenhouse gases; Growing seasons; Larix decidua; Phenology; Pine trees; Plant ecology; Plants; Soils; Timberlines; Vaccination; Vaccinium myrtillus; Vegetation; Switzerland, Alps Mts; Warming; Soils; Damage; Treeline; Carbon dioxide

Climate change and elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels could increase the vulnerability of plants to freezing. We analyzed tissue damage resulting from naturally occurring freezing events in plants from a long-term in situ CO₂ enrichment (+ 200 ppm, 2001-2009) and soil warming (+4°C since 2007) experime...