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C02

Title: C02
Hi,

Just got this summary in a listserve for the Native Plant Society of Texas and the Native Prairies Association of Texas. Thought it was worth passing on.

   Readers of this discussion list might be interested in the findings
of nine scientists reporting in the 2 November 2000 issue of NATURE (Vol.
408, pp. 79-82). In an attempt to forecast likely effects of global climate
changes on the environment, they studied the consequences of an increased
amount of carbon dioxide on arid ecosystems. They found that more carbon
dioxide promoted new shoots of at least one dominent native perennial
provided that the amount of rain for the year was high. No such augmented
growth for natives resulted in a year of drought even when carbon dioxide
levels were higher than usual.

   The most surprising feature of their experiments, in terms of the
interests of this discussion group, is that elevated levels of carbon
dioxide (a component of industrial pollution) promoted the growth of an
exotic annual grass in the Mojave Desert, the particular arid ecosystem
they studied. Their report suggests that elevated levels of carbon dioxide
might generally favor such invasive exotic annual plants to the
disadvantage and eventual displacement of perennial native plants. This
change, they worry, would not only reduce the natural functions and the
biodiversity of arid ecosystems, but also foster more fire cycles.

Lee Stone
Austin
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