Increased photosynthetic capacity of Scirpus olneyi after 4 years of exposure to elevated CO2

Abstract. While a short‐term exposure to elevated atmospheric CO 2 induces a large increase in photosynthesis in many plants, long‐term growth in elevated CO 2 often results in a smaller increase due to reduced photosynthetic capacity. In this study, it was shown that, for a wild C 3 species growing in its natural environment and exposed to elevated CO 2 for four growing seasons, the photosynthetic capacity has actually increased by 31%. An increase in photosynthetic capacity has been observed in other species growing in the field, which suggests that photosynthesis of certain field grown plants will continue to respond to elevated levels of atmospheric CO 2