Can plants suffer from CO2 poisoning?

U0 U0154xe0vxecu0154xe0xf1jxe0xf1 asked on 22 May 2020, 01:18
2 answers / 656 views / 3 votes
KA
The amounts of CO2 that would cause toxicity in plants should be extremely high to cause an effect, and any plant that exhibits signs of toxicity does so when CO2 is being introduced intentionally at highlevels in any environment
TR
I don't think so.

Carbon dioxide is a fairly stable, non-reactive substance. When humans suffocate in the presence of CO2, it's generally the result of the CO2 having replaced the oxygen in the air for some reason (such as being in a confined space for a long time). Carbon monoxide, on the other hand, is toxic because it bonds to haemoglobin more readily than oxygen does.

Could carbon dioxide poison plants by replacing oxygen? If the plant had sufficient sunlight and nutrients, it would photosynthesise, converting CO2 and water to O2 and sugar.

But if the plant was in a sealed container, and was kept in the dark or lacked a nutrient necessary for photosynthesis (such as magnesium), it would run out of oxygen. Then it would be unable to carry out respiration to liberate energy from sugars and would eventually die.

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