As global climate change and biodiversity loss press down on the planet, University of Alberta soil scientist Scott Chang believes one of the most important ways to combat the effects is through the power of plants.
Preserving plant diversity and enhancing valuable processes like photosynthesis mean "more productive ecosystems" of biomass or organic matter like tree trunks and leaf litter, says Chang, a professor in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences (ALES).
"Some of that organic matter will be retained in the soil, which lowers the release of carbon and nitrogen into the atmosphere in the form of potent greenhouse gases."
