A CLEAR pattern of ecological change triggered by global warming is already emerging, according to a worldwide review. And it can be seen from the polar wastes to the tropical oceans.
Butterflies, birds and other highly mobile species are moving to new habitats to survive. But creatures that can't move, such as corals, are suffering. "The implications of such large-scale, consistent responses to relatively low average rates of climate change are large," says Gian-Reto Walther of the Institute of Geobotany at the University of Hanover in Germany, who led the study. "The projected warming for the coming decades raises even more concern."
Butterflies, which can flit cross-country, are proving to be among the most sensitive indicators of global warming. Across North America and Europe they have shifted their range northwards by up to 200 kilometres. Plants lag behind, and larger animals are often hemmed in by cities and highways.
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