{"id":2418,"date":"2025-03-26T13:06:51","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T13:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/?p=2418"},"modified":"2025-03-26T13:06:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T13:06:51","slug":"how-does-nitrogen-shape-plant-responses-to-elevated-co%e2%82%82","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/how-does-nitrogen-shape-plant-responses-to-elevated-co%e2%82%82\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Nitrogen Shape Plant Responses to Elevated CO\u2082?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As atmospheric CO\u2082 levels continue to rise, understanding how plants respond to elevated CO\u2082 (eCO\u2082) is crucial for predicting the future of ecosystems and global carbon cycling. A long-standing debate in plant ecology centres around whether nitrogen supply or nitrogen demand primarily regulates plant responses to eCO\u2082. A new study, published this month in the <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jxb\/eraf118\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Journal of Experimental Botany<\/em><\/a> by LEMONTREE researchers Evan Perkowski, Zinny Ezekannagha, and PI Nick Smith from Texas Tech University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithecophyslab.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PhUnFETTy Lab<\/strong><\/a> sheds new light on this question.<\/p>\n<p>Using a full-factorial experiment, the research team explored how nitrogen demand, nitrogen availability, and nitrogen acquisition strategies influence plant responses to eCO\u2082. Their findings provide strong support for eco-evolutionary optimality (EEO) theory, showing that leaf-level photosynthetic responses to eCO\u2082 are driven by nitrogen demand rather than availability, while whole-plant responses remain constrained by nitrogen supply. These results help resolve a long-standing ecological question and enhance our understanding of how plants will acclimate to rising CO\u2082 levels in the future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>A Growth Chamber Experiment to Test Nitrogen\u2019s Role in eCO\u2082 Responses<\/h2>\n<p>To understand the effects of nitrogen on plant responses to eCO\u2082, the team conducted an experiment using soybean seedlings grown under tightly controlled growth chamber conditions. They designed a full-factorial experiment with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Two CO\u2082 levels<\/strong> (ambient and elevated)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Two inoculation treatments<\/strong> (presence or absence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nine nitrogen fertilization levels<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This setup allowed the team to isolate and examine how different nitrogen acquisition strategies (direct uptake through fertilisation vs. biological nitrogen fixation) influenced plant acclimation to eCO\u2082.<\/p>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2419\" src=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-NxCO2xI_exp_setup-300x167.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"404\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-NxCO2xI_exp_setup-300x167.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-NxCO2xI_exp_setup.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2420\" src=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-NxCO2xI_licors-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-NxCO2xI_licors-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-NxCO2xI_licors.jpeg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\">Experimental set-up. Schematic of experimental set up (left), experimental setup with plants growing in each condition nitrogen and CO<sub>2<\/sub> conditions (middle) and gas exchange measurements being taken (right).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Key Findings<\/h2>\n<h4>1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Leaf-Level Responses Are Driven by Nitrogen Demand<\/h4>\n<p>One of the most significant findings was that leaf-level photosynthetic responses to eCO\u2082 were not affected by nitrogen fertilisation or inoculation treatments. Instead, plants exhibited acclimation responses consistent with EEO theory, whereby plant physiological adjustments occur to optimise resource use efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, under eCO\u2082:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation (V<sub>cmax<\/sub>) decreased more than the maximum rate of electron transport for RuBP regeneration (J<sub>max<\/sub>).<\/li>\n<li>This shift allowed photosynthetic rate-limiting steps to approach optimal coordination, leading to increased net photosynthesis under growth CO<sub>2<\/sub> conditions.<\/li>\n<li>These patterns suggest that leaf nitrogen demand for building and maintaining photosynthetic enzymes regulates photosynthetic acclimation, independent of nitrogen availability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2421\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2421\" style=\"width: 713px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2421\" src=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-1-300x175.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"713\" height=\"416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-1-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-1-1024x596.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-1-768x447.jpg 768w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-1.jpg 1419w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1: Effects of CO\u2082, nitrogen fertilization, and inoculation on net photosynthesis (A), Rubisco carboxylation (B), electron transport (C), and their ratio (D). Red = elevated CO\u2082, blue = ambient CO\u2082. Light colours = uninoculated, dark colours = inoculated. Solid lines indicate significant trends (p&lt;0.05), dashed lines indicate non-significant trends.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>2. Whole-Plant Responses Are Constrained by Nitrogen Availability<\/h4>\n<p>While nitrogen availability did not affect leaf-level photosynthetic responses to eCO<sub>2<\/sub>, it did enhance whole-plant responses to eCO\u2082. Increasing nitrogen fertilization led to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Greater belowground carbon allocation<\/li>\n<li>Increased nitrogen uptake<\/li>\n<li>Enhanced biomass production under eCO\u2082<\/li>\n<li>Increased total leaf area and total plant nitrogen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2422\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2422\" style=\"width: 770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2422 \" src=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-2-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-2-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-2-1024x584.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-2-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/lemontree\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/190\/2025\/03\/Evan-blog-figure-2.jpg 1415w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2422\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 2: Effects of CO\u2082, nitrogen fertilization, and inoculation on total leaf area (A), total biomass (B), root-to-shoot ratio (C), and belowground nitrogen acquisition cost (D). Colours and symbols as in Figure 1. Solid lines = significant trends, dashed lines = non-significant trends.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>These findings align with previous research showing that nitrogen limitation constrains whole-plant responses to eCO\u2082. In other words, while photosynthetic adjustments at the leaf level follow least-cost theory and optimal coordination principles, overall plant growth is still dependent on nitrogen availability.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What About Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria?<\/h2>\n<p>A surprising result from the study was that inoculation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria had no effect on either leaf- or whole-plant response to eCO\u2082, even under low nitrogen conditions where plants had the highest investment in symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. While inoculation did increase root nodulation under eCO\u2082, it did not significantly enhance whole-plant responses. This suggests that when whole-plant nitrogen demand for building new tissues rises, plants may prioritize direct nitrogen uptake pathways over symbiotic nitrogen fixation as a strategy to avoid co-limitation by other nutrients, such as phosphorus.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif\">This work helps resolve the longstanding question as to whether nitrogen supply or demand drives plant responses to eCO2, showing that nitrogen demand regulates leaf-level responses to eCO2 and nitrogen supply constrains whole-plant responses. I am super proud of the work and am glad it&#8217;s finally out for all to read and engage with!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif\">\u00a0Dr Evan Perkowski, lead author<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Resolving the Long-Standing Debate<\/h2>\n<p>This study provides strong empirical support for EEO theory by demonstrating that leaf-level responses to eCO\u2082 are dictated by nitrogen demand, whereas whole-plant responses are limited by nitrogen supply.<\/p>\n<p>These findings challenge traditional perspectives that nitrogen availability is the primary driver of plant acclimation to eCO\u2082. Instead, they suggest that plants optimize resource use in response to changing environmental conditions, balancing carbon and nitrogen investments to enhance photosynthetic efficiency and growth.<\/p>\n<p>Key questions for future research<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How do these patterns hold across different plant species and ecosystems?<\/li>\n<li>What role does nitrogen cycling in soils play in modifying plant responses to eCO\u2082?<\/li>\n<li>How do long-term acclimation processes shape plant adaptation to future climate scenarios?<\/li>\n<li>Do we observe similar patterns in response to changing phosphorus availability?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Implications for Ecosystem and Climate Models<\/h2>\n<p>A key takeaway from this study is that terrestrial biosphere models may improve simulations of photosynthetic responses to rising CO\u2082 by incorporating optimality principles. The differential role of nitrogen demand and availability in regulating leaf- and whole-plant responses suggests that models should account for dynamic leaf nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships, optimal coordination of photosynthetic processes and the role of nutrient co-limitation (e.g., phosphorus) in plant responses.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For more details, check out the full paper:<\/p>\n<p>Perkowski EA, Ezekannagha E, Smith NG. In press.\u00a0Nitrogen demand, availability, and acquisition strategy control plant responses to elevated CO2. Journal of Experimental Botany. DOI:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jxb\/eraf118\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jxb\/eraf118<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As atmospheric CO\u2082 levels continue to rise, understanding how plants respond to elevated CO\u2082 (eCO\u2082) is crucial for predicting the future of ecosystems and global carbon cycling. A long-standing debate&#8230;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"&#104;&#116;&#116;&#112;&#115;&#58;&#47;&#47;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#101;&#97;&#114;&#99;&#104;&#46;&#114;&#101;&#97;&#100;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#46;&#97;&#99;&#46;&#117;&#107;&#47;&#108;&#101;&#109;&#111;&#110;&#116;&#114;&#101;&#101;&#47;&#104;&#111;&#119;&#45;&#100;&#111;&#101;&#115;&#45;&#110;&#105;&#116;&#114;&#111;&#103;&#101;&#110;&#45;&#115;&#104;&#97;&#112;&#101;&#45;&#112;&#108;&#97;&#110;&#116;&#45;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#112;&#111;&#110;&#115;&#101;&#115;&#45;&#116;&#111;&#45;&#101;&#108;&#101;&#118;&#97;&#116;&#101;&#100;&#45;&#99;&#111;&#37;&#101;&#50;&#37;&#56;&#50;&#37;&#56;&#50;&#47;\">Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1004,"featured_media":2420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"coauthors":[96],"class_list":["post-2418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Does Nitrogen Shape Plant Responses to Elevated CO\u2082? - Lemontree\u202f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how nitrogen shapes plant responses to elevated CO\u2082 in this new study using eco-evolutionary optimality theory. 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