Fossil leaves from the remains of a 23 million-year-old forest suggest some plants may adapt to grow more quickly as CO2 levels rise, a study says.
Scientists recovered the very well-preserved leaves from an ancient lake on New Zealand's South Island.
They have enabled the scientists to link for the first time the high temperatures of the period with high levels of atmospheric CO2.
The results have been published in the journal Climate of the Past.
In their scientific paper, the team shows that some plants were able to harvest carbon dioxide more efficiently for photosynthesis - the biological process that harnesses light from the Sun to produce food for the plant.
They say their findings may hold clues for how the dynamics of plant life could shift as current CO2 levels rise to meet those of the distant past.
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