Date: February 20, 2017
Source: Senckenberg Research
Institute and Natural History Museum
Since 1980, populations of
warm-dwelling species in Germany have increased. The trend is particularly
strong among warm-dwelling terrestrial species, as shown by the most
comprehensive study across ecosystems in this regard to date. The most obvious
increases occurred among warm-dwelling birds, butterflies, beetles, soil
organisms and lichens according to the study published recently in the
scientific journal "Nature Ecology & Evolution" led by
Senckenberg scientists. Thus, it appears possible that rising temperatures due
to the climate change have had a widespread impact on the population trends of
animals in the past 30 years.
Since 1980, the average annual
temperature in the study areas in Germany increased by approx. 0.3 degrees
Celsius per decade. "This may sound harmless, but it has a serious impact
on nature. Long-term temperature changes have long-term effects on the
population size of plant and animal species. Nearly half of the populations of
various species showed a significant increase or decrease since 1980. The
direction of change of each species is influenced by whether it prefers warm or
cool temperatures. This link is very obvious in mobile species such as birds
and butterflies but also in slow growing species such as lichens" says Dr.
Diana Bowler of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre.
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