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

  • Book
  • © 2005

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Editors:
  1. I.T. Baldwin

    1. Jena, Germany

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  2. M.M. Caldwell

    1. Logan, USA

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  3. G. Heldmaier

    1. Marburg, Germany

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  4. Robert B. Jackson

    1. Durham, USA

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  5. O.L. Lange

    1. Würzburg, Germany

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  6. H.A. Mooney

    1. Stanford, USA

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  7. E.-D. Schulze

    1. Jena, Germany

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  8. U. Sommer

    1. Kiel, Germany

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  9. James R. Ehleringer

    1. Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

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  10. M. Denise Dearing

    1. Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

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  11. Thure E. Cerling

    1. Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
      Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

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  • 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
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies (ECOLSTUD)

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Table of contents (22 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xviii
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  2. The Atmospheric CO2 Record

    1. The Rise of Trees and How They Changed Paleozoic Atmospheric CO2, Climate, and Geology

      • Robert A. Berner
      Pages 1-7

    2. Atmospheric CO2 During the Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic: Estimates from Indian Soils

      • Prosenjit Ghosh, S.K. Bhattacharya, Parthasarathi Ghosh
      Pages 8-34

    3. Alkenone-Based Estimates of Past CO2 Levels: A Consideration of Their Utility Based on an Analysis of Uncertainties

      • Katherine H. Freeman, Mark Pagani
      Pages 35-61

    4. Atmospheric CO2 Data from Ice Cores: Four Climatic Cycles

      • Thomas Blunier, Eric Monnin, Jean-Marc Barnola
      Pages 62-82

    5. Atmospheric CO2 and 13CO2 Exchange with the Terrestrial Biosphere and Oceans from 1978 to 2000: Observations and Carbon Cycle Implications

      • Charles D. Keeling, Stephen C. Piper, Robert B. Bacastow, Martin Wahlen, Timothy P. Whorf, Martin Heimann et al.
      Pages 83-113

  3. Biotic Responses to Long-Term Changes in Atmospheric CO2

    1. Evolutionary Responses of Land Plants to Atmospheric CO2

      • David J. Beerling
      Pages 114-132

    2. Cretaceous CO2 Decline and the Radiation and Diversification of Angiosperms

      • Jennifer C. McElwain, K.J. Willis, R. Lupia
      Pages 133-165

    3. Influence of Uplift, Weathering, and Base Cation Supply on Past and Future CO2 Levels

      • Jacob R. Waldbauer, C. Page Chamberlain
      Pages 166-184

    4. Atmospheric CO2, Environmental Stress, and the Evolution of C4 Photosynthesis

      • Rowan F. Sage
      Pages 185-213

    5. The Influence of Atmospheric CO2, Temperature, and Water on the Abundance of C3/C4 Taxa

      • James R. Ehleringer
      Pages 214-231

    6. Evolution and Growth of Plants in a Low CO2 World

      • Joy K. Ward
      Pages 232-257

    7. Environmentally Driven Dietary Adaptations in African Mammals

      • Thure E. Cerling, John M. Harris, Meave G. Leakey
      Pages 258-272

    8. Terrestrial Mammalian Herbivore Response to Declining Levels of Atmospheric CO2 During the Cenozoic: Evidence from North American Fossil Horses (Family Equidae)

      • Bruce J. MacFadden
      Pages 273-292

    9. CO2, Grasses, and Human Evolution

      • Nicholaas J. van der Merwe
      Pages 293-328

  4. Atmospheric CO2 and Modern Ecosystems

    1. The Carbon Cycle over the Past 1000 Years Inferred from the Inversion of Ice Core Data

      • Cathy Trudinger, Ian Enting, David Etheridge, Roger Francey, Peter Rayner
      Pages 329-349

    2. Remembrance of Weather Past: Ecosystem Responses to Climate Variability

      • David Schimel, Galina Churkina, Bobby H. Braswell, James Trenbath
      Pages 350-368

    3. Effects of Elevated CO2 on Keystone Herbivores in Modern Arctic Ecosystems

      • Scott R. McWilliams, James O. Leafloor
      Pages 369-393

  5. Ecosystem Responses to a Future Atmospheric CO2

    1. Modern and Future Forests in a Changing Atmosphere

      • Richard J. Norby, Linda A. Joyce, Stan D. Wullschleger
      Pages 394-414

    2. Modern and Future Semi-Arid and Arid Ecosystems

      • M. Rebecca Shaw, Travis E. Huxman, Christopher P. Lund
      Pages 415-440
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Keywords

About this book

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.

Reviews

From the reviews of the first edition:

"A history of atmospheric CO2 grew out of an interdisciplinary symposium that brought together scientists working on many facets of atmospheric CO2 across a range of spatial and time scales. … A history of atmospheric CO2 is well written and very readable. … A history of atmospheric CO2 is recommended reading for anyone working on any aspect of atmospheric CO2, and may be particularly helpful for graduate students just beginning research in this area. ... the book is interesting, dense with information … ." (Laurel J. Anderson, Ecology, Vol. 87 (1), 2006)

"Section two, consisting of nine chapters, reports on the effects of biological responses to past changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration. It is the breadth of this section that makes the book an extremely valuable resource for both readers with a peripheral interest in paleoecology and the researcher submersed in this type of work....Finally, the section culminates with an excellent chapter (“CO2, grasses, and human evolution” by N.J. van der Merwe) detailing the effects of atmospheric CO2 on the relationship between the abundance of plants that use the C3 photosynthetic pathway versus those that utilize the C4 photosynthetic pathway and the effects of these differences in hominid evolution....Chapter 18 (“Modern and future forests in a changing atmosphere” by R.J. Norby et al.) does an excellent job of synthesizing the large amount of work recently performed on the responses of forest ecosystems to elevated CO2. Chapter 20 (“Effects of CO2 on plants at different timescales” by B.E. Medlyn and R.E. McMurtrie) provides a fresh perspective on the conclusions drawn from elevated CO2 studies considered across different timescales....Overall, Ehleringer and colleagues have provided an excellent addition to the Springer “Ecological Studies” series. The organization of thevolume is extremely well done, allowing the reader to transition naturally from one chapter to the next. Each chapter is exceptionally well written by authors respected in their various fields of study. I highly recommend the book to both students and professionals alike." (Clint Springer, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Jena, Germany

    I.T. Baldwin, E.-D. Schulze

  • Logan, USA

    M.M. Caldwell

  • Marburg, Germany

    G. Heldmaier

  • Durham, USA

    Robert B. Jackson

  • Würzburg, Germany

    O.L. Lange

  • Stanford, USA

    H.A. Mooney

  • Kiel, Germany

    U. Sommer

  • Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

    James R. Ehleringer, M. Denise Dearing, Thure E. Cerling

  • Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

    Thure E. Cerling

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