Plants’ Ability to Adapt to Climate Change

Subject – Environment

Context – Animal biodiversity loss limits plants’ ability to adapt to climate change globally: Experts

Concept –

Plants worldwide have a 60 per cent lower chance of adapting to climate change due to the declining numbers of birds and mammals, according to a new study.
Plants and seed dispersers such as birds and mammals share a mutually beneficial relationship. The former provides food and in return, the latter distributes seeds miles away.
More than half of the plant species depend on animals and plants for seed-dispersing.
A key way that plants can adapt to climate change is through ‘migration’ — the movement of the species to areas that become suitable for growth under an altered climate.
- While adult plants that are rooted down can’t migrate, their seeds can.
More than half of the plant species depend on animals and plants for seed-dispersing.
But the number of mammals, birds, fish, plants and insects has dropped to an average of 68 per cent from 1970 to 2016, the Living Planet Report 2020 revealed.
With declining animal biodiversity, fewer seeds will reach new grounds. Consequently, plants might lose their ability to migrate to a newer and more suitable environment.