The first US species has been driven to extinction due to sea level rise

The population of the Key Largo tree cactus has been wiped from the Florida Keys. While scientists are now working on a potential restoration, more species will likely see similar fates as climate change worsens and sea levels continue to rise.

Why did it become extinct?

In a study published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, the species has been deemed locally extinct, meaning "researchers know of no naturally growing Key Largo cacti in the United States," the study said. While the plant can be found in other countries around the Caribbean, "it's a big deal when we lose species from an entire country," George Gann, a co-author of the study, said to The Washington Post. 

The cactus tree population was diminished through saltwater inundation and soil depletion. The site where the species grew "originally had a distinct layer of soil and organic matter that allowed the cactus and other plants to grow, but storm surge from hurricanes and exceptionally high tides eroded away this material until there wasn't much left," said the Florida Museum of Natural History. 

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The area also saw excessive saltwater intrusion, which has been known to cause higher mortality rates among tree cacti. "The higher tides may have even made freshwater less available to small mammals and prompted the frenzy on the cactuses stems to quench their thirst," said the Post. The Key Largo tree cactus is now only found cultivated in two nurseries in Florida and not naturally in the wild.

What does this say about the future?

The untimely demise of the Key Largo tree cactus is only the beginning. "This is just one example of what's happening to dozens of species, and people need to understand that if we don't do something, this loss is just going to accelerate," Gann said to CNN. 

Local species are more at risk because they usually require specific conditions to grow. "This is the first of many losses likely to be suffered in the coming decades" in the Florida Key region, said Jimmy Lange, a study co-author, to Salon. "Much of the unique Keys flora are found at relatively low elevations, even for the Keys. This situation is confounded by decades of habitat loss, degradation and other factors like invasive species that threaten the integrity of these terrestrial ecosystems."

All hope is not lost. Scientists have been cultivating the Key Largo tree cactus and are hoping to reintroduce the species in a new location on higher ground in the future. Government agencies are also working in association with scientists to prevent further biodiversity loss due to climate change. 

But without addressing the root of the habitat destruction, not much can be done. "Unfortunately, the Key Largo tree cactus may be a bellwether for how other low-lying coastal plants will respond to climate change," said Jennifer Possley, the lead author of the study, to the Florida Museum of Natural History.