A field study of the effects of elevated CO2 and plant species diversity on ecosystem-level gas exchange in a planted calcareous grassland

The relationship between plant species diversity and ecosystem CO2 and water vapour fluxes was investigated for planted calcareous grassland communities composed of 5, 12, or 32 species assembled from the native plant species pool. These diversity manipulations were done in factorial combination with a CO2 enrichment experiment in order to investigate the degree to which ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 are altered by a loss of plant diversity. Ecosystem CO2 and H2O fluxes were measured over several 24-h periods during the 1994 and 1995 growing seasons. Ecosystem CO2 assimilation on a ground area basis decreased with decreasing plant diversity in the first year and this was related to a decline in above-ground plant biomass. In the second year, however, CO2 assimilation was not affected by diversity, and this corresponded to the disappearance of a diversity effect on above-ground biomass. Irrespective of diversity treatment, CO2 assimilation on a ground area basis was linearly related to peak aboveground biomass in both years. Elevated CO2 significantly increased ecosystem CO2 assimilation in both years with no interaction between diversity and CO2 treatment, and no corresponding increase in above-ground biomass. There were no significant effects of diversity on water vapour nux, which was measured only in the second year. There were indications of a small CO2 effect on water vapour flux (3-9% lower at elevated CO2 depending on the light level). Our findings suggest that decreasing plant species diversity may substantially decrease ecosystem CO2 assimilation during the establishment of such planted calcareous grassland communities, but also suggest that this effect may not persist. In addition, we find no evidence that plant species diversity alters the response of ecosystem CO2 assimilation to elevated CO2.