A newly published research has revealed that climbing rate of carbon dioxide is leading towards increased flower production in tropical forests.
In the recently published research in the journal Global Change Biology assistant Professor of Geography Stephanie Pau from Florida State University said that tropical forests might be more sensitive to subtle climate changes. She said, “It’s really remarkable0 Over the past several decades, we’ve seen temperatures warming and carbon dioxide increasing, and our study found that this tropical forest has responded to that increase by producing more flowers.”
“Tropical forests have evolved in generally stable climates. So while they may not be warming as much as some higher-latitude ecosystems, these tropical species appear to be much more sensitive than we might have expected.”
In order to find the effects of climate changes on tropical forest, Pau evaluated collected plant materials from last 28 years. Pau and her fellow researchers examined different variables that drive climate changes such as temperature, rainfall, light and carbon dioxide. Interestingly, the findings have shown dramatic results from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the forest.
As plants convert carbon dioxide into energy in the form of sugars, it gives plants opportunities to use the energy into different products to sustain life. Due to increased number of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, plants in the tropical forests now have more opportunity to produce extra energy which has resulted in increased flower production in recent years.