As the environment around us continues to develop and be affected by a variety of external factors, so does the field of ecological research. In the last year, young environmental activists like Greta Thunberg have drawn attention to the topic of climate change and brought it to the forefront of the news, encouraging us to make our voices heard and putting pressure on world leaders and politicians to do their part. I was curious to see if research surrounding climate change’s effects on vegetation had changed since the year I was born, so I came across a peer-reviewed paper published in 1999 on the effects of climate change on St. John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum); the flowering shrub pictured below.
This long-term study aimed to observe grasslands’ biotic responses to climatic change, particularly focusing on the effects of summer precipitation and winter ground temperatures on the growth, reproduction and herbivory of St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum). St John’s wort is a perennial plant used in some liquid extracts, pills, and teas. To conduct this experiment the researchers simulated climate change and created randomized block treatments. There were 3 groups for varying summer precipitation and 2 groups to represent winter warming. The summer precipitation group had simulations for drought and excess water along with a control group. Winter warming groups were broken down into a control group and a warming group. “Rainfall” was created by spraying the plants with de-ionized water and “drought” conditions involved keeping the plants in rain shelters that prevented direct precipitation. Winter warming was simulated by keeping the plants 3°C above ambient temperatures measured at the field site.
As expected, both the winter and summer conditions had affected the growth and performance of St John’s wort, especially its herbivore interactions. Much to my surprise there were some positive effects on the winter warming group: they had earlier growth and were less susceptible to damage by gall-forming and sucking insects. However, these warming conditions stunted growth, flowering and reproduction. Summer droughts didn’t affect plant growth but rather their reproduction and vulnerability to damage from insects. Summer precipitation simply contributed to the winter warming conditions and didn’t really have a separate effect on its own.
I settled on this specific paper because the effects of climate change are only intensifying as time progresses and the world becomes more industrialized. Climate change was already a concern at the time of the experiment in 1999 and it’s alarming to see just how widespread the effects of climate change have become. The predictions made in this report have seem to come true as more and more forms of vegetation suffer as a result of Earth’s rising temperatures. It’s essential that action is taken against climate change before we experience an extreme biodiversity loss. The approach to plant ecology has certainly evolved since 1999 and I hope that within the next 20 years this approach continues to evolve into one that prioritizes preservation and sustainability.
References
Fox, L., Ribeiro, S., Brown, V. et al. Direct and indirect effects of climate change on St John’s wort, Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae). Oecologia 120, 113–122 (1999). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/10.1007/s004420050839
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 
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