Climate Changing Thoreau's Woods

Although other studies have shown that certain groups of animals, particularly, are more susceptible to extinction than others, Davis said, this is the first time that such an effect has been shown related to climate change. The results were published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Thoreau provides part of the allure of studying the woods in Concord, but the location also happens to be a good test site because about 60 percent of natural areas there remain undeveloped and 35 percent of the landscape is protected, reducing the effect of habitat loss or urban development on the plants. This points the finger to climate change, Davis said.

The researchers do not yet know why some flowers can adjust their flowering times while others can't, nor why changing the time of flowering improves survival. Perhaps insect pollinators are also shifting their life cycles in response to temperature, leaving behind plants that flower on a rigid schedule. Differences in the plants' root systems or the season of pollination may contribute.

"I think Thoreau could have a lot to say to us today about how we could keep this problem from getting worse," said Thoreau scholar Phil Cafaro of Colorado State University in Fort Collins. "He's got a whole philosophy of how we could lead lives that are materially simpler and a lot more enjoyable and valuable to us. That gets to why we're seeing these problems...I think we could go back to Walden and learn about how we could live better lives."

Related Links:

The Primack Lab

Walden Pond State Reservation