Harvard Forest study says changing atmosphere affecting trees’ water needs

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Increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide alter how plants use water

Scientists have long predicted that plants would begin to use water more efficiently—that is lose less water during photosynthesis—as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose. Now, a research team led by Trevor Keenan and Andrew Richardson of the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program reports in the current issue of the journal Nature that forests all over the world have become dramatically more efficient in how they use water.

Read Changing Atmosphere Affects How Much Water Trees Need.