The Future of Species Under Climate Change: Resilience or Decline?

As climates change across already stressed ecosystems, there is no doubt that species will be affected, but to what extent and which will be most vulnerable remain uncertain. The fossil record suggests that most species persisted through past climate change, whereas forecasts of future impacts predi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2013-08, Vol.341 (6145), p.504-508
Main Authors: Moritz, Craig, Agudo, Rosa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical forecasting
Animals
Biological Evolution
Biological taxonomies
Birds
Climate Change
Climate change adaptation
Climate models
Ecosystem
Environmental impact
Extinct species
Extinction
Extinction, Biological
Forecasting
Global warming
Impact analysis
Mammals
Paleoclimatology
REVIEWS
Species
Species extinction
Temperature
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Summary:As climates change across already stressed ecosystems, there is no doubt that species will be affected, but to what extent and which will be most vulnerable remain uncertain. The fossil record suggests that most species persisted through past climate change, whereas forecasts of future impacts predict large-scale range reduction and extinction. Many species have altered range limits and phenotypes through 20th-century climate change, but responses are highly variable. The proximate causes of species decline relative to resilience remain largely obscure; however, recent examples of climate-associated species decline can help guide current management in parallel with ongoing research.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1237190