Stomatal Conductance, Plant Species Distribution, and an Exploration of Rhizosphere Microbes and Mycorrhizae at a Deliberately Leakimg Experimental Carbon Sequestration Field (ZERT)

One measure to reduce atmospheric CO2 is to sequester it in deep geological formations. Rapid surface detection of any CO2 leakage is crucial. CO2 leakage rapidly affects vegetation above sequestration fields. Plant responses to high CO2 are valuable tools in surface detection of leaking CO2. The Zero Emission Research Technology (ZERT) site in Bozeman, MT is an experimental field for surface detection of CO2 where 0.15 ton/day of CO2 was released (7/19- 8/15/2010) from a 100m horizontal injection well, HIW, 1.5 m underground with deliberate leaks of CO2 at intervals, and from a vertical injector, VI, (6/3-6/24/2010). The vegetation includes Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion), Dactylis glomerata (Orchard Grass), and other herbaceous plants. We collected soil and roots 1, 3 and 5 m from the VI to determine the responses of mycorrhizal fungi and rhizosphere microbes to high CO2. Mycorrhizal fungi obtain C from root exudates, increase N and P availability, and reduce desiccation, while prokaryotic rhizosphere microbes fix atmospheric N and will be examined for abundance and expression of carbon and nitrogen cycling genes. We are quantifying mycorrhizal colonization and the proportion of spores, hyphae, and arbuscules in vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) in cleared and stained roots. Stomatal conductance is an important measure of CO2 uptake and water loss via transpiration. We used a porometer (5-40°C, 0-90% RH, Decagon) to measure stomatal conductivity in dandelion and orchard grass at 1, 3, and 5 m from the VI and along a transect perpendicular to the HIW. Dandelion conductance was highest close to the VI and almost consistently higher close to hot spots (circular regions with maximum CO2 and leaf dieback) at the HIW, with 23.2 mmol/m2/s proximal to the hot spot, and 10.8 mmol/m2/s distally. Average conductance in grass (50.3 mmol/m2/s) was higher than in dandelion, but grass did not have high conductance near hot spots. Stomata generally close at elevated CO2. Dandelion leaves near hot spots undergo rapid color change from green to red before senescing to a desiccated brown, while xeromorphic grass leaves do not. Species-specific differences in leaf survival following exposure to CO2 may be linked to species-specific differences in stomatal conductance, and to rhizosphere and mycorrhizal responses. Initial survey results of plant species distribution suggest a shift from a dandelion-grass to a grass-dominated community over hot spots. Sudden and long-term shifts in species composition have important ecological implications and may provide a means of surface detection of upwelling CO2.