On the role of ecological adaptation and geographic distribution in the response of trees to climate change

Predicting how increases in surface temperature will modulate the response of plants to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations is an increasingly urgent aspect of climate change research. Plant responses to elevated CO2 have been well documented over the last 40 years, and the mechanisms underlying these responses are well understood. Elevated CO2 affects plants mainly by increasing photosynthesis and decreasing stomatal conductance (Ainsworth and Rogers 2007). However, the scaling up of these primary, leaf-level CO2 responses to the whole plant and canopy levels is moderated by the plant's growth characteristics (e.g., sink strength, biomass partitioning), and the availability of soil water and nutrients (Long et al. 2004).