Rogger, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-8833-1861, Mills, B.J.W. orcid.org/0000-0002-9141-0931, Gerya, T.V. orcid.org/0000-0002-1062-2722 et al. (1 more author) (2024) Speed of thermal adaptation of terrestrial vegetation alters Earth’s long-term climate. Science Advances, 10 (9). eadj4408. ISSN 2375-2548
Abstract
Earth’s long-term climate is driven by the cycling of carbon between geologic reservoirs and the atmosphere-ocean system. Our understanding of carbon-climate regulation remains incomplete, with large discrepancies remaining between biogeochemical model predictions and the geologic record. Here, we evaluate the importance of the continuous biological climate adaptation of vegetation as a regulation mechanism in the geologic carbon cycle since the establishment of forest ecosystems. Using a model, we show that the vegetation’s speed of adaptation to temperature changes through eco-evolutionary processes can strongly influence global rates of organic carbon burial and silicate weathering. Considering a limited thermal adaptation capacity of the vegetation results in a closer balance of reconstructed carbon fluxes into and out of the atmosphere-ocean system, which is a prerequisite to maintain habitable conditions on Earth’s surface on a multimillion-year timescale. We conclude that the long-term carbon-climate system is more sensitive to biological dynamics than previously expected, which may help to explain large shifts in Phanerozoic climate.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Copyright © 2024 the Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. distributed under a creative commons Attribution license 4.0 (CC-BY). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Earth Surface Science Institute (ESSI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Mar 2024 11:19 |
Last Modified: | 13 Mar 2024 11:24 |
Published Version: | https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj4408 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
Identification Number: | 10.1126/sciadv.adj4408 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:210186 |
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