Physiological and Molecular Responses of Woody Plants Exposed to Future Atmospheric CO2 Levels under Abiotic Stresses

Abstract

Climate change is mainly driven by the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere in the last century. Plant growth is constantly challenged by environmental fluctuations including heat waves, severe drought and salinity, along with ozone accumulation in the atmosphere. Food security is at risk in an increasing world population, and it is necessary to face the current and the expected effects of global warming. The effects of the predicted environment scenario of elevated CO2 concentration (e[CO2]) and more severe abiotic stresses have been scarcely investigated in woody plants, and an integrated view involving physiological, biochemical and molecular data is missing. This review highlights the effects of elevated CO2 in the metabolism of woody plants and the main findings of its interaction with abiotic stresses, including a molecular point of view, aiming to improve the understanding of how woody plants will face the predicted environmental conditions. Overall, e[CO2] stimulates photosynthesis and growth and attenuates mild to moderate abiotic stress in woody plants if root growth and nutrients are not limited. Moreover, e[CO2] does not induce acclimation in most tree species. Some high-throughput analyses involving omics techniques were conducted to better understand how these processes are regulated. Finally, knowledge gaps in the understanding of how the predicted climate condition will affect woody plant metabolism were identified, with the aim of improving the growth and production of this plant species.