Saguaro cacti reproduction has hit a wall in the last decade, with stress preventing the plants from surviving into adulthood.
The prickly mysterious giant grows in the desolate Sonoran desert covering southern Arizona and northern Mexico, but it might be in jeopardy.
The National Weather Service recorded 2020 as the driest year in Tuscon. That same year, August took the title as the warmest month on record at 92 degrees, and it’s expected to be hotter than normal this year."Saguaros have evolved to deal with typical desert conditions or days over 100 degrees or more," Winkler said."What we don't really understand is whether they can tolerate an abundance of 100 degree days as we're seeing.
The 2020 saguaro census found between 1990 and 2020 the number of saguaros at the national park nearly doubled to 2 million, but in 2010 the species began to hit a wall, and they detected only a slight increase.Weather is just one component endangering the cactus species "We know of at least 200 or more other species of plants and animals that entirely depend on the existence of saguaro for their own survival," Winkler said.A couple of years ago, Scott Bartelt says he began to notice the saguaros in his neighborhood were decaying and dying.
"We don’t understand if it’s a natural process or not," Hernandez said."You have severe damage in this stem. This might be due to two extreme and sun damage."
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hard ‘skin’ on the surface of soils helps keep dust storms at bayTrampled by livestock and scorched by ClimateChange, Earth’s biocrust is likely to become weaker in the future, researchers say, leaving the soil prey to wind.
Read more »
There is Still Time to Save the Coral ReefsResearchers found hopeful results when testing future climate change conditions to coral reefs. Discover more by clicking the link below.
Read more »
Bike-to-Work Day returns Thursday after 2-year pandemic hiatusEvent aims to encourage people to experiment with bicycle commuting to help fight climate change
Read more »
Editorial: Track record makes Mullin the best choice for CongressAssemblyman has taken action on voting rights, climate change and affordable housing.
Read more »
UN launches plan to boost renewables as climate worries mountUN chief Antonio Guterres said the world's 'broken' energy system is 'bringing us ever closer to climate catastrophe', as he rolled out his five-point plan to tackle climate change.
Read more »
In the Fight Against Climate Change, Seaweed Could Be a Surprising — But Vital — WeaponSeaweed is found in everything from food and cosmetics to gardening products and packaging.
Read more »