Is Climate Change Causing Arizona's Cacti To Go Extinct?

The saguaro cactus is an Arizona icon. They can withstand heat and low precipitation levels, but how can they withstand changes in climate?

The journal Nature Plants conducted a study to find the answer. The researchers hypothesized that cacti would benefit and maybe even flourish in warmer climates. They looked at 408 cactus species and the hypothesis proved to be false for 60% of them.

The study states:

"Our results suggest that climate change will become a primary driver of cactus extinction risk with 60–90% of species assessed negatively impacted by climate change and/or other anthropogenic processes, depending on how these threat processes are distributed across cactus species."

But the good news for Arizonans is that it seems less likely for the state's famous saguaros to go extinct. The study said:

"Projected decreases in [species at risk] are mostly limited to regions with low richness in the present, including most of the United States, southern South America, western portions of the Brazillian Caatinga, northern parts of the Brazilian Cerrado and narrow strips along the Andes."

Click here to see the full study.