Root competition and elevated CO₂: effects on seedling growth in Linum usitatissimum populations and Linum–Silene cretica mixtures

Abstract

Summary1. Root competition can be an important determinant of the performance of neighbours within plant populations and communities. Because plants often maintain larger root systems and allocate more of their carbon to root systems under elevated atmospheric CO 2 than they do at lower CO 2 concentrations, root-root interactions could play an increasingly important role in determining competitive outcomes among individuals and plant species as global CO 2 concentration continues to rise. 2. We established 12 pure stands of Linum usitatissimum (flax) and 12 mixed stands of Linum and its naturally co-occurring weed species Silene cretica in opaque plastic trays each filled with the same amount of nutrient-rich soil mix. In half of the trays from each of these stand types, vertical waterproof partitions separated the root systems of individual plants from each other to prevent root competition, while in the other half no partitions were present. Half of the trays from all treatments were allowed to grow under low atmospheric CO 2 concentration (320 µl l -1 ) and the other half under elevated CO 2 (600 µl l -1 ), in daylight growth chambers for 30 days from seedling emergence until harvest in mid-June. All trays received equal amounts of water so that soils in the low CO 2 treatment were maintained at field capacity. 3. Our results indicate that under high soil fertilities: (1) intra-specific root-root interactions alone play a relatively insignificant role in determining plant biomass production within pure Linum populations and (2) the impact of an aggressive species (Silene) on co-occurring less aggressive species (Linum) becomes more severe under elevated CO 2 as a result of amplified interspecific root competition.

Species‐specific responses of plant communities to altered carbon and nutrient availability

“…Hence, the potential for a positive growth response to elevated CO 2 is present, but the community setting significantly affected the response of individual species. Similar observations of interspecific difference in growth responses to elevated CO 2 while growing in the same community have been made in other systems (Arnone & Kestenholz 1997; Jongen & Jones 1998).…”

Root competition: beyond resource depletion

“…Previous studies achieved the same goal by varying the sizes of soil compartments between ‘root competition’ and ‘no root competition’ treatments (e.g. Litav & Wolovitch 1971; Litav & Isti 1974; Fitter 1977; Arnone & Kestenholz 1997; Xiao et al . 2004).…”

Grazing capacity change on a small Mediterranean-type South African offshore island following the control of invasive alien European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus )

“…This was probably because of the ephemeral nature of the species. Silene cretica has large, fibrous and fast growing root systems (Arnone II and Kestenholz 1997). Soil at strand sites was generally shallow (3 to 5 cm: (Adamson 1934).…”