Study Shows Slower Ecosystem Turnover Amid Climate Change

A global study by Queen Mary University of London challenges the expectation that climate change accelerates ecosystem changes. Researchers analyzed a database of biodiversity surveys spanning marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, discovering a slowdown in species turnover rates since the 1970s. Turnover decreased by about one-third, suggesting that internal ecological dynamics play a critical role in this trend. Factors such as environmental degradation and a decrease in regional species pools are contributing to this slowdown, say the researchers.