Abstract
To understand the effects of elevated $CO_2$ concentration and temperature on seedling emergence of seven herbaceous species, the seedling emergence was monitored between November 1997 and May 1998 using a temperature gradient chamber and a $CO_2$-temperature gradient chamber. Experiment was conducted under current ambient condition (Control plot), 2$^{\circ}C$-warmed condition with ambient $CO_2$ (T2 Plot), 4$^{\circ}C$-warmed condition with ambient $CO_2$ (T4 plot). and 4$^{\circ}C$-warmed condition with 1.8 fold of ambient $CO_2$ (CT4 plot). Species tested in this study were Digitaria adscendens, Echinochloa crus-galli, Panicum bisulcatum, Setaria viridis. Oenothera biennis, Andropogon virginicus, and Imperata cylindrica. Each species often dominates in the herbaceous stage of secondary succession in Japan. The mean seedling emergence times for all species were significantly increased to 23.6 and 32.2 d in the T2 and T4 plot compared to the Control plot, respectively. The most sensitive and insensitive species in seedling emergence time in T2 plot were O. biennis and D. adscendens, respectivel.y, and those in the T4 and CT4 plot were I. cylindrica and D. adscendens, E. crus-galli and A. virginicus, respectively. All experimental species showed no significant difference in the seedling emergence rate between treatments except for O. biennis and I. cylindrica. O. biennis showed a great decrease in the seedling emergence rate from 83.3% in the Control plot to 38.0%, 14.7%, and 29.3% in the T2, T4, and CT4 plot, respectively. Elevated $CO_2$ had very little effect on the seedling emergence. From these observations, it is expected that increased temperature would greatly advance the vegetative recovery time after disturbance through the advancement of seedling emergence time.