Biodiversity increased when the climate warmed
SEP 04, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026305
Nature : “When temperatures were high, so was biodiversity. When temperatures fell, biodiversity also declined,” writes Richard Lovett for Nature. Contrary to previous studies of the fossil record that found the opposite to be true, Peter Mayhew of the University of York in the UK and colleagues have now determined that during periods of warming the creation of new species exceeded the extinction of old ones. Mayhew says their results were surprising because climate change is generally viewed as being disruptive. However, he warns that current global warming will probably not be beneficial because it is taking place so rapidly. Further studies will be needed of the more recent fossil record.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
