Rising seas and saltier soils have placed Florida's cabbage palm at great risk.
Even plants long considered resilient may struggle to survive as pollution continues to raise global temperatures.
What's happening?
A study conducted by researchers at Florida International University evaluated the effects of salinity on cabbage palm seedlings.
For one year, they exposed seedlings in a greenhouse to irrigation with salty water to mimic real-world saltwater intrusion.
Seedlings exposed to extremely high-salinity water of 50 ppt died within six months, while those that were exposed to only 10 ppt initially survived. Yet even those that received only moderately salty water eventually died within a year.
This showed that young cabbage plants are not very salt-tolerant.
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"Even in all its glory, this quintessential giant is not spared from the growing threats of sea-level rise and salt exposure," Amir Khoddamzadeh, an associate professor at FIU, told FIU News.
Why is this concerning?
Cabbage palms are adaptable plants that grow well throughout Florida's swamps, coastal dunes, floodplain forests, and pinelands.
Sturdy enough to withstand strong winds, they protect communities and plants during hurricanes, and provide food and shelter for native wildlife.
While they are resilient to harsh climates, cabbage palms, especially young seedlings, cannot survive hypersaline environments — ones that they are increasingly subjected to now as rising sea levels routinely cause coastal flooding.
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Definitely 👍 Sea levels in Florida are already eight inches higher than they were in 1950, based on data from the Florida Climate Center. As polar ice melts, sea level rise in the region accelerates, threatening the survival of the cabbage palms.
But the state plant isn't the only species at risk.
If a resilient native tree is struggling, other crops and plants may be at even higher risk as sea water spreads further inland, in Florida and in other parts of the globe.
What's being done about it?
The FIU researchers' findings also pointed toward solutions.
They found that adding small amounts of silicon to soil can increase seedlings' tolerance to salt and improve plant health — a solution that could help make other plant species more resilient.
On a broader scale, the world needs to address the pollution driving polar ice melt and sea-level rise. Community efforts, such as transitioning to clean energy and supporting climate-resilient land management, can help protect vulnerable ecosystems.
It's also important to understand critical environmental issues and the global systems they impact.
As the scientists noted, resilience isn't just about saving one tree — it's about safeguarding the systems that support entire communities.
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