Editing Climate variability and change (section)

==== Vegetation ====
A change in the type, distribution and coverage of vegetation may occur given a change in the climate. Some changes in climate may result in increased precipitation and warmth, resulting in improved plant growth and the subsequent sequestration of airborne CO<sub>2</sub>. Though an increase in CO<sub>2</sub> may benefit plants, some factors can diminish this increase. If there is an environmental change such as drought, increased CO<sub>2</sub>  concentrations will not benefit the plant.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Swann |first=Abigail L. S. |date=2018-06-01 |title=Plants and Drought in a Changing Climate |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-018-0097-y |journal=Current Climate Change Reports |language=en |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=192–201 |doi=10.1007/s40641-018-0097-y |bibcode=2018CCCR....4..192S |issn=2198-6061}}</ref> So even though climate change does increase CO<sub>2</sub>  emissions, plants will often not use this increase as other environmental stresses put pressure on them.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ainsworth |first1=E. A. |last2=Lemonnier |first2=P. |last3=Wedow |first3=J. M. |date=January 2020 |editor-last=Tausz-Posch |editor-first=S. |title=The influence of rising tropospheric carbon dioxide and ozone on plant productivity |journal=Plant Biology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=S1 |pages=5–11 |doi=10.1111/plb.12973 |issn=1435-8603 |pmc=6916594 |pmid=30734441|bibcode=2020PlBio..22S...5A }}</ref> However, sequestration of CO<sub>2</sub> is expected to affect the rate of many natural cycles like [[plant litter]] decomposition rates.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ochoa-Hueso |first1=R |last2=Delgado-Baquerizo |first2=N |last3=King |first3=PTA |last4=Benham |first4=M |last5=Arca |first5=V |last6=Power |first6=SA |title=Ecosystem type and resource quality are more important than global change drivers in regulating early stages of litter decomposition |journal=Soil Biology and Biochemistry |date=2019 |volume=129 |pages=144–52 |doi=10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.11.009 |bibcode=2019SBiBi.129..144O |hdl=10261/336676 |s2cid=92606851 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> A gradual increase in warmth in a region will lead to earlier flowering and fruiting times, driving a change in the timing of life cycles of dependent organisms. Conversely, cold will cause plant bio-cycles to lag.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kinver |first=Mark |date=15 November 2011 |title=UK trees' fruit ripening '18 days earlier' |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15721263 |access-date=1 November 2012 |archive-date=17 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317140816/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15721263 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Larger, faster or more radical changes, however, may result in vegetation stress, rapid plant loss and [[desertification]] in certain circumstances.<ref name="Sahney-2010">{{cite journal |last1=Sahney |first1=S. |last2=Benton |first2=M.J. |last3=Falcon-Lang |first3=H.J. |year=2010 |title=Rainforest collapse triggered Pennsylvanian tetrapod diversification in Euramerica |journal=Geology |doi=10.1130/G31182.1 |bibcode=2010Geo....38.1079S |volume=38 |issue=12 |pages=1079–82 |url=https://www.academia.edu/368820 |format=PDF |access-date=27 November 2013 |archive-date=17 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317140814/https://www.academia.edu/368820 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bachelet |first1=D. |author-link1=Dominique Bachelet|last2=Neilson |first2=R. |last3=Lenihan |first3=J. M. |last4=Drapek |first4=R.J. |year=2001 |title=Climate Change Effects on Vegetation Distribution and Carbon Budget in the United States |journal=[[Ecosystems]] |doi=10.1007/s10021-001-0002-7 |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=164–85 |bibcode=2001Ecosy...4..164B |s2cid=15526358 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ridolfi |first1=Luca |last2=D'Odorico |first2=P. |last3=Porporato |first3=A. |last4=Rodriguez-Iturbe |first4=I. |date=2000-07-27 |title=Impact of climate variability on the vegetation water stress |url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2000JD900206 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |language=en |volume=105 |issue=D14 |pages=18013–18025 |doi=10.1029/2000JD900206 |bibcode=2000JGR...10518013R |issn=0148-0227}}</ref> An example of this occurred during the [[Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse]] (CRC), an extinction event 300 million years ago. At this time vast rainforests covered the equatorial region of Europe and America. Climate change devastated these tropical rainforests, abruptly fragmenting the habitat into isolated 'islands' and causing the extinction of many plant and animal species.<ref name="Sahney-2010" />