# It’s Getting Too Dry for Even Cactuses to Survive

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/its-getting-too-dry-for-even-cactuses-to-survive/
- Published: 2026-11-15T10:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T11:34:37+00:00
- Original publisher: Wired
- Original article: https://www.wired.com/story/droughts-are-getting-too-extreme-even-for-cactuses/
- Topics: Climate, Science

## Key points

- Most cactus species may lose habitat as drought worsens.
- More than a quarter could lose at least 80 per cent by 2100.
- Drought may disrupt flowering and reproduction before plants die.

## Summary

A new study warns that worsening droughts could leave most cactus species with less suitable habitat as climate change brings rising temperatures and longer dry spells. More than a quarter of the nearly 1,000 species studied could lose at least 80 per cent of their habitat by 2100, challenging the idea that cacti can withstand almost any conditions.

Researchers used 650,000 iNaturalist observations to help assess how wild cacti may fare. Drought can affect growth, survival and flowering, even when it does not kill plants immediately; saguaros in the Sonoran Desert, for example, flower less often during prolonged dry periods. Habitat loss and poaching add pressure, while desert ecosystems can take decades to recover after disturbance.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.