Ebook: A History of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Effects on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems

Extensive research in geology, atmospheric science, and paleontology provides a detailed history of CO2 in the atmosphere and an understanding of factors that have influenced changes in the past. This knowledge is used to illuminate the role of atmospheric CO2 in the modern carbon cycle and in the evolution of plants and animals. With an understanding of the history and dynamics of the biosphere, the authors address the future role of atmospheric CO2 and its likely effects on ecosystems. This book incorporates the advances of various earth science, environmental, and ecological fields into an overall account of global change and the changing dynamics of life on Earth.

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Extensive research in geology, atmospheric science, and paleontology provides a detailed history of CO2 in the atmosphere and an understanding of factors that have influenced changes in the past. This knowledge is used to illuminate the role of atmospheric CO2 in the modern carbon cycle and in the evolution of plants and animals. With an understanding of the history and dynamics of the biosphere, the authors address the future role of atmospheric CO2 and its likely effects on ecosystems. This book incorporates the advances of various earth science, environmental, and ecological fields into an overall account of global change and the changing dynamics of life on Earth.

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Extensive research in geology, atmospheric science, and paleontology provides a detailed history of CO2 in the atmosphere and an understanding of factors that have influenced changes in the past. This knowledge is used to illuminate the role of atmospheric CO2 in the modern carbon cycle and in the evolution of plants and animals. With an understanding of the history and dynamics of the biosphere, the authors address the future role of atmospheric CO2 and its likely effects on ecosystems. This book incorporates the advances of various earth science, environmental, and ecological fields into an overall account of global change and the changing dynamics of life on Earth.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xviii
The Rise of Trees and How They Changed Paleozoic Atmospheric CO2, Climate, and Geology....Pages 1-7
Atmospheric CO2 During the Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic: Estimates from Indian Soils....Pages 8-34
Alkenone-Based Estimates of Past CO2 Levels: A Consideration of Their Utility Based on an Analysis of Uncertainties....Pages 35-61
Atmospheric CO2 Data from Ice Cores: Four Climatic Cycles....Pages 62-82
Atmospheric CO2 and 13CO2 Exchange with the Terrestrial Biosphere and Oceans from 1978 to 2000: Observations and Carbon Cycle Implications....Pages 83-113
Cretaceous CO2 Decline and the Radiation and Diversification of Angiosperms....Pages 114-132
Influence of Uplift, Weathering, and Base Cation Supply on Past and Future CO2 Levels....Pages 133-165
Atmospheric CO2, Environmental Stress, and the Evolution of C4 Photosynthesis....Pages 166-184
The Influence of Atmospheric CO2, Temperature, and Water on the Abundance of C3/C4 Taxa....Pages 185-213
Evolution and Growth of Plants in a Low CO2 World....Pages 214-231
Environmentally Driven Dietary Adaptations in African Mammals....Pages 232-257
Terrestrial Mammalian Herbivore Response to Declining Levels of Atmospheric CO2 During the Cenozoic: Evidence from North American Fossil Horses (Family Equidae)....Pages 258-272
CO2, Grasses, and Human Evolution....Pages 273-292
The Carbon Cycle over the Past 1000 Years Inferred from the Inversion of Ice Core Data....Pages 293-328
Remembrance of Weather Past: Ecosystem Responses to Climate Variability....Pages 329-349
Effects of Elevated CO2 on Keystone Herbivores in Modern Arctic Ecosystems....Pages 350-368
Modern and Future Forests in a Changing Atmosphere....Pages 369-393
Modern and Future Semi-Arid and Arid Ecosystems....Pages 394-414
Effects of CO2 on Plants at Different Timescales....Pages 415-440
Borehole Temperatures and Climate Change: A Global Perspective....Pages 441-467
Back Matter....Pages 468-486
....Pages 487-507