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Think of climate change, and you’ll probably picture devastating floods, raging wildfires, or parched earth. Coral bleaching and mass displacements may also be included for those who are environmentally conscious. The vibrant wildflowers of nearby meadows are not likely to be considered victims of climate changes. However, the future of these beautiful blooms could be grim in the face a warming planet. A recent studyPublished in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science.
This first-of-its-kind study, conducted in the UK, found that wildflowers across Northern Europe would likely see a steep decline in abundance — up to 40 percent. The researchers created a simulation of the warmer and wetter climates predicted for the region by climate change. This new scenario resulted in some species of plants producing flowers with 60% less nectar and lighter seeds. These changes required pollinating bugs to visit more flowers in order to collect the nectar and pollen. They also had to visit each flower more often.
“Our results demonstrate that climate warming could have severe consequences for some species of wildflowers and their pollinators in agricultural systems, and shows that their community composition is likely to change in the future,” said lead author Ellen D. Moss, a research associate at Newcastle University in the UK.
While theoretical studies have predicted that climate change could accelerate pollinator losses and wildflower declines, Moss’s study marks the first time scientists have put the theory to the test in an experimental setting. Previous climate change studies have only focused on one species of pollinating insects or plants in a specific region and not at the community level.
“This study adds to the weight of evidence that pollinators are at risk from multiple stressors,” said ecologist Jane StoutTrinity College Dublin, who was not part in the study. “They are losing places to feed and breed, and they are stressed by pesticides, disease, and changes in climate.”
To accomplish this, the researchers sowed some spring wheat and some native wildflowers, which are grown on wheat farms, on small agricultural plots at a North Yorkshire farm. To mimic the future wetter conditions of climate change in Northern Europe they heated some of these plots with an infrared heater to increase the soil temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). The plots that were not heated were used as a control to compare their results.
The researchers kept track of the two flowering seasons 2014 and 2015. They also tracked the number of different plant species that grew in these plots, their nectar content, and the weight of the seeds that were dried from the flowers. They also collected information regarding visiting insect pollinators. This included their visiting patterns to both the experimental plots and the untouched ones.
In 2014, the study reported 25 plant species (and 80 insect species), and 19 plant species (and 69 insect species) in 2015. The 2015 study reported 19 plant species and 69 species. Higher temperatures and more precipitation didn’t change what species were found in the plots, with the most abundant wildflowers being corn marigold (Glebionis segetum), cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), common field-speedwell (Veronica persica), shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), chickweed (Stellaria media), and red dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum).
Cornflower, one the most abundant wildflower species in the study. Photo credit: Terry Lucas / Wikimedia commons (CC BY 3.0).
The heated plots saw wildlife abundance drop by as much as 40%. However, there were fewer seeds in the heads of most plants and the seeds weighed less than those in nonheated plots. The common field-speedwell, a weed that is common in all areas of the country, was the exception. It produced heavier seeds in heated plots but its flowers produced 65 percent less nectar. This made it less popular with pollinators.
“A key finding [of the study] is that not all wild plant species respond to experimental manipulation in the same way, and so the implications for plant communities, and their interactions with pollinators, are complex to predict,” Stout said. Nevertheless, the general decrease in both the abundance and the number of seeds produced is of concern, she added, “because loss of floral resources in the landscape is already a major driver of pollinator decline.”
The study also revealed significant changes in the feeding behavior and habits of pollinators in heated plots. The most abundant insects, honeybees and hoverflies, visited the most flowers and visited them more often to collect the nectar.
“Fewer flowers and less nectar mean less food for pollinators,” Moss said, adding that such conditions may drive competition between pollinators and force them to choose less optimal flowers. “This could reduce their fitness and survival.”
Common field-speedwell, which is a weed, was only one plant that produced more seed in warmer temperatures, even though it produced less nectar. Photo credit: AnRo0002/ Wikimedia commons
A Gloomy Future for the Flowers
Worldwide, two in five plantsLand-use change in agriculture, housing, construction and other land-use activities is threatening wildflowers and other plants. California is experiencing an increasing number of wildflowers. Hotter and drierResearch has shown that winters are more likely to be caused by climate change. ReceiptIn 15 years, wildflower species were reduced by 15 percent. The UK has seen the destruction of approximately Wildflower meadows account for 97 percentSince the 1930s threateningWild strawberry, once a common plant, is now extinct.Fragaria Vesca), harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), and ragged robin (Silene flos-cuculi).
Wildflowers are also a threat to thousands of insect species including bees and herbivores such as grasshoppers, aphids, and caterpillars. It also impacts natural pest controllers like ladybirds and spiders that shelter in meadows. Research shows that worldwide, there are approximately a dozen of these pests. A quarter of all bee species are knownThe decline has been evident since the 1990s.
“[Climate change] risks crop pollination and our own food supply, but perhaps of more concern is the risk to wild plant pollination and our ecosystems and all the other benefits we get from them,” Stout said.
While reducing emissions quickly would reduce climate change, it is possible to save some wildflowers.
“The main things that will improve ecosystem resilience in the context of wildflowers and pollinators is to improve habitat quantity, quality, and connectivity,” Moss said. “We need to leave more wild spaces for native plants and insects and try to connect these areas up so that these patches of high-quality habitat are not too small or too far apart.”
