Temperature increase.
High temperatures produce heat stress in the plants, they grow less, and they produce less. In some cases, the plants do not produce at all since excessive heat causes sterility of the pollen (the masculine reproductive part of the flowers).
A temperature increase may be beneficial in some areas that are very cold at present and plants cannot be grown during the frozen winters. For example, in Siberia or northern Europe it would be possible to grow crops for a longer period of the year, and even grow fruits that now are only found in warm areas. This example is illustrated in the maps in Unit 1, where you learnt about the distribution of crops depending on climate zones.
On the other hand, the soils in the Northern regions may not be adequate for plant growing as they have been bearing very hard conditions that make them have a different structure to those in Southern regions. This means that even if climate would be the appropriate to grow the crops, the soil might be the limiting factor.
Climate change implies extremely quick temperature change, so vegetation and crops will have to adapt to the new conditions in an unusually short time. This may cause additional problems with the vegetation.
|
