downtoearth-subscribe

Another victim

A common Great Plains prairie plant, the partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), could face severe reduction in numbers if climate conditions in the Midwest, USA, change to the extremes predicted for the next 25 to 35 years, according to a study to be published in the journal Science . If the partridge pea is threatened by changing conditions, other common native species may be threatened as well. "The partridge pea's ability to adapt to rapidly changing climate conditions is likely to be much slower than the rate of climate change predicted for its native habitat throughout the Midwest,' said the study's principal investigator, Julie R. Etterson, a postdoctoral research associate in biology at the University of Virginia, USA.

  • Tags:

Related Content