Leaves are getting narrower

Leaves are getting narrower on some plant species as a result of changes to the climate, a study has suggested.

An analysis of the herbarium samples by Australian researchers found that leaf width had decreased by two millimetres.The analysis revealed a two-millimetre decrease in leaf width over 127 years across the region.


The team chose narrow-leaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa subsp.angustissima) as it appeared to display different leaf characteristics in different climates. It looked at more than 250 herbarium specimens that stretch back to more than 120 years collected from Flinders Ranges, southern Australia's largest mountain range.

The team said, between 1950 and 2005, there had been a 1.5C (2.7F) increase in the maximum temperatures in the region but there had been little change in rainfall patterns.