Climate change threatens plant diversity: New study shows alarm signs!

Climate change threatens plant diversity: New study shows alarm signs!

An international study led by University of Göttingen has examined the complex factors that influence the distribution of seed plants. In this comprehensive analysis, around 270,000 species worldwide were examined. The researchers used novel statistical techniques to link the distribution of plants to their evolutionary relationships. This approach combines modern environmental data with the Earth's climate and geography history over millions of years.

A key finding of the study is that physical barriers such as oceans and mountain ranges significantly limit the spread of plants. The researchers found that environmental conditions, particularly climate, exert a constant influence on plants over evolutionary time. Younger plant groups are therefore more affected by geographical barriers than older ones, which creates additional challenges for their spread.

Influence of climatic factors

Another finding of the research shows that tectonic plate movements had little impact on plant diversity, with the strongest impacts occurring over a time frame of 20 to 50 million years. The findings were published in the respected journalNature Ecology & Evolutionpublished, with Dr. Lirong Cai as first author, who works at the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv).

This study appears particularly relevant in the context of ongoing climate change, which, according to... das-wissen.de represents one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Climate changes have profound effects on biological diversity and interactions within ecosystems. Species distribution, behavior and survival are threatened by rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Climate change and biodiversity

Climate change affects ecological services such as pollination, water purification and carbon sequestration. The speed of change is exceeding historical rates and requires innovative approaches to adaptation and mitigation, as described by the Senckenberg Society. This institution pursues a research interest in the interactions between vegetation, atmosphere and humans, including the application of process-based dynamic vegetation models (DGVMs) to simulate the impacts of climate change and land use change.

In addition, the need to consider biodiversity protection and climate protection in a common agenda is pointed out. Strategies such as landscape protection, the promotion of agrobiodiverse practices and reforestation are crucial to ensuring the health of ecosystems. Innovative research approaches, such as big data and AI, complement traditional methods to monitor changes in biodiversity.

The results of the Göttingen study make it clear that a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between environmental factors and plant distribution is necessary in order to develop effective measures to address the challenges of climate change. Only through interdisciplinary research and international cooperation can sustainable resource use be successfully promoted in times of climate change.