Further, faster, higher

Atlas moths (Attacus atlas)
Photo: woodleywonderworks.com

New research by scientists in the Department of Biology at the University of York in England shows that species have responded to climate change up to three times faster than previously appreciated. These results are published in the latest issue of the leading scientific journal Science.

Project leader Chris Thomas, Professor of Conservation Biology at York, said: "These changes are equivalent to animals and plants shifting away from the Equator at around 20 cm per hour, for every hour of the day, for every day of the year. This has been going on for the last 40 years and is set to continue for at least the rest of this century."

Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, spiders, other invertebrates, and plants featured in the evidence. For example, Atlas moths have moved 67 metres uphill on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.

Read more at Further, Faster, Higher: Wildlife Responds Increasingly Rapidly to Climate Change.