Carbon Dioxide and Vegetation

摘要

What happens to vegetation when green-house gases (mainly carbon dioxide) increase in concentration and the temperature goes up? The Framework Convention on Climate Change commits the signatories to avoiding dangerous interference with the 'climate system, interference that might harm the world's agriculture and natural ecosystems. But just what are the likely responses of veegetation? Much attention is paid to the effects of temperature and other climatic changes. As Street-Perrott et al. report onpage 1422 of this issue, there isnow evidence that, at an ecosystem level, the direct effects of ah increase in carbon dioxide are themselves important (1).