The effects of climate change on a large scale can sometimes be unpredictable, since we do not know to the millimeter all the relationships and connections that exist between living beings on the planet. What has been confirmed in a study by the University of Córdoba (UCO) in collaboration with the University of Wageningen, in the Netherlands, is that the Mediterranean forest will be reduced little by little until it becomes practically scrub in about 100 years due to the effects of climate change.
The UCO has reported in a statement that climate change is a highly topical issue at international summits and events that occupies part of the efforts of the scientific community that studies what is at risk and what awaits the world.
Climate change in the Mediterranean
Efforts to halt climate change are not being strong enough to prevent global temperatures from warming by two to three degrees Celsius in about a hundred years, leading to less precipitation.
This disturbing question has led the UCO research group to study how plants react to rising temperatures. The study has investigated how plants respond to droughts and how different species of associated flora and fauna recover from damage. To better understand this phenomenon, it is essential to know the different types of ecosystems, such as types of forests in Spain which are also influenced by climate change, as well as how the Climate change affects conifers in the same area.
The cork oak is one of the species most affected by climate change. The UCO research group has focused on the Mediterranean forest, as this is where the greatest biodiversity exists in Spain. The study confirms that the Mediterranean forest will suffer much more from climate change than the scrubland that exists in these ecosystems. In about a hundred years, this type of landscape will transform and will become predominantly scrubland, as typical species of the area, such as the strawberry tree and the cork oak, will disappear, which is a concern for the conservation of the area. evergreen forest.
The Mediterranean forest most affected by climate change
The research has been published in the journal «Plant Biology«. The study details that plant species of this type persist with increasing temperatures and lack of water, regulating the time they spend on photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, the leaves open their stomata to exchange CO2 from the environment and generate oxygen. However, the opening of the stomata causes a perspiration of the water and, therefore, loss of it. The more temperature there is in the environment, more water is lost during photosynthesis.
We're talking about the regulation and restriction of a vital process for plants, which is normally reduced in summer and during periods of drought to save water. In spring, the plant's exposure to the outdoors is high, and the photosynthesis rate is very high, while in summer these levels drop, and in autumn, with the rains, the plant recovers. Thus, in times of drought, plants drastically reduce this exposure to the outdoors. to about two hours a day and they do it first thing in the morning. This phenomenon can be observed in many areas such as the mountain range of Málaga, where plant species face similar challenges, and relates to the observation that Forests with greater biodiversity are more resistant to drought..
The study has also focused on some scrublands that are affected by rising temperatures and droughts. For example, rockrose, suffer a lot during times of drought, even losing their leaves, however, with the first rains of autumn, they are the first to recover. The advantage that shrubs have over trees is that they have more adaptability than their characteristics and can survive better in environments whose environmental factors are not favorable. Rockrose also have a great colonization capacity after a fire or drought, and therefore, if the trees are declining after the effects of climate change, it is the rockrose that will colonize and turn the Mediterranean forest into a thicket.
Cork oaks are more vulnerable
Cork oaks lack the ability to adapt to temperature fluctuations, drought, and other adverse effects that rockroses do, so their recovery from such events is very slow. Add to this the fact that it takes 20 to 30 years to produce seeds, that seeds only persist for a few months, and that seeds are also used as food for many animals, so they disappear quickly. the cork oak becomes a vulnerable species for its conservation for the next century. This highlights the need to better understand ecosystems and their interaction with climate change, similar to what happens in the Atlas mountain range, where they are also affected by similar factors.
In conclusion, the study affirms that the Mediterranean forest will suffer much more from the consequences of climate change than the scrubland and that, therefore, the forests will gradually retreat to make way for scrub species.
