Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits.
Lower atmospheric pressure affects biologically relevant physical parameters such as gas partial pressure and concentration, leading to increased water vapor diffusivity and greater soil water content loss through evapotranspiration. This might impact plant photosynthetic activity, resource allocati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317590 |
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| author | Silvia Lembo Georg Niedrist Bouchra El Omari Paul Illmer Nadine Praeg Andreas Meul Matteo Dainese |
| author_facet | Silvia Lembo Georg Niedrist Bouchra El Omari Paul Illmer Nadine Praeg Andreas Meul Matteo Dainese |
| author_sort | Silvia Lembo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lower atmospheric pressure affects biologically relevant physical parameters such as gas partial pressure and concentration, leading to increased water vapor diffusivity and greater soil water content loss through evapotranspiration. This might impact plant photosynthetic activity, resource allocation, water relations, and growth. However, the direct impact of low air pressure on plant physiology is largely unknown. This study examined the effects of low air pressure, alone and combined with two water inputs, on different functional traits of three plant species transplanted from montane grasslands at 1,500 m a.s.l. during the first four weeks of their early phenological stage: Trifolium pratense, Hieracium pilosella, and Brachypodium rupestre. Using the terraXcube Ecotron facility which can simulate different climatic conditions, we isolated the effect of air pressure from those of other, related environmental factors (temperature, humidity, and solar radiation) by simulating three different elevations with corresponding air pressures: 1,500 m a.s.l. (85 kPa, control scenario), 2,500 m a.s.l. (75 kPa), and 4,000 m a.s.l. (62 kPa) and we used two different water regimes to observe the combined effect of low air pressure and the impact of varying water inputs on plants. In T. pratense and H. pilosella, we observed an increase in stomatal conductance but a reduction in aboveground biomass at the lowest pressure compared to the control scenario after four weeks of incubation. Contrastingly, B. rupestre showed an interactive effect of air pressure and water treatment on chlorophyll and biomass nitrogen content, which were reduced under higher soil water conditions at 85kPa. This study serves as an initial step in isolating the specific impact of air pressure on plant physiology, demonstrating the potential of the facility for future research. The mixed response patterns across species highlight that atmospheric pressure could be a driving factor to consider when assessing plant responses along elevational gradient. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ca5b8e5ccb194e3b8afa79ac2c0d6ec9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-ca5b8e5ccb194e3b8afa79ac2c0d6ec92025-02-05T05:31:24ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e031759010.1371/journal.pone.0317590Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits.Silvia LemboGeorg NiedristBouchra El OmariPaul IllmerNadine PraegAndreas MeulMatteo DaineseLower atmospheric pressure affects biologically relevant physical parameters such as gas partial pressure and concentration, leading to increased water vapor diffusivity and greater soil water content loss through evapotranspiration. This might impact plant photosynthetic activity, resource allocation, water relations, and growth. However, the direct impact of low air pressure on plant physiology is largely unknown. This study examined the effects of low air pressure, alone and combined with two water inputs, on different functional traits of three plant species transplanted from montane grasslands at 1,500 m a.s.l. during the first four weeks of their early phenological stage: Trifolium pratense, Hieracium pilosella, and Brachypodium rupestre. Using the terraXcube Ecotron facility which can simulate different climatic conditions, we isolated the effect of air pressure from those of other, related environmental factors (temperature, humidity, and solar radiation) by simulating three different elevations with corresponding air pressures: 1,500 m a.s.l. (85 kPa, control scenario), 2,500 m a.s.l. (75 kPa), and 4,000 m a.s.l. (62 kPa) and we used two different water regimes to observe the combined effect of low air pressure and the impact of varying water inputs on plants. In T. pratense and H. pilosella, we observed an increase in stomatal conductance but a reduction in aboveground biomass at the lowest pressure compared to the control scenario after four weeks of incubation. Contrastingly, B. rupestre showed an interactive effect of air pressure and water treatment on chlorophyll and biomass nitrogen content, which were reduced under higher soil water conditions at 85kPa. This study serves as an initial step in isolating the specific impact of air pressure on plant physiology, demonstrating the potential of the facility for future research. The mixed response patterns across species highlight that atmospheric pressure could be a driving factor to consider when assessing plant responses along elevational gradient.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317590 |
| spellingShingle | Silvia Lembo Georg Niedrist Bouchra El Omari Paul Illmer Nadine Praeg Andreas Meul Matteo Dainese Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits. PLoS ONE |
| title | Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits. |
| title_full | Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits. |
| title_fullStr | Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits. |
| title_short | Short-term impact of low air pressure on plants' functional traits. |
| title_sort | short term impact of low air pressure on plants functional traits |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317590 |
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