C3 plant carbon isotope discrimination does not respond to CO2 concentration on decadal to centennial timescales

What is it about?

Organic chemistry as recorded in plants has been linked to carbon dioxide levels in the air. Previously, carbon signatures in plants have been used to predict carbon dioxide in ancient environments. In this work, we test this relationship over the past 200 years to see whether the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere associated with the burning of fossil fuels is recorded in plant leaves. We find that plants are not adapting to the changes in the atmosphere.

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