Science

Cacti are severely threatened by drought in a warming world

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 11/11/2026, 16:20:26 UTC.

Briefings

A 2026 Nature study forecasts severe drought impacts on cactus biodiversity, predicting that over 25% of 993 assessed species could lose 80% or more of their suitable climatic area by 2100. This represents a significant threat to global biodiversity due to climate change, with projections relying on extreme events rather than long-term averages.

Key points

• Nature published a study on November 11, 2026, forecasting that 25% or more of 993 cactus species could lose 80% or more of their suitable climatic area by 2100.
• The study uses severe drought projections that include extreme events, contrasting with long-term climate averages that exclude such events.

Context

Climate change projections for biodiversity typically rely on long-term climate averages while excluding extreme events. Projections that include severe drought predict that a majority of the 993 cactus species assessed will see large losses of suitable climatic area: more than 25% of species could lose at least 80% of it by 2100.

Limitations

The evidence is a preprint from November 2026, so uncertainty remains regarding the final validation of these projections. The study covers only 993 cactus species, and the specific impact on 25% of species is a forecast rather than a confirmed historical outcome.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 11/11/2026, 16:22:00 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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