Wilder Weather Exerts a Stronger Influence on Biodiversity Than Steadily Changing Conditions

[Staff]

Wilder Weather Exerts a Stronger Influence on Biodiversity Than Steadily Changing Conditions
ScienceDaily
Jan. 17, 2010

Wilder weather exerts a stronger influence on biodiversity than steadily changing conditions
excerpt from above:

Climate scientists predict more frequent storms, droughts, floods and heat waves as the Earth warms. Although extreme weather would seem to challenge ecosystems, the effect of fluctuating conditions on biodiversity actually could go either way. Species able to tolerate only a narrow range of temperatures, for example, may be eliminated, but instability in the environment can also prevent dominant species from squeezing out competitors.

"Imagine species that have different optimal temperatures for growth. In a fluctuating world, neither can get the upper hand and the two coexist...