According to the new research, plants probably help regulate the composition of the planet’s atmosphere by trapping carbon and emitting oxygen, which helps control carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.

They also speed up the process of mineral weathering in soils, a process that consumes that substance, and may act as a buffer, preventing temperatures from changing too rapidly.

To reach these conclusions, the scientists used computer models that simulate the interaction between climate change, the movement of continents and plant life in the distant past.

In this way, they suggest that the planet’s climate and atmosphere are part of a feedback loop, i.e., “life itself plays a role in regulating or accelerating climate change,” the ETH Zurich text points out.

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