Faced with global warming, marine species would win the race

To cope with global warming, marine species move to the poles up to six times faster than their terrestrial counterparts. The latter are hampered by the pressure of human activities, according to a study by the CNRS, the Picardie-Jules-Verne University, the Toulouse III University and Ifremer (French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea) . This was published on Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution .

With warming, species migrate to a more lenient environmenthttps: //t.co/1mFQHgFlVa A study on 12,000 species shows that marine species move up to six times faster than their terrestrial counterparts. @ CNRS @INEE_CNRS @ UT3PaulSabatier @upjv pic.twitter.com/xwEvktMTUk

Marine species six times faster

Global warming leads to an “invisible migration” of the isotherms - these lines with the same temperature value - towards the poles in latitude and towards the summits in altitude. To respond to this, many species modify their distribution areas by following the movement of these isotherms in order to find climatic conditions favorable to their development and survival.

Based on a database containing observations of species movements, this new Franco-American study was able to show that marine species move to the poles six times faster (6 km / year on average) than those that live on earth. The marine ecosystem is not very fragmented, aquatic species can move more freely and probably better follow the course of isotherms.

The human activities involved

By analyzing the speed of movement of the ranges of more than 12,000 animal and plant species according to that of the isotherms in latitude and altitude, the researchers were able to demonstrate that on earth, human activities - such as urban planning, agriculture or forestry - fragment and isolate natural habitats, which slows down the redistribution of animal and plant species towards the poles.

The researchers thus recall that an “imbalance” is widening in the terrestrial environment between the redistribution of animal and plant species and the speed at which the climate is warming. "For ectotherms (species that cannot control their internal temperature themselves) like amphibians, their only way of responding" to the warming and displacement of isotherms, "is to migrate", explains Jonathan Lenoir, one of the authors of the study published on May 25. “They have no choice but to move. If in addition we fragment their habitat, we condemn them, ”he warns.

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