Elevated CO2 levels may mitigate losses of biodiversity from nitrogen pollution
Rising levels of carbon dioxide may overheat the planet and cause other environmental problems, but fears that rising CO2 levels could directly reduce plant biodiversity can be allayed, according to a new study by a University of Minnesota scientist Peter Reich. In fact, rising CO2 may actually help counteract losses of diversity from another environmental villain: the global rain of nitrogen from fertilisers and exhaust fumes. The study, published in this week's edition of Science magazine, involved a 10-year open-air outdoor experiment in which 48 plots planted with 16 different species of grassland plants were tested using ambient and elevated levels of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Researchers measured the number of species observed in each plot, the plant biomass both above and below ground, as well as factors related to soil, water and light that might affect plant growth...