A study on the effects of projected climate change on plant diversity conducted by Thuiller found that by 2080 more than half of the 1350 European species studied would be considered threatened or at risk of extinction. Different scenarios were tested of the possible effects that climate change could have to see the cause they would have on plants. Plant loss resulting from the different scenarios differed greatly from 27-42%. It was found that temperature...
A study on the effects of projected climate change on plant diversity conducted by Thuiller found that by 2080 more than half of the 1350 European species studied would be considered threatened or at risk of extinction. Different scenarios were tested of the possible effects that climate change could have to see the cause they would have on plants. Plant loss resulting from the different scenarios differed greatly from 27-42%. It was found that temperature and moisture were the two leading factors that caused diversity loss when changed.
Each plant species has an individual range of temperatures in which it can survive. Plant growth and development can be greatly affected by temperatures. In general, vegetative development is shown to increase with higher temperatures, however too high temperatures could lead to drought. During the developmental stage, many plants are unable to adapt to survive extreme temperatures.
Plant growth is also greatly affected by soil moisture. Plants tend to have upper and lower limitations when it comes to moisture. The upper limitation is known as field capacity; this is the volume of water left in the soil after excess has drained away and downward movement has been reduced. The lower limit is called the “permanent wilting percentage” and is when the soil ceases to fold adequate water to allow normal plant growth.
