Effects of elevated CO2 on phenolics in black locust seedlings inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under cadmium pollution by 13C isotopic tracer technique

Phenolics can help plants mitigate stress of adverse environments. Elevated CO2 (eCO2) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may improve phenolics synthesis, however, the contribution of eCO2 to phenolics in plants colonized by AMF under heavy metal exposure is still unclear. We investigated the effect of eCO2 (285 ppm above ambient CO2) on phenolic acids and flavonoids in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) grown in cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soils under Funneliformis mosseae (FM) colonization using 13C isotope tracer technique. Elevated CO2 significantly enhanced leaf and root Cd by 25.7