Scientists are finding that plants and animals are evolving faster, more than twice as fast in tropical zones, as the planet warms up.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, there could be a “bumper crop” of new species coming, as plants and animals expand their ranges and adapt to differing conditions.
Swordfish traditionally seen in the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean have been spotted off the coast of Norway; shallow-water squid that normally call California waters home have been found as far north as Alaska. As these and other species commandeer space and resources, they bring with them their arsenal of DNA, so that their descendants will be even better biologically suited for warmer conditions.
The climate changes will be bad news for some species and a boon for others, although as the article points out, if temperatures climb too high it will start to kill even the flora and fauna that has best adapted to it.
Thanks to kottke.org for the original link.
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