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