Growth of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) in response to atmospheric CO2 enrichment

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Abstract
Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis (HBK.) Griffiths), an important C4 species in the Great Plains grasslands of the north-central United States, was grown under three concentrations of CO2: 350, 675, and 1000 μL∙L−1. Growth of blue grama was significantly enhanced by enrichment to 675 but not to 1000 μL∙L−1. At the end of the experiment, 7 weeks after planting, plants grown at 675 μL∙L−1 had 35% more total biomass and nearly 90% greater leaf area than controls grown at 350 μL∙L−1. This growth enhancement is large for a C4 species, but is modest compared with the response typical of C3 species. It is concluded that blue grama may experience increasing competition from its C3, associates if atmospheric CO2 continues to increase in the future.