Animals can’t adapt fast enough to cope with changing climate

Animals like roe deer and magpies are not able to adapt quickly enough to keep pace with the changing climate, scientists say.

Although some species respond to increasing temperatures, research suggests these adaptations may not be happening at a rate that guarantees the long-term persistence of some populations.

Populations of European roe deer, song sparrow, common murre and Eurasian magpie were among those at risk.

The meta-analysis published in Nature Communications suggests historical timing of species’ life cycle events (phenology) like migration and breeding is mismatched to current climate.

Scientists say animals can potentially respond by altering their phenology, but only if there is enough genetic variation in their behaviour or development.

The team reviewed 10,090 scientific abstracts and extracted data from 71 published studies that represented 17 species in 13 countries, to assess animal responses to climate change, focusing particularly on birds.

Lead author Viktoriia Radchuk from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Germany, said: “Our research focused on birds because complete data on other groups were scarce.

“We demonstrate that in temperate regions, the rising temperatures are associated with the shift of the timing of biological events to earlier dates.”

The researchers hope their analysis and datasets will stimulate research on the resilience of animal populations in the face of global change.