JERUSALEM, June 3 (Xinhua) -- An international study led by researchers from China and Israel has found that plants are not responding to global warming as scientists previously assumed, a discovery that could improve climate predictions, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said on Wednesday.
Scientists have long believed that plants would cope with rising temperatures by increasing the temperature at which photosynthesis works most efficiently. However, the new findings, published in the journal One Earth, challenged that long-held assumption.
To test the theory, researchers analyzed two decades of global ground-based and satellite observations collected between 2000 and 2019.
The study found that although ecosystems worldwide increased their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, the optimal temperature for photosynthesis remained largely unchanged, especially in arid and cold regions.
Researchers found that temperature adaptation accounted for less than 20 percent of the global increase in carbon uptake. Instead, the increase was driven mainly by plants using water more efficiently and expanding their canopies by producing more leaves.
Improved water use was found to be the most important factor across a wide range of environments.
The findings suggest that future climate models should focus more on how plants manage water and grow, rather than relying primarily on temperature responses, according to the researchers.
The researchers said that their findings could lead to more accurate predictions of Earth's natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide and help better evaluate the complex feedback that will shape the climate in the years ahead. ■
