Midgley, G.F. and Ripley, B.S.
2020
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations
restrict the growth of Oxalis
pes-caprae bulbs used by
human inhabitants of the
Paleo-Agulhas plain during
the Pleistocene glacials.
Quaternary Science Reviews 235: 105731.
Full Summary Here:
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V23/sep/a1.php
My Short Summary:
Higher levels of atmospheric CO2 increase plant yields and enhance the available carbohydrate supply. Reducing the current CO2 concentration of the atmosphere would lead to massive reductions in global food supply.
Faltein et al. (2020) examined the impact of low levels of CO2 (relative to the present, ambient CO2 air) on African wood-sorrel, a key carbohydrate source for humans during the Middle Pleistocene.
Faltein et al. report that plants grown under reduced concentrations of CO2 exhibited "significantly decreased plant biomass and bulb yield" and "bulb biomass decreased by up to 80% compared to current ambient concentrations, while total plant biomass showed a two-fold decrease." Growth reductions were attributed to "the fundamental effects of low [CO2] on C3 photosynthetic physiology."
Figure 1.
Bulb biomass of Oxalis pes-caprae plants grown under sub-ambient atmospheric CO2 concentrations for three weeks. The letters denote significant differences between treatments at P < 0.05.
