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Citation. Tilman, D. 1993. Carbon dioxide limitation and potential direct effects of its accumulation on plant communities. Pages 333-346 in Kareiva, P. M., J. G. Kingsolver, and R. B. Juey, Eds., Biotic Interactions and Global Change, Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. [1690 LTER]
Introduction. The burning of fossil fuels has caused the atmospheric concentration of CO2 to increase, from 280 ppmv to 350 ppmv during the Industrial Revolution, with a current rate of increase of about 4 percent per decade (Siegenthaler et al., 1987). This increase may have a profound effect on global climate (e.g., Schneider, 1989), and thus, indirectly, on plant communities (e.g., Huntley, 1991; Wegg and Wigley, 1985; Schneider, this volume). In addition, CO2 accumulation may have a direct impact on plant communities because CO2 is an essential nutrient for plant growth.
Keywords. carbon dioxide, CO2, atmospheric concentration