Climate change poses challenges for people, plants and animals. But there are also some species that can cope better with the new living conditions.
Halle (dpa/sa) – The rising temperatures of climate change pose difficulties for people, animals and flora. However, the weather development is helping some heat-loving species – also in Saxony-Anhalt. One of the beneficiaries is the so-called bee eater, said a spokeswoman for the Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) in Saxony-Anhalt. This bird loves warm climates and was originally only found in southern and south-eastern Europe. Now he has numerous breeding grounds in Germany – in Saxony-Anhalt a large one in the Saale valley near Merseburg, said the spokeswoman.
The hoopoe also prefers a warm environment with a dry climate and will be observed more frequently in Saxony-Anhalt when temperatures rise, the spokeswoman predicted. In the case of the praying mantis – an alien-like insect – the increasing spread has already been proven by researchers in Saxony-Anhalt. Holly, for example, benefits from the plants, according to the Nabu spokeswoman. It is dependent on higher temperatures and, above all, mild winters.
Nevertheless, there are numerous losers from the climate crisis. Species that live in moors and wet meadows in particular are affected by the heat and drought. Species that cannot adapt flexibly enough or are pushed out by those who profit from climate change were also among the losers. “Overall, climate change is predicting a global decline in biodiversity,” said the spokeswoman.
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) recently showed in a study how thermophilic animals benefit from climate change. In their study, the scientists focused on analyzing the population of a good 200 species of insects – specifically 120 butterflies, 50 grasshoppers and 60 dragonflies. Accordingly, it was consistently shown that the warmth-loving species increased in their population, while the occurrence of species adapted to cooler temperatures decreased.
