US plants could be harmed by warmer climate 
 Reuters 8oct01

WASHINGTON - Several species of plants in the U.S. Midwest could become extinct within 30 years if climate conditions continue to become drier and warmer as many experts predict, researchers have said.

A team of scientists found that seed production by the partridge pea plant, which averages 2 feet (0.6 meters) in height and produces bright yellow flowers during the summer, diminishes as conditions become hotter and drier.

The partridge pea is unable to adapt itself quickly enough to keep pace with the changing conditions, leaving it and possibly other native plants on the verge of extinction, the researchers found.

The study "raises a general concern that the same sort of thing would go on with other plants," said Ruth Shaw, a University of Minnesota professor who co-authored the study.

"There hasn't been a concerted effort to stop the process or recognize the consequences that we are facing, and waiting until it happens is likely to be too late," she said.

Shaw and co-author Julie Etterson of the University of Virginia planted seeds from the Minnesota partridge pea in Kansas, where temperatures are about 7 degrees (4 degrees Celsius) warmer than the plant's native state.

The researches believe within 35 years, temperatures and soil moisture content in Minnesota will be similar to what Kansas is experiencing today. Under extreme conditions, Minnesota's temperature and precipitation levels could mirror current data in Oklahoma.

Writing in the journal Science, the researches found seed production by Minnesota plants dropped 84 percent when grown in Kansas and 94 percent when grown in Oklahoma, where conditions are warmer and drier.

A strain of the plant from Kansas also was planted in Oklahoma, and seed production dipped 42 percent.

They caution that in addition to climate, the pea plant and other species are hindered from being introduced into other regions by the rapid growth of urbanization and agriculture.

"The habitat of native plants is fragmented between farms and cities, making it difficult for plants to slowly migrate to areas with more favorable conditions," Etterson said.

Etterson said these plants will be forced to rely on their evolutionary response to adapt to changing conditions, but cautioned that they will be unlikely to evolve quickly enough to survive.

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