North American Biomes Are Losing Their Resilience, With Risks for Mass Extinctions

The resilience of North America’s plant biomes is declining — indicating that today’s landscapes are “primed to herald a major extinction event” not seen since the retreat of glaciers and arrival of humans 13,000 years ago, scientists reported in a new study published in the journal Global Change Biology. "Humans are expanding our footprint and climates are changing rapidly,” said Yue Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech who led the study.