Will warmer soil be as fertile?(CLIMATE CHANGE)(Report)

Growing concern about global climate change has focused increasing research attention on the carbon-regulating role played by soil. Collectively, the Earth's soils contain more than twice the amount of carbon found in the atmosphere. Scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTS) now report that global warming may significantly alter soil composition at the molecular level and that such changes could have a major impact on atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide ([CO.sub.2]).

Organic matter, the decaying remains of plants and animals, enables soil to support plant life, providing plants and soil microbes with the energy and raw materials they need for growth. Soil microbes facilitate the decomposition of organic matter from litterfall (the leaves, twigs, and other plant materials that fall to the ground), and [CO.sub.2], is a natural by-product of this process. Rising atmospheric temperatures and/or [CO.sub.2], levels are likely to increase photosyntheesis and plant …