Climate cenarios 2026
Description
We aimed to investigate how tree seedlings respond to a future climate scenario 1176 simulated in growth chambers (phytotrons). We selected four widely distributed tree species from the Cerrado savanna: Qualea grandiflora (Vochysiaceae), Hymenaea stignocarpa (Fabaceae), Tabebuia aurea (Bignoniaceae) and Kielmeyera coriacea (Clusiaceae). We disposed their seeds to germinate in chambers at 28°C, and then raised the seedlings in pots filled with Red Latosol and sand (proportion of 3x1) under irrigation at 28 °C for 30 days. After that, we transferred the seedlings to plastic tubes of 1m high and of 0.1 m in diameter for the growth experiments. When the first pair of leaves appeared, 30 individuals of each species were taken for initial measures, and other 33 individuals were transferred to each phytotron, summing up a total of 96 plants per species. One of the phytotrons was set with the current climate scenario, based on the last 50 years climate data from the Cerrado where max and min temperatures was 28 °C and 18 °C, and CO2 concentration ([CO2]) was 420 ppm. The other phytotron was set with the IPCC SSP 3-7,0 prospection for the Cerrado region for 2100 (WorldClim), where max and min temperatures reached 2.5 °C higher than at current climate scenario, and [CO2] was 860 ppm. Humidity was 85 % for both phytotrons. Plants were grown for 120 days, being irrigated every two days with 120 ml of tap water. After this period, we proceeded with leaf counting of the individuals and then all plants were uprooted and taken to dry at 70 °C. After drying, plants biomass was measured by parts: total, root, shoot, and leaves.