Impact of lower atmospheric carbon dioxide on tropical mountain ecosystems
Date
1997Author
Street-Perrott, F. Alayne
Huang, Yongsong
Perrott, R. Alan
Eglinton, Geoffrey
Barker, Philip
Khelifa, Leila Ben
Harkness, Douglas D
Olago Daniel O.
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Carbon-isotope values of bulk organic matter from high-altitude lakes on Mount Kenya and Mount Elgon, East Africa, were 10 to 14 per mil higher during glacial times than they are today. Compound-specific isotope analyses of leaf waxes and algal biomarkers show that organisms possessing CO2-concentrating mechanisms, including C4 grasses and freshwater algae, were primarily responsible for this large increase. Carbon limitation due to lower ambient CO2 partial pressures had a significant impact on the distribution of forest on the tropical mountains, in addition to climate. Hence, tree line elevation should not be used to infer palaeotemperatures.
URI
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9367947http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/27247