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Climate Disruption and Biodiversity

Publication ,  Journal Article
Pimm Stuart, L
Published in: CURRENT BIOLOGY
2009

`Global warming' may be a familiar term, but it is seriously misleading. Human actions are causing a massive disruption to the planet's climate that is severe, rapid, very variable over space and time, and highly complex. The biosphere itself is complex and its responses to even simple changes are difficult to predict in detail. One can likely only be certain that many changes will be unexpected and some unfortunate. Even the simple, slow warming of the climate will produce complex consequences to species numbers and distributions because of how species depend on each other. An alternative approach to worrying about details is to concentrate on understanding the most significant ecological changes, ones that are irreversible - so-called `tipping points'. Once such a point has been passed, even if society managed to restore historical climatic conditions, it might not restore the historical ecological patterns. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the loss of species, for we cannot recreate them. Climate disruptions may cause the loss of a large fraction of the planet's biodiversity, even if the only mechanism were to be species ranges moving uphill as temperatures rise.

Duke Scholars

Published In

CURRENT BIOLOGY

ISSN

0960-9822

Publication Date

2009

Volume

19

Issue

14, Sp. Iss. SI

Start / End Page

R595 / R601

Related Subject Headings

  • Developmental Biology
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
  • 11 Medical and Health Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
 

Citation

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Pimm Stuart, L. (2009). Climate Disruption and Biodiversity. CURRENT BIOLOGY, 19(14, Sp. Iss. SI), R595–R601.
Pimm Stuart, L. “Climate Disruption and Biodiversity.” CURRENT BIOLOGY 19, no. 14, Sp. Iss. SI (2009): R595–601.
Pimm Stuart L. Climate Disruption and Biodiversity. CURRENT BIOLOGY. 2009;19(14, Sp. Iss. SI):R595–601.
Pimm Stuart, L. “Climate Disruption and Biodiversity.” CURRENT BIOLOGY, vol. 19, no. 14, Sp. Iss. SI, 2009, pp. R595–601.
Pimm Stuart L. Climate Disruption and Biodiversity. CURRENT BIOLOGY. 2009;19(14, Sp. Iss. SI):R595–R601.
Journal cover image

Published In

CURRENT BIOLOGY

ISSN

0960-9822

Publication Date

2009

Volume

19

Issue

14, Sp. Iss. SI

Start / End Page

R595 / R601

Related Subject Headings

  • Developmental Biology
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
  • 11 Medical and Health Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences