Climate change drives new species combinations, prompting calls to rethink conservation goals

The fact that ecosystems change is nothing new. What is new, however, is the speed and scale at which new species communities are emerging as a result of climate change. Processes that once unfolded over centuries or even millennia are now being observed within just a few decades.

“Even if temperatures were to stabilize in the near future, nature would continue responding to changes that have already occurred for a very long time,” says Tina Heger, an expert in ecological theory and invasion biology at TUM.

Together with colleagues, she published a review article in Nature Climate Change examining how climate change affects biodiversity. According to the authors, ecological novelty—the emergence of new species communities with no historical precedent—is becoming a defining feature of a rapidly changing world.

This, Heger says, also affects how we think about and practice ecological restoration and conservation. “We need to redefine our conservation goals. If we continue to focus on historical conditions, we risk missing opportunities to adapt to climate change and support biodiversity.”

Restoration based on historical conditions is becoming a Sisyphean task

Conservation and restoration efforts have traditionally aimed to restore historical ecosystem conditions or preserve threatened species within their existing habitats. Under changing environmental conditions, however, this approach may increasingly become a Sisyphean task.

Many habitats are changing so profoundly that native species can no longer find the conditions they need to thrive. “We may actually hinder the development of new, functioning ecosystems,” says Heger.

Coral reefs already provide a clear example of how ecological novelty emerges. As ocean temperatures rise, tropical fish expand into cooler waters, where they encounter new species.

At the same time, heat-sensitive coral species are declining while more resilient species become more common. These hardier corals, however, create different habitat conditions for the fish that remain. The researchers expect similar processes to occur in ecosystems around the globe in the coming decades.

Restoration and conservation in a changing climate

“The key question should no longer be how to maintain a particular ecological state, but how to foster conditions that will support a functioning ecosystem 20, 50 or 100 years from now,” says Heger. According to Heger, such approaches already exist and should become standard practice, but they are not applied often enough.

The researchers view the growing emergence of new species communities not only as an ecological challenge but also as a social and personal one.

“Watching the world change brings uncertainty and, for many people, a sense of loss,” says Heger. “These changes will increasingly affect our lives. That is why the social impacts of climate change should be deliberately incorporated into adaptation strategies, so that we can manage this transformation as effectively as possible.”

Who’s behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries.

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Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

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