Rainforests Thrived During Planet's Warming
- 11 years ago
Fossil records indicate that past global warming periods did not appear to harm the rainforests in South America, and in fact, diversity flourished.
While climate change has a destructive effect on many ecosystems, tropical forests find the warmer temperatures and carbon dioxide rich air to be favorable conditions.
Fossil records used to calculate ancient temperatures indicate past global warming periods did not appear to harm the rainforests in South America, and in fact, diversity flourished.
Researchers from the Smithsonian in Panama collected the data on ancient weather patterns and tropical forest growth.
One of the researchers, Carlos Jaramillo, said: “to our surprise, rainforests never extended much beyond the modern tropical belt, so something other than temperature must have determined where they were growing.”
Other factors besides a slightly warmer planet and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are affecting tropical forests today.
Deforestation is another major threat to plant diversity in places like South America and Africa.
According to research from the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, up to 70 percent of the rainforests in Africa will be altered by the year 2100.
Fossil records indicate that past global warming periods did not appear to harm the rainforests in South America, and in fact, diversity flourished.
While climate change has a destructive effect on many ecosystems, tropical forests find the warmer temperatures and carbon dioxide rich air to be favorable conditions.
Fossil records used to calculate ancient temperatures indicate past global warming periods did not appear to harm the rainforests in South America, and in fact, diversity flourished.
Researchers from the Smithsonian in Panama collected the data on ancient weather patterns and tropical forest growth.
One of the researchers, Carlos Jaramillo, said: “to our surprise, rainforests never extended much beyond the modern tropical belt, so something other than temperature must have determined where they were growing.”
Other factors besides a slightly warmer planet and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are affecting tropical forests today.
Deforestation is another major threat to plant diversity in places like South America and Africa.
According to research from the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, up to 70 percent of the rainforests in Africa will be altered by the year 2100.
Fossil records indicate that past global warming periods did not appear to harm the rainforests in South America, and in fact, diversity flourished.