A unique plant has become the first species in the United States to be wiped out in the wild due to rising sea levels, according to a scientific research paper.
Sea level rise led to the extinction of the wild Key Largo tree cactus in its only known U.S. habitat, the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas mentioned.
Research co-author George Gann said it is impossible for the plants to re-establish itself in the Florida Keys.
Just One Example
Gann wrote in the research that this is just one example of what’s happening to dozens of other species and it’s accelerating with time.
Scientists were already seeing signs of decay largely due to its location just 5 feet above sea level in the low-lying Keys.
Although the Key Largo tree cactus still exists in the Caribbean, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas, its chances of re-establishing in the Florida Keys are “basically zero,” Gann said.
