26th Annual Student Research Conference
Modeling the Effect of Elevated CO2 on Phosphorus Uptake in Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris)
Grant Libra* and Jennifer Flynn
Prof. Zhong Ma and Dr. Todd Palumbo, Faculty Mentors
Plant growth is dependent on below ground resources including water and mineral availability, and above ground resources of light and CO2. Among these variables, atmospheric CO2 is projected to double, although soil minerals, particularly phosphorus, are becoming increasingly limited. We investigated how the dynamics of phosphorus uptake in common bean plants was affected by CO2 supply. Plants were cultured hydroponically in two growth chambers of high (700 ppm) or low (400 ppm) CO2, and under either optimal (2 mM) or suboptimal (0.5 mM) phosphorus availability for 45 days, during which growth media were sampled every four days for phosphorus analysis. We built models that describe the temporal profile of phosphorus uptake during plant growth under varied CO2 and phosphorus conditions. Our data indicate that phosphorus uptake is faster with increased CO2, causing depletion of phosphorus earlier in the growth period before reproductive growth stage, which could lead to reduced yield.
Keywords: CO2, Phosphorus uptake, Common Bean, Hydroponics, Modeling
Topic(s):Mathematical Biology
Biology
Mathematics
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 403-1
Location: MG 2001
Time: 2:30