More of the same: Study reveals winners and losers from climate and land-use change - Northumbria University
New research from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Northumbria University has determined that as warm-loving species expand their ranges under climate change, Britain’s landscapes are losing their biological uniqueness.
The researchers took advantage of the long tradition of biological recording in Britain, combining long-term observations of birds, butterflies and plants with a new map of land-use change and climate data from the Met Office. Like much of the world, Britain has become warmer (and wetter) over the last 100 years. At the same time, the land has been increasingly converted for agriculture and built on for towns and cities.
The new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution shows that the average number of species has increased in landscapes across Britain, with the largest gains occurring in the areas where the environment has changed the most.
“It can seem strange that, in the depths of a global extinction crisis, we are finding that the overall number of species found at a local level are increasing. But this is actually not a very uncommon result,” explained Dr Andrew Suggitt, Assistant Professor in Ecology at Northumbria University.
“What is different about our study is that we have related these changes to how we are changing the land, and to increasing temperatures.”
The researchers maintain that it is not the case that environmental change is good for biodiversity, but rather that as different human activities modify the landscape, it is the same cohort of ‘winner’ species that are best able to capitalise – and they do so very successfully. This widespread phenomenon has resulted in ecological communities around Britain becoming more similar over time.
More on:
Posted On: 13/02/2024