Increased resin flow in mature pine trees growing under elevated CO2 and moderate soil fertility.

Warmer climates induced by elevated atmospheric CO(2) (eCO(2)) are expected to increase damaging bark beetle activity in pine forests, yet the effect of eCO(2) on resin production--the tree's primary defense against beetle attack--remains largely unknown. Following growth-differentiation balance theory, if extra carbohydrates produced under eCO(2) are not consumed by respiration or growth, resin production could increase. Here, the effect of eCO(2) on resin production of mature pines is assessed. As predicted, eCO(2) enhanced resin flow by an average of 140% (P=0.03) in canopy dominants growing in low-nitrogen soils, but did not affect resin flow in faster-growing fertilized canopy dominants or in carbohydrate-limited suppressed individuals. Thus, pine trees may become increasingly protected from bark beetle attacks in an eCO(2) climate, except where they are fertilized or are allowed to become overcrowded.

Duke Scholars

Author Gabriel G. Katul Civil and Environmental Engineering