EFFECT OF LOW GLACIAL ATMOSPHERIC CO2 ON TROPICAL AFRICAN MONTANE VEGETATION

Estimates of glacial-interglacial climate change in tropical Africa ha ve varied widely. Results from a process-based vegetation model show h ow montane vegetation in East Africa shifts with changes in both carbo n dioxide concentration and climate. For the last glacial maximum, the change in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration alone could explai n the observed replacement of tropical montane forest by a scrub biome . This result implies that estimates of the last glacial maximum tropi cal cooling based on treeline shifts must be revised.