Channel: Science Magazine

Category: Science & Technology

Tags: conservationbiologyplantsscienceseed dispersersmagazineclimate change

Description: Over half of plants rely on animals to disperse their seeds far and wide. In the face of climate change, birds and mammals are these plants’ best chance at putting down roots in a more suitable environment. Unfortunately, many birds and mammals that carry these seeds have experienced staggering losses to their population—some large seed-haulers, such as wooly mammoths, are extinct. A study published in Science last month created models that could forecast future interactions between animals and plants as their habitat ranges shift, and how species losses up until now have reduced the distance seeds can travel. Watch to see the areas around the world hardest hit by these declines, and the tactics that could increase plants’ resilience to climate change in the future. Read the story: science.org/content/article/loss-seed-hauling-animals-spells-trouble-plants-warming-world Read the research: science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk3510