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College

College of Arts and Sciences

Major

Environmental Studies: Ecological Systems and Spanish, biology minor

Faculty Mentor

Tanya Hayes

Faculty Editor

Michael Zanis

Student Editor

Mar Bradley and Vanessa Vu

Abstract

As climate change worsens, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to increase. Plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and should be explored as a possible method of carbon sequestration. Additionally, nutrient levels will continue to decrease in the atmosphere and soil. There is little understanding of how bryophytes will respond to climate change, especially to the combination of poor nutrient availability and elevated carbon dioxide. Using a lab experiment where bryophytes were grown in differing sulfur and carbon dioxide levels, this study assessed the impacts of sulfur nutrient starvation and elevated carbon dioxide on two bryophyte species: Dicranum tauricum and Lunularia cruciata. This study found that both species continued to grow and increase in area even under nutrient-poor conditions. Despite this, the two species responded differently to the conditions. The interaction of sulfur level and carbon dioxide level was statistically significant for Dicranum tauricum: its growth rate on medium sulfur was significantly higher when carbon dioxide was elevated. There was no significance for the Lunularia cruciata in any conditions. These findings indicate that the bryophytes may continue to grow well under climate change conditions, potentially surpassing vascular plants and providing a possible highly functional carbon sequestration method.

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