<
https://theconversation.com/a-fierce-battle-is-being-fought-in-the-soil-beneath-our-feet-and-the-implications-for-global-warming-are-huge-231802>
"As humanity continues to burn fossil fuels, the delicate balance of life on
Earth is changing. That’s true of trees, many of which are growing faster as a
result of increased carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations in our atmosphere.
But not all trees are responding in this way. In particular, eucalypts –
Australia’s iconic forest trees – haven’t benefited from the increase in CO₂ as
they were expected to.
Why not? Our new research, published today in
Nature, shows it comes down to
a below-ground battle for phosphorus, a mineral nutrient in soils that is
essential for tree growth. The results suggest in some parts of the world,
increased CO₂ means tiny bugs in the soil “hold onto” their phosphorus, making
less available for trees.
This is alarming news, because according to current projections, global forest
growth is meant to limit damage from global warming."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
