Climate Change Causes The Most Bizarre Invasion

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It’s been just reported that there’s an unexpected invasion triggered by climate change.

An invasion of horrible tumbleweeds is upon us 

This is about monster tumbleweeds that are reportedly coming to bury us.

Climate change is reportedly feeding these so-called beasts.

It’s true that tumbleweeds might look fluffy and cute from a distance or in the westerns, but if you hit one of these with your car, you will quickly learn just how spiky and woody they are.

CNET notes that “Victorville, California, got buried beneath tumbleweeds in 2018. A new species of giant tumbleweed is now thriving in the US. Salsola ryaniiis a hybrid that grows bigger than its parent plants. It can top 6 feet (2 meters) in height, so it’s not like those cute little rolling tumbleweeds you see in Western movies.”

Why is this monster plant thriving these days?

The online publication notes that experts working at the University of California Riverside took a closer look at the reasons for which this monster plant is thriving, and published a study in the journal AoB Plants.

Two invasive tumbleweed species 

The plant is created from a cross of two invasive tumbleweed species.

This has extra sets of its parents’ chromosomes and this state is reportedly known as “polyploidy.”

It’s important to note that this is common in plants. Just to make things clearer, here’s a comparison: almost all humans have just one set of chromosomes from each parent.

The research is suggesting that tumbleweed’s size and success id caused by this polyploidy and the plant is much more vigorous than its parents due to the fact that it’s a hybrid.

The study’s co-author Norman Ellstrand called the plant “nasty”. It’s been also reported that the plant is in California at the moment, but we can expect it to expand its territory.

Rada Mateescu

I have been blogging and posting articles for over eight years, but my passion for writing dates back in 2000. I am especially enthusiastic about technology, science, and health-related issues. When I’m not researching and writing the latest news, I’m either watching sci-fi and horror movies or checking out places worth visiting and building deep memories for later in life. I believe in empathy and continually improving myself.