How wildlife will keep cool in the face of rising temperatures

How wildlife will keep cool in the face of rising temperatures

6 years ago
Anonymous $oIHRkISgaL

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-wildlife-cool-temperatures.html

Using 5m records of plants and insects collected by citizen scientists in England, my colleagues and I looked for signs that refugia are protecting species today. We found that quite a number of sites around the country are already beginning to act as refugia. This was particularly the case in areas where the landscape is hilly or steep, where the local climate conditions (microclimate) vary more often.

We estimate that these areas of variable microclimate have reduced the risk of extinction for insects and plants that are particularly sensitive to warming by an average of 9% and 22% respectively. Incorporating these key wildlife areas into our plans for climate change could help save more species and local populations from extinction.