Redwoods and oaks that thrive on California's coastline and coastal mountains might soon start finding it harder to survive. Human-caused climate change is altering the temperatures and rainfall patterns to which those and other trees are accustomed, and many have already been pushed close to the edge of what they can endure.
Surprisingly, scientists and conservationists don't yet have a reliable way to determine the optimal environment for any given plant species; they tend to base their judgments primarily on the locations where plant species currently grow. But for many plants, their current habitats aren't ideal. "We are tuning in to what the plants are telling us about their preferences, in the language of their tissues and physiology, aiming to help them survive escalating climate challenges."
"The reflection of species' preferred climate in their wood and leaves evidently arose from millennia of evolution that matched plant physiology to climate across California," Medeiros said."We also found that many plants in the ecosystems we sampled were occupying locations that differed in climate from what we estimated to be their optimal niche.
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Source: physorg_com - 🏆 388. / 55 Read more »
Source: physorg_com - 🏆 388. / 55 Read more »