WASHINGTON– A rare species of tree cactus has become extinct in Florida due to rising sea levels in the United States, the first species to disappear due to a climate-change-related cause, researchers said Tuesday.
The Cayo Largo tree cactus (with the scientific name Pilosocereus millspaughii) was restricted to a small presence in the Florida Keys, an archipelago off the southern tip of the state. It was first discovered in 1992 and monitored intermittently since then.
But saltwater intrusion into the area, caused by rising sea levels, soil erosion due to storms and high tides, and herbivorous mammals, put significant pressure on the last population of those cacti.
“Unfortunately, the Cayo Largo tree cactus may be an indicator of how other low-lying coastal plants will respond to climate change.”said Jennifer Possley, regional conservation director at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
Climate change resulting from human activity is causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt and ocean levels to rise.
Possley is the lead author of a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas that documents the decline of the tree-like cactus.
By 2021, a group of approximately 150 stems in an isolated mangrove forest had been drastically reduced to just six fragile and struggling to survive pieces, which experts relocated for cultivation elsewhere to try to ensure their survival.
The Cayo Largo tree cacti continue to grow in limited numbers on a few scattered Caribbean islands, including northern Cuba and parts of the Bahamas.
These plants can reach heights of over six metres and feature cream-coloured, garlic-scented flowers that glow in the moonlight, attracting pollinating bats. Their bright red and purple fruits are also very attractive to birds and mammals.
Source: AFP