Does the necessary Carbon Dioxide need to be in the atmosphere for mammals?
No it isn't necessary to breathe in CO2 from the atmosphere. For the buffer system your brain detects the amount of CO2 (H+ which is an indicator of excess or too little CO2) and adjusts your breathing automatically to compensate so that your blood's pH stays normal. No outside CO2 is needed. Your kidneys also play a similar role but the lungs are what provide a rapid response.