Study: Dandelions increasing with global warming

Although it might not be the biggest problem that global warming has produced, increased dandelion strength and reproduction is another thing to tack on to a list that proves global warming is real, said Todd Royer, an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. \nA study recently published by IU-Purdue University Indianapolis ecology professor Xianzhong Wang found that with the increased carbon dioxide levels now present in the atmosphere, dandelions’ reproduction and seed dispersal properties are changing. \n“The current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 360 ppm (parts per million),” Wang said. “That’s compared to 270 ppm just 150 years ago. By the end of the century, it could increase up to 700 ppm.” \nAccording to the study, a portion of the dandelions were tested in an elevated carbon dioxide environment of 730 ppm, producing seeds that were heavier and had a higher germination percentage, proving that more carbon dioxide produced more plants. \nRoyer said he sees this as a potential problem in conjunction with other climate changes.\n“Dandelions by themselves are probably not that big of a deal,” he said. “But it’s an indication that rising carbon dioxide levels can effect the distribution of plants.” \nThese plants, he said, may appear where they never grew before, or disappear from a place that they have always grown.\nPhilip Stevens, a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said that the recent study conducted by Wang isn’t necessarily new information. \n“There have been lots of studies in the past that show plants increase their growth with increased carbon dioxide environments,” Stevens said. “However, the long term conditions are not known.”\nWang chose to focus the study on dandelions because of how widespread they are. \n“(Dandelions) are a cosmopolitan weed,” Wang said. “You can find them on almost every continent.” \nAccording to the article recently published in Weed Science Journal by Wang and graduate student Tamara McPeek, the dandelion is especially a problem because of its “negative effects on crop yield and the large amount of herbicides used for its control.” \nStevens, however, does not view dandelions as a weed and allows them to grow in his yard.\n“It’s not a problem to consider in comparison with the other issues,” Stevens said. “There are so many other issues with global warming that require our attention.”