Deforestation may cause more widespread ectotherm population decline under climate change - Nature.com
Deforestation may cause more widespread ectotherm population decline under climate change | Nature Climate Change
In a changing climate, tree trunks serve as crucial refuges for animals, particularly ectotherms, seeking to escape extreme climatic conditions. Therefore, while climate change could generally promote population growth among ectotherms, deforestation could reverse these positive effects in some populations or exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change in others.
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This is a summary of: Zlotnick, O. B. et al. Deforestation poses deleterious effects to tree-climbing species under climate change. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01939-x(2024).
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Deforestation may cause more widespread ectotherm population decline under climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01940-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01940-4
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
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On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”