Record Heat in Arizona threatens Saguaro Cactuses | World News
Record high temperatures in Arizona, coupled with scarce seasonal monsoons, are causing cactuses in the Desert Botanical Garden to turn “highly stressed,” Chief Science Officer Kimberlie McCue says.
Wednesday night concluded a record-breaking streak of 90 degrees that has continued for the last 16 days. The city is bound to see temperatures reach an all-time high of 110 degrees, which will be the 28th consecutive day.
Kimberlie mentions how the Saguaro feels somewhat squishy before it heads towards collapsing or appears to be fairly normal, and it seems to have been rotting due to severe heat inside out.
Kimberlie’s team has seen many cactuses die. The current heat records have been sending some previously affected cactuses over the edge, eventually leading them to collapse and lose limbs.
The Saguaro cactuses are mainly found in Southern Arizona, and according to the National Park Service, these cactuses grow up to 40 feet tall and are some of the largest cactuses in the United States.
Kimberlie also mentioned in her interview with CNN:
Saguaros are beautifully adapted to heat and aridity, but they have their limits.
In Tuckson, where temperatures are comparably lower but still crossing the 100-degree mark, the same sort of distress is not being seen in local Saguaros. Phoenix reaches 8 degrees higher than surrounding areas, as shown by climate central analysis.
Cactuses carry various essential functions. During the night, they tend to open pores and carry out gas exchange, which in turn delivers carbon dioxide, which in turn is helpful to photosynthesize in the daytime.
But due to the record-high heat in Phoenix, McCue says, “this suffocates and stresses the saguaros, which in turn dehydrates the cactus and turns them receptive to insects and infections.
Rakestraw, curator of botany at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, said in an interview with CNN:
Domesticated plants near walls-rather than wild ones-are more likely to experience negative effects due to reflective heat.
However, he also went on to mention the ill effects being caused to the cactus species, with the biggest threat being temperatures heating up over time. He also mentions how new generations of the cacti will eventually struggle to grow at all.
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