Abstract
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.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Lowest pressure increased stomatal conductance in T. pratense after four weeks.
- Taxon
- T. pratense
Trifolium pratensee0 - Treatment
- lowest pressuree0
- Outcome
- stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Comparator
- control scenarioe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“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.”
Claim · model-written summary
Lowest pressure reduced aboveground biomass in T. pratense after four weeks.
- Taxon
- T. pratenseTrifolium pratensee0
- Treatment
- lowest pressuree0
- Outcome
- aboveground biomasse0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Comparator
- control scenarioe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“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.”
Claim · model-written summary
Lowest pressure increased stomatal conductance in H. pilosella after four weeks.
- Taxon
- H. pilosella
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1369110.jpg?width=60)
Pilosella officinarume0 - Treatment
- lowest pressuree0
- Outcome
- stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Comparator
- control scenarioe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1369110.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“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.”
Claim · model-written summary
Lowest pressure reduced aboveground biomass in H. pilosella after four weeks.
- Taxon
- H. pilosellaPilosella officinarume0
- Treatment
- lowest pressuree0
- Outcome
- aboveground biomasse0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Comparator
- control scenarioe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“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.”
Claim · model-written summary
At 85kPa, higher soil water reduced chlorophyll content in B. rupestre.
- Taxon
- B. rupestreBrachypodium rupestree0
- Treatment
- higher soil water conditions at 85kPae0
- Outcome
- chlorophylle0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“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.”
Claim · model-written summary
At 85kPa, higher soil water reduced biomass nitrogen content in B. rupestre.
- Taxon
- B. rupestreBrachypodium rupestree0
- Treatment
- higher soil water conditions at 85kPae0
- Outcome
- biomass nitrogen contente0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“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.”