Some plant species will 'win' and others will 'lose' as global warming forces them to move uphill, new research shows.
The fate of plant species will depend on where they live: lowland species can move uphill for cooler conditions, but mountain plants have nowhere to go. The Cerrado is just 0.4% of the planet's land surface, but it is home to 3.5% of all flowering plants -- approximately 12,000 species, a similar diversity level to the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.
While more dramatic effects are anticipated over a longer period, the results suggest about 150 plant species face a"critical reduction" by 2040 -- losing more than 70% of their range. "The range loss highlighted by our study will be compounded by this habitat loss and fragmentation, which makes it harder for species to move to new areas," Silva said.