Plant Biology, Carbon Dioxide and Health Lewis H. Ziska, PhD, USDA-ARS Health in a Changing Climate Bon Secours St Mary s Hospital Richmond, VA, February 10, 2018
Plants are essential to life. Light Nutrients Water Carbon Dioxide The rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 will alter global plant biology.
CO2, climate, plants and public health Direct Effects Allergies Contact dermatitis Indirect Effects Nutrition Medicine / Narcotics
Plant-based Allergies. Weeds and Grasses Trees Ragweed
From the lab to the real world
Ragweed in real 4me. Using macro-climatic differences in CO 2 and temperature along an urban-rural gradient to study initial growth, productivity and species dynamics of fallow farm soil Urban areas = Harbinger of climate change For each site: o C CO2 1. Dig Plots 2. Move soil 3. Make uniform 4. Monitor
Daytime Carbon Dioxide (ppm) Urbaniza4on and climate change. Daytime Air Temperature ( o C) Location 2002 2003 2004 2005 Rural 381 373 380 386 Suburban 394 370 400 413 Urban 458 520 456 458 Night-time Temperature ( o C) Location 2002 2003 2004 2005 Rural 19.6 18.0 19.0 19.0 Suburban 19.3 18.6 19.2 19.3 Urban 22.3 21.3 22.5 22.7 Change in season length (days) 2002 2003 2004 2005 Urban-Rural 36 41 52 39 8-h ozone average (nl O 3 l -1 of air) Location 2002 2003 2004 2005 Rural 25.1 22.5 24.4 25.3 Suburban 25.8 23.9 25.3 26.0 Urban 26.6 24.7 26.3 27.2 What about other meteorological variables? 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 Day of Year (2004) 8-h daytime ozone. 2004 season Overall: Urban-induced increases in carbon dioxide, air temperature and growing season are consistent with most IPCC near-term scenarios. With the exception of N deposition, other variables did not differ consistency, but N low relative to soil N.
Got ragweed? Ragweed Pollen (grains m -3 ) 800 600 400 200 0 Farm, rural 2006 site County Park, semi-rural Downtown, urban 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 Day of Year Urban locale had longer growing season (milder winter), warmer temperatures, and more carbon dioxide. Ziska et al. 2003, JACI, 111:290-295.
Scaling Up: Warming should increase with increasing latitude. Is a climate signal apparent with respect to length of ragweed pollen season? Climate signal: From June 21st to first frost.
Frost Free Days, Pollen Season and Latitude PNAS, 108: 4248-4251
Tomorrow the world? REKJAVIK, Fairbanks, ICELAND AK Turku, Finland TOTAL SEASONAL POLLEN TOTAL SEASONAL SEASONAL POLLEN POLLEN TOTAL 30000 100000 8000 25000 80000 6000 20000 60000 15000 4000 40000 10000 2000 20000 5000 0 0 1970 1996 1990 2000 1995 1980 2000 2004 1990 2005 20082000 2010 2012 20102015 2016 2020 YEAR YEAR YEAR
2. CO 2, plants and contact dermatitis Can rising CO 2 alter plant based dermatitis?
Poison Ivy and CO2
Poison ivy plants grow faster at elevated CO 2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 370 ul/l 570 ul/l 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Poison ivy allergenicity Ambient saturated* a - monoene b - monoene diene* triene* Unsaturated: saturated cogeners 20 15 10 5 0 Ambient ** Elevated Elevated Duke University, USDA study, PNAS 103:9086-9089
CO2, climate, plants and public health Direct Effects Allergies: CO 2 and changing season length has, and will likely continue to exacerbate plant based aero-allergens. Contact dermatitis: CO 2 can stimulate the growth of poison ivy and can alter its chemistry to make a more virulent form of urushiol, the oil that causes contact dermatitis.
CO2, climate, plants and public health Indirect Effects Nutrition Medicine / Narcotics
Nutritional Effects Rising CO 2 by itself will have negative effects on nutrition. https://health2016.globalchange.gov/food-safety-nutrition-and-distribution
Iron (Fe) % Protein 86Y8 Hokuriku 193 Rice FACE System, Nipponbare Tsukuba Japan _ X = -8.0 + 1.6% CO 2 ; P < 0.001*** CO 2 x cultivar; P = 0.48 Takanari Wuyunjing 23 Lemont Bekoaoba IR 72 Hoshiaoba Yangdao 6 hao Liang You 084 Wuyunjing 21 Milyang 23 Yliangyou Zhonghua 11 Koshihikari Yongyou Momiroman _ X = -10.4 + 0.9% CO 2 ; P < 0.001*** CO 2 x Cultivar; P = 0.03* Wuyunjing 21 Wuyunjing 23 86Y8 Yliangyou Lemont Nipponbare Hokuriku 193 IR 72 Milyang 23 Hoshiaoba Bekoaoba Momiroman Koshihikari Zhonghua 11 Takanari Yliangyou 84 Yangdao 6 hao Yongyou -40-30 -20-10 0 10-30 -25-20 -15-10 -5 0 5 10 15 Percent change relative to ambient CO 2 Percent change relative to ambient CO 2
Vitamin B1 _ X = -17.1+2.9% CO 2 ; P < 0.001*** CO 2 x Cultivar; P =0.87 Vitamin B5 _ X = -12.7+2.9% CO 2 ; P < 0.001*** CO 2 x Cultivar; P =0.72 Percent change (relative to ambient CO 2 ) 30 20 10 0-10 -20-30 -40-50 Takanari Liang You 84 Yangdao Yangdao 6 hao 6 hao Zhonghua 11 Yliangyou Wuyunjing 21 Wuyunjing 21 Takanari Zhonghua 11 Koshihikari Koshihikari Liang You 84 Wuyunjing 23 Wuyunjing 23 Yongyou Tocopherol Vitamin B5 Yongyou Vitamin B2 alpha-tocopherol Yliangyou Liang You 84 Vitamin B9 Vitamin B9 _ Yliangyou -10 0 X 10= -30.3+7.3% 20 30 40 50 Wuyunjing 23 _ X = -16.6+4.4% CO 2 ; P < 0.001*** CO 2 x Cultivar; P =0.84 Vitamin B6 CO 2 ; P < 0.001*** Takanari Percent change relative to ambient CO 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 2 0.25 CO 2 x Cultivar; P =0.67 r 2 = 0.84 P<0.001*** _ X = 13.7 + 3.6% Vitamin B1 CO 2 ; P = 0.03* Vitamin B2 CO 2 x Cultivar; P = 0.21 Zhonghua 11 Liang You 84 Yangdao 6 hao Koshihikari Yliangyou Takanari Yongyou Wuyunjing 23 Wuyunjing 21 Yongyou Wuyunjing 23 Takanari Yangdao 6 hao Ratio Yongyouof Molecular Weight (N to Vitamin) Yangdao 6 hao Koshihikari Zhonghua 11 Wuyunjing 21 Wuyunjing 21 Koshihikari Zhonghua 11 Yliangyou Liang You 84-60 -50-40 -30-20 -10 0 10-60 -50-40 -30-20 -10 0 10 Percent decline relative to ambient CO 2
Nutrition and Food Allergens 5 "Georgia Green" 4 3 2 Ara h1 (mg g -1 ) 1 0 5 4 * "Virginia Jumbo" * 3 2 1 0 2012 2013 400 ppm CO 2 650 ppm CO 2 Ziska et al. 2016 Crop Science, 56:2766-2774
Increasing atmospheric CO 2, plant biology and medicine.
Pharmacological Depots Cocaine Atropine Caffeine Codeine Morphine Nicotine Scopolamine Thebaine
CO 2 and malaria: Medicine In 2012, ~650,ooo died from malaria 90% in Africa, 90% < 5 years old. ACTs
CO 2 and artemesinin. 11 Wild Artemisia annua Herbarium Samples Artemisinin Content (mg g -1 ) 10 9 8 7 6 5 Estimated Artemisinin (mg g -1 ) 14 12 10 8 6 4 CO2 400 380 360 340 320 300 280 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2 4 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 C:N Ratio R = 0.86 Decade Data from FACE study in China. More CO 2, the higher The C:N ratio. Zhu et al. 2015, Climatic Change 132: 295-306
CO 2, plants and narcotics. Effects unknown Growth Increases Google Me
CO 2 and a Medicine/Narcotic. Morphine Used wild poppy (P. setigerum) as a test case. Heroin
Averages P-value Variable 300 400 500 600 CO2 Effect Capsule No. 14.6 29.4 32.9 52.1 *** Capsule Wt. (g) 1.44 2.47 3.55 4.30 *** Latex (mg) 97 198 259 363 *** Morphine (%) 2.20 2.34 2.56 2.67 0.06 Concentration of other alkaloids did not increase with increasing CO 2.
Climate change, plants and public health Indirect Effects Nutrition: Strong evidence that the nutritional value of food crops will decline. Other nutritional aspects, including food allergies remain undetermined. Medicine / Narcotics: Strong evidence that plant derived pharmacological compounds will be affected. Consequences are unknown.
Now What? We acknowledge the synergy between plant biology, carbon dioxide, climate and public health. At USDA-ARS, Our entire budget has declined by 25% since 2003. Yet, potential for basic and applied research and impact of potential research in the context of public health is enormous. What can we do to work together? Anyone have any research $$$? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?