美国科学60秒 SSS 2012-11-12(在线收听) |
Rising season severe storm is the most talked about threats of climate change. But here is another. No more coffee. Because rising temperatures make cripple wild populations of Arabica coffee, and most cultivated species in the world. So says a study in the journal PLoS ONE. Researchers use climate models to forecast the effects of warming on Arabica coffee trees in Ethiopean,their native range. Under the best case scenario, meaning fewer emissions and less warming. Only a third of today's range would still be suitable for coffee by 2080.In the worst case, wild Arabica could be nearly wiped out in the region. That's because coffee trees are sensitive to temperature. The researchers say, they may not be able to colonize new areas fest enough to beat climate change. That's assuming no direct human impact, like clearing land for grazing, which is already a problem though. Of course the coffee in your cup doesn't come from wild trees. But wild coffee forest have a much bigger gene pool than cultivated crops, meaning more * diease, path and drown. Preserving that diversity might just be grounds to act on climate change. |
原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/sasss/2012/11/216407.html |