California's wildflowers losing diversity in face of warmer, drier winters
Monday, June 22, 2015 - 16:00
in Earth & Climate
Fifteen years of warmer, drier winters are affecting California's wildflower diversity, scientists report. Grasses and wildflowers may be able to withstand the current drying period through their extensive seed banks, which can lie dormant for decades waiting for the right conditions to germinate. However, California's drought is expected to intensify in the coming decades, so this rescue effect may end up being too late for some species, they add.