Although global warming is accelerating, it has been revealed that nature is not changing as dynamically as expected.
AzEdu.az reports, citing foreign media, that a new scientific study has shown a significant decrease in the rate of species turnover in ecosystems in recent decades.
According to the results of a study conducted by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and published in the journal Nature Communications, the rate of species replacement in local habitats has decreased by approximately one-third since the 1970s.
For many years, scientists believed that rising temperatures and shifting climate zones would lead to species migrating more rapidly, disappearing in some areas and spreading in others. This, in turn, would further accelerate the process of change in ecosystems.
However, an analysis of global biodiversity data spanning nearly a century has shown that these expectations have not been met. Observations across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems have revealed that the rate of species change has not increased, but rather has weakened.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Emmanuel Nwankwo, stated that nature functions as a self-renewing system under normal conditions — some species decline, while new ones take their place. “However, it appears that this system has now weakened and is almost on the verge of stopping,” he noted.
According to experts, this trend may be related to the decline in biodiversity. When there is insufficient species diversity in ecosystems, their ability to adapt to climate change and maintain their functions is weakened.
Scientists warn that this silent weakening observed in nature could pose a serious risk to the long-term sustainability of ecosystems.
