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The Carbon Storage Conundrum Trees may not be able to store as much planet-heating carbon as hoped, a study suggests, with researchers finding photosynthesis does not always lead to wood growth. Photosynthesis and Wood Growth Decoupling Scientists studied 137 sites across the US and found trees stopped growing months before the point in the year at which photosynthesis stopped. Forests are a vital defence against climate breakdown but their power depends in part on how much carbon dioxide they can convert into wood, which keeps the planet-heating molecule out of the atmosphere for decades and centuries. The Data Analysis At sites in the eastern US, the researchers found about 36% of yearly carbon uptake occurred after the tree growth stopped in late summer. At sites in California, it was about 26%. More detailed measurements at four sites showed wood growth was restricted to periods of low aridity and temperature, which are becoming rarer as the global rise in temperature makes heatwaves and droughts more common. The Impact Analysis “The moment you have dry and hot conditions, growth activity stops pretty instantly, while photosynthesis seems to continue at a slightly decreased rate,” said Mukund Palat Rao, a carbon cycle scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and lead author of the study. This decoupling of photosynthesis and wood growth has significant implications for carbon sequestration models. The Prediction The researchers are now studying whether the decoupling of photosynthesis and wood growth they observed can be seen in other tree species and regions. They said their results showed the capacity of forests to store carbon over long periods depended on how much carbon was absorbed and then directed towards wood growth. If more of the absorbed carbon were to flow toward transient uses – such as foliage and internal processes – the power of forests as carbon sinks would fall. “Earth system models that assume consistently tight coupling between photosynthesis and growth may therefore overestimate future forest carbon sequestration under rising atmospheric moisture demand,” the researchers wrote.

The Discovery of Subterranean Fungi Networks A groundbreaking new study has found that the subterranean fungi networks on Earth stretch over 110 quadrillion kilometres, which is almost 750 million times the distance from the Earth to the sun. The Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are networks of tubular cells called hyphae that sustain life on Earth by forming critical partnerships with more than 70% of plants. The networks, which have been forming for about 475 million years, provide nutrients and water in exchange for the carbon produced by the plants, and help to regulate the climate by drawing carbon into soils. The Data Analysis The study used machine-learning models with data from more than 16,000 soil cores from around the world to produce the first ever global map of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi networks. The researchers calculated that the fungi networks, if stretched end to end, would reach a length of 110 quadrillion kilometres. The Impact Analysis The study also documents potential threats to this life-giving infrastructure, with the researchers finding that, on average, network densities in cropland are 47.3% lower than in wild ecosystems. The scientists warned that the consequences of the loss of fungal networks could be wide ranging, including reduced soil carbon storage and increased chemicals in waterways. The Prediction The researchers called for closer collaboration between farmers and fungi, and encouraged sustainable agricultural practices that protect and support soil fungi. They also highlighted the need for conservation efforts to protect regions with high-density fungal networks, such as grasslands and prairie ecosystems.