Research unveiled a surprising plateau in plants’ ability to absorb carbon through stomata, which could mean more carbon left in the atmosphere. By Emily Shepherd.
Gram for gram, a plant loses far more water every day than any terrestrial animal—99% of the water taken in by roots is released into the air as water vapor. While the stomata are open, water vapor travels out, and carbon travels in. The ratio of carbon assimilation per unit of water loss is called water use efficiency, and the new research says that globally, it has stalled. Previously, many scientists thought that in the face of rising emissions water use efficiency would increase, according to the study’s lead authors, because higher atmospheric carbon concentration would mean more carbon would enter stomata. Read further –