Frontiers in Environmental Science (Oct 2024)

Modulating effects of temperature on CO2-inhibited isoprene emissions in Eucalyptus urophylla

  • Weihua Pang,
  • Weihua Pang,
  • Yanli Zhang,
  • Yanli Zhang,
  • Jianqiang Zeng,
  • Xiao Tian,
  • Xinming Wang,
  • Xinming Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1490552
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Terrestrial vegetation emits substantial amounts of highly reactive isoprene, significantly impacting atmospheric chemistry and climate change. Both atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and temperature can influence plant isoprene emissions; however, whether these factors have a synergistic effect remains unclear, particularly for tropical/subtropical plants. In this study, we conducted in-situ controlled experiments on Eucalyptus urophylla, a representative tropical/subtropical species, to investigate the seasonal variation in the response of isoprene emissions to CO2 concentrations (ISOP-CO2 response) and to identify potential controlling factors. The results showed that high CO2 exerts a nearly linear inhibitory effect on isoprene emissions, as indicated by the slope of the ISOP-CO2 response curve. This inhibitory effect exhibited evident seasonal changes, with stronger suppression during cooler seasons and weaker suppression during warmer seasons. This finding contrasts with the default ISOP-CO2 response in the MEGAN model, which ignored seasonal variation. Further analysis showed a significant correlation between the slope of the ISOP-CO2 response curve and growth temperature from the past 10 days, indicating that these metrics are effective indicators for predicting seasonal changes. Our findings reveal a synergistic mechanism between temperature and CO2 concentration effects on isoprene emissions. By coupling the effects of growth temperature with the ISOP-CO2 response, this mechanism can be integrated into models to provide more accurate predictions of future isoprene emissions, reducing prediction biases, especially during cooler seasons.

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