October 08, 2012 | News | New Publication

Demographic miracle in the deserts

Using demographic methods, ecologist Roberto Salguero-Gómez investigates desert plants to find out how vulnerable they are to climate change. The results of his newest study are surprising: Climate change may have a positive impact on some plants.

Drylands (deserts, savannas, and steppes) are key terrestrial ecosystems, covering more than 40% of the Earth's land surface and supporting over 38% of the total global population.

Climate models used by scientists to forecast the effect of climate change on the various ecosystems predict a bleak future for these regions: Temperatures will rise, there will be less rain, and it will rain more erratically – all conditions seemingly unfavorable to plants.

To measure the impact of climate change on the dynamics of plant populations, researchers to date have mostly worked with average values, such as average temperature or average rainfall. "This is a method commonly used, but it cannot be applied to desert plants", says researcher Roberto Salguero-Gómez of the MPIDR.

Dryland plants cannot really be compared to plant species growing in other latitudes, where weather conditions are less fluctuating. Dryland plants have become adapted to the extreme climatic conditions of arid regions in the course of evolution, even under conditions of no climate change, and they are now benefiting from it.

Some plants produce dormant seeds in years of heavy rainfall. The seeds of some other plant species have something like a sensor to detect the level of rainfall: not enough rain drops falling to secure their life until they reproduce, and they will not germinate. A lot of rain after years of drought, and they start to grow - and monstly then. The advantage is that many other plant species - competitors for space - have a low drought tolerance and this has thinned out the total population, freeing up space where individuals, who have waited for the big rain, can spread.

"Using average precipitation values to predict plant population dynamics does not correspond to the physiology of these plants, a physiology that is unique", sums up Roberto Salguero-Gómez.

It is for this reason that he, together with his colleagues Wolfgang Siewert and Katja Tielbörger (University of Tübingen) and Brenda Casper (University of Pennsylvania) have looked anew at two long-term studies that documented over a number of years the population size of two desert plant species, one each in the USA and Israel.

Based on the data of these studies, a climate model and a demographic calculation method, the researchers have developed a new model that provides insights into the future dynamics of plant populations. The results, recently published in the scientific journal Philosophical Transactions B of the Royal Society of London, are astounding: Changing weather conditions do not seem to harm the population of these plants; just the contrary, they seem to benefit from it. "They adapt quite well", says Roberto Salguero-Gómez. They seem to have a lot of buffer to adapt to climate change."

It is highly important to continue observing and investigating these dynamics, he stresses, for example to assess which measures are best suited to alleviate poverty in the long run and where to apply them. Most dryland areas are located in the poorest regions of the world, i.e. Africa, Central Asia, and South America. Many people living there who have to make a living from the scarce resources these barren regions offer. And, there will be more of them as, undoubtedly, the share of dryland will increase due to climate change, desertification and other human-driven activities. It is thus all the more important to asses what impact climate change will truly have on plants that serve as food for people and livestock in these areas.

About the author

Roberto Salguero-Gómez is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Evolutionary Biodemography. His main research interests are plant physiology and the demography of plant populations in deserts.