A study published in the journal Current Biology, a scientific journal, showed that plants began to die out 350 times faster than the average for the entire history of the planet.
Important factors of extinction were agriculture and urbanization. According to a recent UN report, most recently, 571 plant species have been declared extinct.
Extinction has always occurred on Earth – research answers the question of whether its speed has increased. For this, scientists examined the main causes of the disappearance of 291 plants, when this happened, and how unique the species were.
Biologists have concluded that herbaceous perennials, such as herbs, are particularly vulnerable to extinction. In general, the rate of extinction has become 350 times higher compared with historical indicators, and over the next 80 years, the extinction rate of modern plants will exceed historical values by several thousand times.
Scientists warn that the loss of biodiversity along with climate change are some of the most serious problems facing humanity.
It was previously reported that in Britain, an ancient plant released both male and female cones for the first time in 60 million years.
