SYDNEY, July 9 (Xinhua) — Study finds that one third of animal and plant species are moving into warmer regions, challenging the belief that most shift only toward cooler habitats as global temperatures rise.
Over a third of species are moving in the opposite direction, downhill, toward the equator, or into shallower waters, overturning the common assumption, said researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Technology Sydney, and Curtin University in Western Australia.
The study suggests these surprising shifts are driven more by changing species interactions than by temperature alone. As the climate changes, interactions such as predation, competition, and mutualism are being reshaped, said a release by UNSW published on Science Media Exchange website on Tuesday.
Some species move into warmer areas when predators leave or helpful partners increase, and harmful relationships can turn beneficial under new conditions, it said.
“What surprised me the most was how little attention counterintuitive range shifts get. Studying this phenomenon is important if we want to better conserve as many species as possible,” said the study’s lead author Inna Osmolovsky from UNSW.
Understanding these dynamics is vital for predicting wildlife responses to climate change, as current models often rely solely on climate data and overlook the influence of species interactions on habitats, according to the findings published in Global Change Biology. ■