Abstract
2 min readSummary Leaf mineral concentrations of co‐occurring Erica arborea, Juniperus communis and Myrtus communis were measured at bimonthly intervals throughout a year in a natural CO 2 spring and in a nearby control site with similar soil chemistry in a Mediterranean environment. There were different responses to the elevated [CO 2 ] ( c . 700 μL L −1 ) of the spring site plants depending on the element and the species. In the CO 2 spring site K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Al, Fe, and Ti leaf concentrations and the ratio C/N showed significant greater values in at least one or two of the three species. Leaf S concentration were greater in all three species. Leaf concentrations of N, Sr, Co, and B were lower in at least one or two species, and those of C and Ba were lower in all the three studied species near the CO 2 spring. P, Na, Zn, Si, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, Mo, V and Cd leaf concentrations and the specific leaf area (SLA, measured in Myrtus communis ) did not show any consistent or significant pattern in response to the elevated [CO 2 ] of the spring site. There was a slight trend towards maximum concentrations of most of these elements during autumn–winter and minimum values during the spring season, especially in Myrtus communis . Multivariate principal component analyses based on the leaf elemental concentrations clearly differentiated the two sites and the three species. Lower concentrations at the spring site were not the result of a dilution effect by increased structural or nonstructural carbon. In contrast to most experimental studies of CO 2 enrichment, mainly conducted for short periods, several of these elements had greater concentrations in the CO 2 spring site. Nutrient acclimation and possible causes including decreased nutrient export, increased nutrient uptake capacity, photosynthetic down‐regulation, Mediterranean water stress, and higher H 2 S concentration in the spring site are discussed.
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