Signs of climate change are changing northern species – ScienceDaily
An analysis of long-term monitoring data for almost 1,500 species in Finland shows that four decades of climate change have led to species migration between the “better” and “worse” parts of their climate slots, and that these effects were strongest at higher latitudes. .
Climate change is happening at an unprecedented rate, especially in the northern regions, making it a major threat to biodiversity and the integrity of ecosystems. Changing the distribution of species is an established consequence of climate change. We know less about how changing climatic conditions can cause species to mix between the ‘good’, ‘optimal’ and ‘worst’ parts of their niche markets, that is, between the conditions tolerated by the species.
A new study led by researchers at the University of Helsinki takes advantage of Finland’s unique national long-term treasure trove and reveals the magnitude of the effects of climate change. The researchers collected prevalence data for 1,478 species of birds, mammals, butterflies, moths, plants, and freshwater phytoplankton, and analyzed species-specific responses to several climate variables.
Over the last four decades, the climate has changed significantly, temperatures have risen and snow cover has shortened. Now the conditions in Central Finland are similar to those in the south, and the north has inherited the climate of the Middle East.
These changes have a direct impact on biodiversity, so much of the species has moved between the “good”, “ideal” and “worst” parts of their climatic market niches. Some species have benefited from a warmer climate. But for others, the climate is already getting too warm – where previously the rise in temperature favored their occurrence, further warming is now causing them to fall. In other words, as climate change progresses, conditions may become more or less favorable to individual species, and these changes have been particularly strong in the far north.
“Our results show a clear signal of more species responding towards the pole, where climate change has also been stronger,” says Laura Antão, one of the study’s leaders. “We also showed that the importance of temperature and snow duration varied between different species groups.”
Different signatures on climate change raise concerns about the future of these ecosystems. “If species that depend on each other respond in different directions or to different variables, this can affect entire communities and ecosystems,” added Benjamin Weigel, another lead author of the study.
The research provides important insights into the effects of climate change on biodiversity. “In our study, community change was mainly driven by species favored or unfavorable by climate change and thus more or less present in local species combinations. This appears to be another key effect of rapid climate change – which now needs to be considered,” says Anna-Liisa Laine, senior author.
The study is the first to combine long-term data from different species groups to assess the general change in biodiversity in Finland and is the first result of a unique collaboration between the Ecological Change Research Center (REC), the University of Helsinki and others. the main national institutions, ie the Natural Resources Center (Luke), the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and the Natural History Museum (LUOMUS). Only by combining data from so many sources, from so many species groups, could the researchers reveal the extent and reasons for the change.