Source: (website above) Title: "Barley adapts to climate change" Author: Elhuyar Fundazioa
Date Published: Jan. 25, 2012
Summary: This article is about how environmental changes (specifically global warming) affect the growth patterns of barely, which is a plant that is similar to wheat. Recent expierments have studied the plant and have came to some conclusions. Throughout their experiment, they analysed how the barley grew under certian circumstances. They grew the same type of barley under to different conditions. One was grown in an environment with about the same amount of CO2 that is in our atmosphere today, and another in the same environment but with double the same amount of CO2 which represents what we expect to see in our atmosphere by the end of the century. Both setups were carried out thorugh a progressive imposition of drought. This effect on the plants would determine which setup was able to recover better from the lack of water. During the expirment facts were recored and it turned out that the plant that grew with double the amount of CO2 in the air recovered more efficientatlly. Scientests noted that because the plant was exposed to a larger amount of CO2, it closed the tiny holes in its leaves to a certian degree. Those holes let excess water and oxygen escape but because the plant partically closed the holes, it was able to use the water over a longer period of time. Without closing its holes, it would have evaporated off of the leaves. Even though a drought is harmfull to barley, its effect is much less when combined with an elevated amount of CO2. This does not happen all the time though in plants exposed a doubled amount of CO2. The scientests also speficied the importantance of the take in of carbon and nitrogen. If the take in level of these two are not balenced then this will throw off everything that happens to the barley. Otherwise than that the barley would do ok in an environment with a doubled amount of CO2. When water was introduced back to the two plants after the "drought" the barley with the doubled amount of CO2 recovered back to its normal state much faster than the barley with todays level of CO2. Overall, it was proven that as our earth starts to warm up and our CO2 levels start to increase, this would not negitiveally effect barely in any way. Researchers are now trying to figure out if this is a gene in the plant and if it can be copied or transfered to other plants to help them survive in an environment with very high levels of CO2. Even though global warming is a bad thing it is important that it does not impact our supplies of food too much. At least not to the point where we cant even grow them anymore.
Opinion: I thought this was pretty cool. I never knew that barley could withstand the increasing amounts of CO2 in our atmosphere. Let alone I think it kind of helps it. I love bread, especially with neutella and if theres no more barley to make bread then I would be pretty sad. Plus I never actually thought about how much global warming effects plants as it affects our oceans, animals, and weather. Global warming is a very bad thing that should be reversed or at least stoped but its also good that scientests are taking into consideration that we may hit that point in life when the earth gets so warm that our water levels may start to decrease enough that we start to see droughts were they never occured before. Overall, I found this very instreating and I hope that they figure out how to transfer that gene (if it is a gene) to other plants, incase we hit that point in our lifetime.
Questions:
1. Do you think that we as a human population will have to wait untill global warming starts majorly affecting our food supply to take action to prevent/reverse global warming?
2. What other problems could long periods of drought cause than just effecting barley and other food products?
3. In your opinion, is it a good or bad idea to see if plants are able to withstand high levels of CO2 and other gases that may increase if global warming continues? Why?
4. If we reach a point in our lifetime when global warming gets bad enough that it effects the growth pattern of barley, do you think the barely will react the same way that it did in the experiment? Why or why not?
I find this article kind of put another light on global warming. It might not be the end of the world. If barley can survive maybe wheat based plants could survive, and we may be able to still have bread and other wheat based products in a century.
ReplyDeleteI would like to answer question 1. Currently it is impossible to rebuild the ozone layer, but who knows if it will be impossible in ten years. People are already trying to make changes to there life styles. If you compare our air to the industrial revolution it is actually much better. I believe that we can slow down global warming, but it may be to late to stop it.
I agree with Dylan how this shows some hope in our future if CO2 levels continue to rise that some form of food would survive. I know from the Hunger Games Katniss survived off of bread for a while and without it she could of died. By having one last resource left on earth we may be able to genetically engineer it and make new food products out of it. That is if the CO2 levels continue to rise, and at this rate i think they will. I am answering number three. I think its a good idea to test what plants could withstand large amounts of CO2 so we could predict and plan for an important part of our future.
ReplyDeleteReflection: I am actually relieved knowing wheat barley will survive if CO2 rises to an exponential level. If it does come to that we could find ways to transform barley into different foods. But I honestly hope that the CO2 level doesn't go that high because I enjoy other foods.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Question 1: I think we should take action now because if we don't take action now it will just get worst and we all don't want that to happen. If we try to prevent global warming later then how will we know what ever we do will fail or not?
I am very surprised by this article. I never thought global warming would have any positive effects (besides nicer beaches). Even so, I do not think this gives people an excuse to keep polluting the environment. I hope that is is possible for other plants to adapt and do the same thing the barley can, because that would help lower the affects of global warming and there would be more plants in the world, which would help with hunger and global warming.
ReplyDeleteTo answer number 1, humans as a population should do something global warming ethically, but the real is question is who will and how? Everyone would need to get involved, not just the people who are very interested in the environment. if everyone works together it is possible that global warming could be stopped or suppressed