A single Joshua tree’s ability to reproduce relies on several precise actions all happening at exactly the right time. First, the Joshua tree’s branches flower. Then, the yucca moth (the one and only pollinator for the Joshua tree) must find and pollinate those flowers so that they can produce fruit. And finally, once the fruit has fallen to the ground, rodents snack away, dispersing the seeds far and wide. (Joshua trees can also reproduce via asexual cloning under certain conditions).
But this year, Joshua trees throughout Southern California have bloomed early, potentially disrupting this precise timeline. Scientists aren’t sure yet what caused the early bloom, or what the impacts will be on the trees’ ability to bear fruit — and they’re asking the public to help solve the mystery.
The early bloom is just the latest concerning news on the beleaguered, threatened Joshua tree, which is struggling to keep up with changing conditions, wildfires and extreme weather driven by climate change.
Joshua trees typically bloom in February and April, according to Jeremy Yoder, an associate professor of biology at California State University, Northridge, and principal investigator at the Yoder Lab, which focuses on the co-evolution of interacting species (such as the yucca moth and the Joshua tree)…