California's plants are heading north to escape global warming
Up to two-thirds of California's 2,387 plant species may shrink by more than 80 percent if the current climate crisis continues, according to a recent study by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The reason this is becoming a problem in California specifically stems from the fact that the state has one of the highest diversities of climates in the country. These varying climates allow a wider range of plant species to thrive, but possibly not much longer.Interestingly enough, these plants are adapting on their own by migrating northward as the climate gets progressively warmer. Yet scientists are finding new ways to "clear a path" for these migrations and are afraid the natural progression is simply not quick enough. "The changes expected to occur are 10 times faster than the last ice age," said the study's first author, Scott Loarie of Duke University. "This is happening faster, and it's happening against a much more fragmented landscape. As these patches of native vegetation become increasingly smaller, it's hard to imagine, say, a native wildflower going from the Sierra Nevada foothills and crossing Sacramento to the coastal mountains."
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