Climate shifts causing species migrations... "two to three times" faster than previously thought
Offline http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/08/climate-change-causing-species-to-change-habitat-faster-than-expected.ars
The authors looked at two classes of studies, ones that focused on changes in altitude (plants and animals moving uphill) and others that focused on changes in latitude, as species respond to a warming world by moving towards the poles. Although the result is a bit more global, it's still heavily biased towards Europe and North America (with Chile and Malaysia also making appearances). Still, the studies are enough to include over 1,300 species, which the authors consider in 23 distinct groups, divided by taxonomy and geography (in the authors' example, plants in Switzerland).
The mean travel poleward of all the species included in these studies was 17km a decade; vertically, the mean had a species moving 11m uphill. That's not especially speedy, but it's still two to three times faster than previous estimates had placed on these values. And over several decades, those kilometers can add up. Perhaps more significantly, two different tests indicated that species were moving the fastest in areas that are experiencing greater temperature changes.
The type of species involved doesn't seem to matter at all. "Much greater variation is associated with differences among species within a taxonomic group than between taxonomic groups," according to the authors, who note that bird species, which are relatively mobile horizontally, haven't tended to shift their habitats as much vertically. And over 20 percent of the species actually moved in a direction opposite from the one that would be predicted to be due to a warming climate. So, things are changing on average, but the details may vary considerably.
Kapkao said plant and animal species would migrate to climates better suited to them as said climates move, and I was right!
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
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Those that can move, will. Which is why we have alpine species as remnants from the most recent ice ages.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.
Everything here is overrun by extreme amounts of spanish slugs. Fire ants will probably join us soon.
The forests are safe for now. The only (mildly) poisonous snake here is the european viper. (extremely rare) Reputedly, some poisonous mediterranean spider was already seen on some our temperate climate meadow.
Many rivers are also overrun by mexican bamboo and the blister-causing hogweed infestation is a part of history now.
The task ahead of our generation is to find a commercial use for all these unwelcomed plants and creatures, find a way to sell them, cook them, make drugs or medicines out of them, or ammunition for weapons. And then watch how the invisible hand of free market crushes the invaders.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
Oh boy, while this does not shock me, the fundies will look at this as the same as "climate change".
You're outcome was not what was expected so scientific method sucks!
I hate this shit.
I live in a huge county. You can hear claims of thunder storms and percentage and never see a drop of rain. Most idiots think, "The weather man said it was going to rain, but it did not"
Science is not about absolutes, on the contrary, god belief IS!
Scientific method is a quality control tool, not a crystal ball, like god belief. The fact that their prediction was far worse than they expected should support method, not reject it. If scientists were like believers, they would not say "it is worse than we predicted". They would do what theists do and claim the earth was flat even after some among them said it was not.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
The problem as I pose it to fundies: it doesn't take a fucking rocket scientist to figure any of this out.
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)