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Knight, W G

In order to better elucidate fixed-C partitioning, nutrient acquisition and water relations of prairie grasses under elevated [CO2], we grew the C4 grass Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) lag ex Steud. from seed in soil-packed, column-lysimeters in two growth chambers maintained at current ambient [CO2] (350 ?L L?1) and twice enriched [CO2] (700 ?L L?1). Once established, plants were deficit irrigated; growth chamber conditions were maintained at day/night temperatures of 25/16�C, relative humidities of 35%/90% and a 14-hour photoperiod to simulate summer conditions on the shortgrass steppe in eastern Colorado. After 11 weeks of growth, plants grown under CO2 enrichment had produced 35% and 65% greater total and root...
The eastern Colorado shortgrass steppe is dominated by the C4 grass, Bouteloua gracilis, but contains a mixture of C3 grasses as well, including Pascopyrum smithii. Although the ecology of this region has been extensively studied, there is little information on how increasing atmospheric CO2 will affect it. This growth chamber study investigated gas exchange, water relations, growth, and biomass and carbohydrate partitioning in B. gracilis and P. smithii grown under present ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations of 350 ?l l?1and 700 ?l l?1, respectively, and two deficit irrigation regimes. The experiment was conducted in soil-packed columns planted to either species over a 2-month period under summer-like conditions...
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