We think of cactus plants as the epitome of hot, dry climates. But even those prickly pears are feeling the heat in America right now. This extreme drought was experienced in the Phoenix area of Arizona, USA.
Clap their hands
Chalices are famous for collecting water. This ability to store large amounts of water in the body helps these plants survive in the extreme heat of the desert. But after the hottest July in world history, these cactus plants are in a difficult situation. Even the colors change.
They used to be green in color but now they are yellow and brown in color. The stems of many plants began to fall. The rod-like parts of cactus plants are called arms because they cannot scientifically be called branches. It was only when these began to fall that the researchers realized that they were facing an unprecedented impact.
The Phoenix region, like the rest of the world, saw an unprecedented rise in temperatures during the month of July. The temperature was above 43 degrees Celsius for 31 consecutive days.
25 deaths due to heat
So far 25 deaths have been reported in the region due to extreme heat. Apart from that, they are investigating whether the reason behind the 249 deaths was the uncontrolled increase in temperature. It is clear that humans cannot withstand such high temperatures for a long period of time. In this time, even the thorn trees that form enough to survive in the heat fade, the severity of the drought and the heat experienced in the area can be understood.
City botanical garden officials posted these photos of discolored and broken cactus stems in Phoenix on social media. In addition to discoloration of the skin, the stems of the plants are reported to be weak and tired. They also found that due to dehydration, the callithorn plants lose their softness.
The downside was the high temperature at night
The bleached sun cactus is a nightmare, researchers say. Cactus plants generally keep their carbon dioxide intake down to reduce the effects of the sun’s heat during the day. At night, they absorb the carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis and store it in their stems.
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But as the extreme heat has continued over the past month, the region has also experienced high temperatures at night. Researchers say that this could lead to the wilting of even cactus plants. The researchers pointed out that all the nights in July were above 32 degrees Celsius.
Saguaro cactus
The saguaro, the tallest cactus in the US, was hit the hardest. These cacti grow up to an average height of 12 meters. At the same time, there were plants up to 23 meters tall in this group. Another interesting fact is that saguaro thorn trees only reach their maximum height when they are over two hundred years old.
The structure of the saguaro plant is what makes it a plant that can survive in the desert. Deep roots are deep enough to get water from any depth and deliver it to the stems. The spongy interior of the stems can store large amounts of water. Apart from that, the structure of the pods and the wax-like substance on the pod also help to prevent the water from drying out of the stem.
It is clear that even these saguaro thorn trees will wither as the temperature rises, as they have many elements to resist the heat. And the researchers hope that the dry weather caused them to lose water as well. Meanwhile, saguaro plants make up about 70 percent of the world’s cacti. There are already reports that these plants are now facing a major crisis as climate change worsens.
Content Highlights: Climate heat wave | USA
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