Recent research conducted by biologists from Brown University highlights the severe threat climate change poses to tropical plant species. The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that even minor shifts in temperature and moisture levels could lead to significant losses in plant biodiversity across tropical mountain regions.
Led by Emily Hollenbeck during her doctoral research in ecology and evolutionary biology at Brown University, the study focused on understanding how climate change impacts plant species, particularly epiphytes, in the Monteverde mountain region of Costa Rica. Over a span of five years, Hollenbeck and her team meticulously conducted experiments, including transplanting over 1,500 individual epiphytes of 15 different species across varying elevations and climates.
Their findings underscored the vulnerability of tropical plants to changing climate conditions. Most epiphyte species struggled to survive outside their native climate zones, reinforcing concerns about widespread extinctions within tropical mountain ecosystems.
Hollenbeck, now president of the Monteverde Conservation League, emphasized the urgency of their research in providing empirical evidence for observed ecological shifts due to climate change. “It’s already obvious to people who live here that the natural world has been shifting in striking ways,” she noted.
Coauthor Dov Sax, a professor at Brown University, highlighted the limitations of current extinction risk models, particularly in tropical regions where species distributions are less documented. Sax stressed the significance of their study in directly addressing these gaps, despite the substantial effort required.
Their research also projected varying outcomes based on different climate change scenarios. Under lower-emission conditions, a significant proportion of plant species could potentially survive. However, under higher-emission scenarios, the study predicts alarming extinction rates, with up to 36% of species at risk across all mountains in the region by 2100.
Sax expressed concern about the proximity of tropical species to critical thresholds under moderate warming scenarios, cautioning that even slight temperature increases could trigger massive extinction events.
The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides crucial insights into the intricate relationship between climate change and tropical biodiversity. As Hollenbeck concluded, “This research just scratches the surface in terms of how climate change is affecting different species,” highlighting the ongoing need for further scientific exploration and conservation efforts.
In conclusion, the study serves as a stark warning about the profound consequences of climate change on tropical ecosystems, urging concerted global action to mitigate its impact on biodiversity worldwide.
