Effects of drought and changes in vapour pressure deficit on water relations of Populusdeltoides growing in ambient and elevated CO2

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), changes in the earth's climate are expected to become more extreme as carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations increase over the next century. This study examined the means by which growth CO2 concentration affects anatomy and water relation responses to drought and vapour pressure deficit (VPD). Yearly coppiced, 4-year-old Populus deltoides clones grown in either ambient or elevated CO2 for 3 years were examined to determine if trees growing in elevated CO2 during drought would have a lower volume flux density of water (JV), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration per leaf area (E), as well as a lower stomatal density and a greater stomatal response to drought and changes in VPD than would trees in ambient CO2. The study showed that trees in elevated CO2 actually had higher JV values, but did not differ from trees in ambient CO2 in terms of gs or E under saturating light or E scaled from JV. The higher JV in elevated CO2 was attributed to the greater leaf area in the trees and not from differences in gs. Plants in elevated CO2 had greater absolute leaf loss during the drought, but the percentage of leaf area lost was similar to that of trees in ambient CO2. Under saturating light, gs and E were influenced by changes in VPD after the first 9 days of the experiment, which coincided with a large decrease in water potential. It was concluded that longer-term growth of P. deltoides clone under elevated CO2 did not improve the effects of drought and high VPD on plant and water relations. 56 refs., 3 tabs., 4 figs.