Scientists from the University of Arizona have warned that the acceleration of climate change might outpace crops’ development, meaning key crops won’t be able to adapt fast enough to major changes.

The research, published this week in the journal Biology Letters, looked at the family of plants that includes wheat, maize, sorghum and rice - some of the planet’s most widely grown staple crops - and grassland, one of the planet’s most widespread habitats. The researchers warn that “Climate change may soon threaten much of global biodiversity, especially if species cannot adapt to changing climatic conditions quickly enough.”

The team also studied the changes in 236 species and projected changes to their habitats, to estimate whether they will be able to cope with projected climate change by 2070. The results show that projected climate change is moving “consistently faster than rates of niche change in grasses, typically by more than 5000-fold for temperature-related variables.”

Though the researchers said their results don’t show exactly what will happen as the climate continues to change, and the planet warms, the findings are worrying nonetheless.

Commenting on the research on Wednesday, Andrew Challinor, Professor of Climate Impacts at the University of Leeds, said, “These results are indeed troubling. As the authors say, they do not predict what will happen to our food supply as climate changes. However, other research is already beginning to show how climate change is outpacing our ability to adapt food production. In some areas urgent action is required.

“Today’s global assessment is a wake-up call to redouble efforts to work out when and where major problems are expected.”

Prof Challinor pointed to his own research, published last year in the journal Nature Climate Change, which suggests that climate change and increases in average temperatures are set to accelerate crop development, reducing the time in which crops can accumulate biomass and yield highly. This means that, in order to maintain food production, new crop varieties will have to be developed today for tomorrow’s growing conditions.