US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Global changes in temperature are causing animals to move to colder regions. According to a recent analysis, movements are more relevant for aquatic inhabitants. There are several explanations for this.
Comparison of the data of 258 peer-reviewed studies made it possible to compare the previous and present habitats of 12 thousand species of animals, as well as fungi and plants. It turned out that marine inhabitants move 6 times faster than land.
The main reason for this is that on land it is easier for living organisms to control the temperature, since air conducts heat 25 times less efficiently. In water, animals, especially cold-blooded ones, are more sensitive to the slightest changes.
Separately, it is worth highlighting human activity that interferes with the migration of animals. Creatures are forced to coexist with us, sometimes it is very difficult to do. In the seas and oceans it is much easier to migrate, because there are no constraints.
It was determined that the habitats of amphibians are shifted by 12 meters per year, and reptiles that follow to the equator – 6.5 meters per year. Insects move much faster – 18.5 km per year. If you count on average, the water inhabitants move to the poles at a speed of 6 km per year, and land – 1.8 meters.
Migrations today must be taken into account in order to further improve biodiversity redistribution scenarios. Scientists analyzed changes in life only 0.6% of known species that live mainly in the northern hemisphere. The BioShifts organization facilitates the collection of change information, helping to predict potential negative consequences.
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