Joshua Trees may disappear

Global warming could erase the iconic Joshua tree of the California desert from 90 percent of its range within 90 years, and perhaps as few as 60, a new study by U.S. Geological Survey researchers shows.

Using climate models as well as fossilized sloth dung and packrat debris piles called middens, ecologist Ken Cole and his team found that the giant yucca plants, which form forests in Joshua Tree National Park, are sharply limited in their ability to recover from sudden warming spikes....

http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/03/25/joshua-trees-wiped-out-by-warming/124503/