About 56 million years ago, during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), Earth experienced a significant temperature rise of around 6 degrees Celsius due to a surge in atmospheric carbon. A study published in Nature Communications reveals that this warming hindered plant growth, reducing their carbon absorption capacity. Consequently, the PETM lasted over 100,000 years.
Plants play a crucial role in climate regulation through carbon sequestration, but rapid global warming disrupts this process. Researchers used a computer model to simulate plant evolution and carbon cycling, comparing results with fossil pollen data from the U.S. Bighorn Basin, the North Sea, and the Arctic.
Findings indicate that in mid-latitude areas, smaller drought-tolerant plants like palms thrived, but they stored less carbon as larger deciduous trees declined. In contrast, high-latitude regions saw increased vegetation height and biodiversity, suggesting that these areas could adapt better to warming.
The study highlights that vegetation loss during PETM may have prolonged terrestrial carbon sequestration issues for tens of thousands of years. The current rate of human-induced warming—10 times faster than during the PETM—poses an even greater challenge for modern plant adaptation and climate regulation. Understanding how ecosystems responded in the past can provide insight into their potential responses to today’s rapid climate changes.
