Plants play a vital role in shaping the conditions for life on Earth, as they help regulate the composition of the atmosphere and speed up the process of burning greenhouse gases. A new study published in the journal Science Advances by Julian Roger and colleagues from ETH Zurich and the University of Leeds reveals that plants are not only affected by climate change, but also played a key role in shaping it. Over hundreds of millions of years, various climate changes have shaped the planet as we know it today. Changes in carbon dioxide levels and past temperatures provide insight into the current response to global warming.
The study shows that plant activity can act as a buffer against slow climate change, preventing too rapid a fluctuation in temperatures over millions of years. However, rapid climate changes have also led to significant changes in vegetation and even mass extinctions. Researchers aim to understand how quickly plant characteristics can change when the world experiences a sudden increase in temperature.
Computer models have shown that plant activity is an important factor in regulating Earth’s climate cycle. By studying changes in continents, climate and vegetation over the past 390 million years, a team of geologists, computer scientists and Earth scientists discovered that life, climate and geology are interconnected through a feedback loop. This research helps shed light on the coevolution of climate, vegetation and tectonics.
The study highlights the importance of understanding the role of plants in shaping Earth’s environment and coping with the challenges of climate change. The researchers emphasize that more research is needed to fully understand how plants are responding to these changes so that effective measures can be taken to mitigate their impact on our planet’s ecosystems.